A Busy Day: Drew To Yankees, Miller To Orioles

Stephen Drew has been traded to the Yankees for Kelly Johnson. It's the first trade between the two rivals since 1997. (So will Jeter be moving to third base to make room for Drew?)

And Andrew Miller has been dealt to the Orioles in exchange for pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, the #3 prospect in the Orioles' farm system according to mlb.com. Rodriguez is 21 years old and pitching in AA.

According to SoSH's Trading Scorecard:

Leaving
SP Felix Doubront
SP Jon Lester
SP John Lackey
SP Jake Peavy
OF Jonny Gomes
SP Corey Littrell (A+)
RP Andrew Miller
SS Stephen Drew

Arriving
RP Heath Hembree (25, RH reliever, AAA)
SP Edwin Escobar (22, LH starter, AAA)
OF Yoenis Cespedes (28, RH batter, MLB)
SP Joe Kelly (26, RH starter, MLB)
OF/1B Allen Craig (30, RH batter, MLB)
SP Eduardo Rodriguez (21, LH starter, AA)
UT Kelly Johnson (32, LH batter, MLB)
PTBNL from Cubs
Competitive Balance Pick from A's

Another Deal: John Lackey Traded To Cardinals

John Lackey has been traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Allen Craig and right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly. The Red Sox also included minor league lefty Corey Littrell in the deal.

Both players have had less-than-stellar seasons after doing quite well last year. Kelly, 26, has a 4.37 ERA (3.93 FIP) in seven starts this year. Since coming off the disabled list in mid-July, Kelly has a 7.32 ERA in four starts.

Craig, who turned 30 on July 18 and has struggled to stay healthy, has posted a weak .237/.291/.346 line in 2014.

Craig is signed through the next three seasons - 2015: $5.5M, 2016: $9M, 2017: $11M - with a $13M club option for 2018. Kelly is arbitration eligible after 2015.

So what does the rotation look like now?

Clay Buchholz
Rubby De La Rosa
Brandon Workman
Joe Kelly
Allen Webster

Anthony Ranaudo - 1.94 ERA in last 10 AAA starts - is scheduled to start on Friday, but whether that is for Pawtucket or Boston (in his major league debut) is unclear.

Red Sox Trade Lester, Gomes To A's For Yoenis Cespedes

Jon Lester, the anchor of the Red Sox's pitching staff for the past seven seasons, has been traded to the Oakland A's, along with outfielder Jonny Gomes. The Red Sox will receive outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and the A's' competitive balance draft pick.

Cespedes, 28, is signed through 2015. He will be paid $10.5 million. Cespedes is currently hitting .256/.303/.464, with 17 home runs. He doesn't get on base as much as I'd like (.318 career), but he's got a strong arm and is a power bat in the outfield.

Lester, 30, is in the middle of what could be the finest season of his career: 2.52 ERA, 1.12 WHIP. His career ERA+ of 120 puts him alongside Iron Man Joe McGinnity, Rollie Fingers, and CC Sabathia, among others.

Alex Speier has a superb look back at Lester's Red Sox career and his growth and maturity as a pitcher. ... See also Matthew Kory (OTM): "Jon Lester, the end of the road, and asking why".

G108: Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1

Blue Jays - 200 031 000 - 6  9  0
Red Sox   - 000 010 000 - 1  8  2

Mark Buehrle / Brandon Workman

Holt, 1B
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Napoli, DH
Gomes, LF
Drew, SS
Bogaerts, 3B
Bradley, CF
Vazquez, C

David Ortiz leads all MLB hitters with 25 RBI in July, his most in any month since May 2010 (27 RBI).

Felix Doubront Traded To Cubs

Felix Doubront has been traded to the Chicago Cubs, according to Jon Morosi (Fox Sports).

The Red Sox, clearly selling low on a once-promising lefty who ran up a 6.07 ERA this season, will receive the proverbial "player to be named later".

Doubront gave the Red Sox some extremely important relief innings in Games 3 and 4 of the World Series last fall. I was one of many people who thought he'd finally put it all together this spring, but clearly, that did not happen.

Banished to the bullpen in late June, Doubront then proceeded to allow 11 runs in nine innings of relief (seven appearances), as opponents had a 1.034 OPS against him.

Lester Scratched From Wednesday Start

John Farrell announced after Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays that Jon Lester would not make his scheduled start on Wednesday. Brandon Workman will get the ball against Toronto.

I think in light of all the uncertainty surrounding Jon Lester, it's probably in everyone's best interest that he not make that start.

Farrell added that a corresponding roster move would be made "sometime tomