Rinse Cycle: Red Sox , Yankees; The Curse of Red Sox Magazine
Due to the decision to start the game entirely too late considering how many times these two teams will play each other, I will be unable to post about tonight’s game. Hopefully it ends with a win.
Coming Clean
Everyone knows about the Sports Illustrated curse…but is there a Red Sox Magazine curse? The latest Red Sox magazine came out earlier today, featuring none other than Dustin Pedroia on the cover. Today, it was also announced that Pedroia would be headed back to Boston for testing on his knee, which he injured back in May. Coincidence? Let’s take a look.
With Pedroia suffering from a foot injury that ended his season prematurely last year, the Red Sox were really hoping to avoid anything serious being wrong with his knee. Turns out, they got what they wanted. It’s just a bruise. Most likely, the Laser Show will be back to lighting up the night sky on Friday. As for the Red Sox magazine curse? It doesn’t exist, but it was the first thing I thought of when I heard about the possible injury. Looking at past covers, they include Josh Beckett on May’s cover, David Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez on April’s cover, and Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford on the Spring Training cover. Safe to say, most of those guys are having pretty good years, and Crawford’s is turning around. So the Red Sox magazine curse doesn’t actually exist, but the number 18 curse, however, is very real, and recently claimed it’s latest victim.
Enjoy the game.
Rinse Cycle: Red Sox 11, Yankees 6
I was in a SCUBA class tonight and unfortunately missed the game. Looks like it was a doozy. David Ortiz, Carl Crawford and even J.D. Drew got in on the home run action. Tim Wakefield continued his march towards 200 career wins, getting number 196 tonight. Here’s your more well informed recap.
W: Wakefield (3-1, 4.84 ERA)
L: A.J. Burnett (6-4, 4.37 ERA)
S: Alfredo Aceves (1)
Coming Clean
Tonight was a four and a half hour intro course into SCUBA diving, and honestly, I think about half of the class was dedicated to how not to die. Which makes it pretty incredible that this is still a sport in the first place. Think about the people who first said, “hey, I’d like to breathe underwater.” Without today’s technology, how did they not all die? And when people did die, why did people continue to say, “you know what, Wendel may have died, but I think I’ve got this one covered. I can breathe underwater.” It’s such an unnatural thing for a human being to do, and I guess that makes us want to figure out how to do it more. To those guys, I’d like to say thanks for sticking it out. SCUBA diving is some serious shit, and I’m glad I can just learn and do it, and don’t have to figure it out for myself. Well played, guys in history. Well played. As well played as the Red Sox game tonight. (See? It tied in.)
Rinse Cycle: Red Sox 6 Yankees 4
W: Jon Lester (8-2)
L: Freddy Garcia (4-5)
S: Jonathan Paplebon (12)
David Ortiz and Jacoby Ellsbury homered, and the Red Sox got off to a hot start by scoring three in the first inning and chasing Yankee starter Freddy Garcia in the second. Full Recap
Coming Clean
I honestly can’t think of anything worse than listening to a Yankee radio broadcast. The combination of Suzyn (with a Y!) Waldman and John Sterling just can’t be beat in it’s awfulness. Now, this isn’t to say Sterling is a bad broadcaster. In fact, I think he actually calls a good game – as long as the Yankees lose and a home run isn’t involved. His home run catchphrases are so douchy that even Yankee fans turn the volume down when a ball leaves the park. Hell, even if he stopped after his “Niiiiiiit is high, niiiiiiiit is far, niiiiiit is gone” call, it wouldn’t be so bad. But he can’t stop. He has to add “An A-bomb – from A-Rod!” and “Ohhhhh, the Grandyman can” to the end and ruin a halfway decent call. You’re off the mark, Sterling.
Waldman is just a pain to listen to. Her screech is ear splitting, and she just says inane things. To top it off, she has a horrific Boston accent that she hasn’t been able to shake that must annoy Yankee fans to no end. Is a Boston accent bad? Not at all. Is a Boston accent bad when you’re a Yankee broadcaster. Very.
Here are some Sterling home run calls, but first, Waldman’s infamous “OF ALL THE DRAMATIC THINGS I EVAH SAWH!” Clemens meltdown.
OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!
Home Run Calls
Skip to :30
Double whammy of terrible on this one
I apologize if your ears are now bleeding.
Prewash: Red Sox at Yankees
Red Sox. Yankees. Even in early June this rivalry evokes emotion. Both teams do everything they can to get an edge, as evidenced by the Red Sox attempting to set their rotation for the series (Clay Buchholz had to be pushed back due to a sore back. No need to risk injury in June, even if it is a Yankee series.) The last time these two teams met, the Yankees had a three game lead on the Red Sox, who were five out of first and still under .500. This time around, it is a much different story. The Red Sox have been on a tear, and now sit seven games over .500, and just a game back of the now first place Yankees. The Red Sox just finished up a sweep of the Oakland Athletics, while the Yankees are returning home after spending some time out west. They took two of three from the [insert city du jour] Angels, and have fully pulled out of the cold streak that plagued them in early-to-mid May.
In their sweep of the A’s at Fenway, the Red Sox put up 23 runs against a vaunted A’s staff, no easy feat. Let’s hope that this is the real Red Sox offense, and that White Sox series is just a blip on the radar. Marco Scutaro will be rejoining the team for the series, after ripping it up (free registration required) with the PawSox. No word on whether or not he will be starting.
The key for the Red Sox in this series will be keeping the Yankee bats in the yard. The power numbers have been there for the Yankee lineup, but not the averages. If the Sox can do that, they should pull out another series win. The Yankees got the winning started for the Red Sox this year, so let’s hope that trend continues.
Tuesday, June 7, 7:05 PM
Red Sox: Jon Lester (7-2, 3.94 ERA)
Yankees: Freddy Garcia (4-4, 3.34 ERA)
Prediction: Red Sox
Lester pulls out of his mini-slump and throws a gem in a low scoring game.
Wednesday, June 8, 7:05 PM
Red Sox: Tim Wakefield (2-1, 4.40 ERA)
Yankees: A.J. Burnett (6-3, 3.86 ERA)
Prediction: Red Sox
Neither pitcher has much luck against the other team, but I think the Red Sox pull off a tight one Wednesday.
Thursday, June 9, 7:05 PM
Red Sox: Josh Beckett (4-2, 2.01 ERA)
Yankees: CC Sabathia (7-3, 2.80 ERA)
Prediction: Yankees
Beckett was a bit wild last time out, that may carry over. Beckett has dominated the Yanks this year, and CC is 0-2 against the Red Sox. Unfortunately, this seems bound to happen.
Enjoy the series – hopefully it’ll end with a first place Red Sox team.
Follow @washyoursoxRinse Cycle: Red Sox Sweep the Athletics
The Red Sox swept the A’s at Fenway this weekend, putting up 23 runs against a a very talented A’s pitching staff. Adrian Gonzalez continues to rake, and now has 50 RBI on the year. Carl Crawford has started to turn around, hitting a home run to go along with eight RBI in the series. Jacoby Ellsbury added three more stolen bases to his season total, and continues to hit well in the leadoff spot. The Red Sox showed tremendous resiliency on Saturday, hanging on to win after blowing another late lead, which led to Jonathan Pablebon and Jason Varitek being ejected. The Red Sox will look to have this carry over into their next series in the Bronx against the Yankees.
Follow @washyoursoxVote for Your Red Sox All Stars
With the Red Sox having an off day today, how about taking some time to vote for our guys to be in this year’s All Star game in Arizona? The league has made it easier than ever this year by highlighting each player by team, making finding the Sox simple. Also, you can submit the same ballot up to 25 times just by re-entering a captcha code. There’s really no excuse for not showing support this year. So just go through the ballot and give Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis and the like a vote. But not J.D. Drew, because, hey, he’s a bum. And his spot is a chance to give a guy like Matt Joyce, who is having a stellar year, a shot to start. Oh yea, and give Asdrubal Cabrera a shout out in the shortstop position, since Marco Scutaro has been hurt all year, yet for some reason is our nominee there.
As for the the Quadruple-A/National League vote, that one is entirely up to you. I know the Red Sox have announced a partnership with the San Francisco Giants (someone in marketing is either blindingly dumb or a genius, I haven’t figured out which yet), but being from Philly, I gave a nod to the Phillies guys, and Andre Ethier. He’s down right nasty.
Need another reason to vote? According to this article by MLB.com, Yankees are the leading vote getters at SIX of the nine positions. Six. At this point, we might as well just put the Yankee line up in to start the game. The entire starting infield, including a washed up Derek Jeter (who I still can’t figure out how he won a Gold Glove last year), is dominated by Yankees. Robinson Cano has doubled up Pedey in votes. I know it’s still early, and it’s a popularity contest, and the Yankees are the only team people are a fan of overseas, but c’mon. Red Sox Nation can represent the team better than that, and get the vote closer. The list is updated weekly, so a new leader board should be out Wednesday. Let’s hope people have been hit with some common sense by then.
Here’s the ballot – now go make your voice heard!
Follow @washyoursoxSpin Cycle: No More Dice-K?
What do I do with this thing?
A couple of days ago it was reported that Daisuke Matsuzaka will under go Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, ending his season, and possibly his time with the Red Sox. Guess how many people are upset? NONE. (Approximately.) In eight starts this year, Dice-K is 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA. He has walked nearly as many as he has struck out. And he has continued to frustrate the Red Sox and fans.
How bad has it gotten? CBS Sports actually wrote an article asking whether or not it was okay to be happy when a player got injured. Their answer? The same as most of ours. Yes. To me, it’s not that I’m happy he’s hurt. I’m happy he’s out of the rotation. He just so happens to be out of the rotation because he’s hurt.
What was most irritating about Dice-K’s tenure in Boston, if in fact it is over, is how wildly inconsistent he was (that, and his inability to go deep into games.) I saw him pitch last year against the Phillies, and he took a no hitter into the late innings (an exception to my last parenthetical expression), nearly pulling it off. Yet a couple of starts earlier, there he was giving up seven runs to the Yankees. He always seemed to be good for four runs to the other team. Not exactly the ace we were told was coming. Even in his best year, 2008, when he went 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA, he was still mind bogglingly frustrating. Not only does he make up pitches (gyroball, anyone?), he drives me to make up words. His advanced metrics, mainly his WHIP (1.324) and BB/9 (5.0!), were not reflected in his win/loss totals. No one walking FIVE people per game should go 18-3. Essentially, his record was an illusion of his good fortune, evidenced by a paltry .260 BABIP.
We will never know how he went from the pride of Japan to the scourge of Boston, but I do wish him well, despite this post. Plenty of pitchers recover, and even come back stronger, after Tommy John surgery. I wish him nothing but the best, just on another team. Dice-K seems like he would be a good fit in the National League, a second or third starter on a middling team, without the pressure of a city like Boston. What better way for him to redeem himself by coming back and being the ace that Boston always thought he would be?
Shoutout to Baseball Reference for the statistics and the Boston Herald for the picture.
Prewash: Red Sox vs. Athletics Weekend Series
The Red Sox will be taking on the Oakland Athletics in a weekend series at Fenway. After being swept by the Chicago White Sox earlier this week, the Red Sox will look to get back on track with two of their three best pitchers. The third? John Lackey, who will be making his (hopefully) triumphant return from the DL in this series. Unfortunately, I’m thinking Lackey is a lost cause. Already. A disaster of a signing for the Red Sox, costing them over 80 million dollars. He’s a frustrating mess. An 8.01 ERA? An 8.01 ERA. Hopefully he took his time on the DL to recover from sucking.
Anyway, the bats fell asleep the last couple games, save for the last two innings of the first game. Hopefully they can get back to where they were pre-White Sox, and the Red Sox can close this homestand with a series win.
A couple of injury notes that everyone knows about already, but I feel it necessary to mention. Dice-K will most likely be undergoing Tommy John surgery, ending his season, and, most likely, his confusing time with the Red Sox (more on this later). Rich Hill, the Milton, Massachusetts native who has reinvented himself this year to the tune of no earned runs, 12 strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.75 in nine appearances this year, will also be undergoing Tommy John surgery, thus ending his campaign. Side-arming Tommy Hottovy, some what of a lefty specialist this year down in Portland and Pawtucket, has been called up to replace Hill. Hottovy has struck out 28 in 27 innings while only walking 5, and lefties are 0 for 12 against him this year. Let’s hope his minor league success translates to the majors.
Friday June 3, 7:10 PM:
Red Sox: Clay Buchholz (4-3, 3.41 ERA)
A’s: Josh Outman (1-0, 2.08 ERA)
Prediction: Red Sox
Saturday June 4, 1:10 PM:
Red Sox: Josh Beckett (4-2, 1.80 ERA)
A’s: Trevor Cahill (6-3, 2.31 ERA)
Prediction: Red Sox
Sunday June 5, 1:35 PM:
Red Sox: John Lackey (2-5, 8.01 ERA)
A’s: Brett Anderson (3-5, 3.68 ERA)
Prediction: A’s
Enjoy the weekend!
Rinse Cycle: White Sox 7, Red Sox 4
Another White Sox (27-31) matchup, another Red Sox (30-26) loss. After starting off strong and going up 3-0 after two innings, the Boston Red Sox again fell apart against the other Sox from Chicago.
Paul Konerko led the White Sox with three hits, including a back-breaking two run home run in the ninth that put the game out of reach for the Red Sox. Up just 5-4, Konerko turned on a Jonathan Paplebon pitch to put the White Sox up by the final margin. Brent Lillibridge (who?) had two RBI and Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin knocked in a run each in the win. Gavin Floyd got the decision.
For the Red Sox, Jed Lowrie got the scoring stared off on the second, and was followed by Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocking in two runs to put the Red Sox up 3-0. After the White Sox took the lead off of Tim Wakefield, David Ortiz hit his second home run in as many days to tie the game back up. Matt Albers came in in the seventh, only to promptly hand the lead back to the White Sox. It was another solid effort by the team, but it just seems to be one of those weird baseball things, where one team just can’t beat another. There doesn’t seem to be a reason for it, but you just have to hope that karma will return the favor and give the right Sox some wins. Another way to look at it – the Red Sox are to the White Sox what the Angels are to the Red Sox. Save for the 2009 ALDS, that is.
Thirteen out of 15 now. Ugh.
White Sox | 7 | 12 | 0 |
Red Sox | 4 | 9 | 0 |
W: Floyd (6-5)
L: Albers (1-3)
S: Santos (9)
Prewash: Game 56, White Sox at Red Sox
After seeing a valiant comback effort fall short last night, the Red Sox will try and get the best of their White counterparts this afternoon in Boston, in the final game of their first series of the year. The starters will be Tim Wakefield for the Red Sox and Gavin Floyd for the Chicago White Sox. Wakefield is coming off of a seven inning, two run performance against the Tigers last time out. With John Lackey and Dice-K on the DL for sucking horribly, ol’ reliable Wakefield has come through big. The bats have cooled off a bit in the past few days, but it’s hard not to cool off after scoring 34 runs in a three day span. Hopefully they’ll be able to give Wakefield some support against Floyd, who has been solid so far this year, and get Wake one win closer to 200 for his career. Besides – the White Sox won’t score 10 again, right?
Prediction: Red Sox 6, White Sox 5
Starters
Red Sox: Tim Wakefield (2-1, 4.14 ERA)
White Sox: Gavin Floyd (5-5, 3.69 ERA)
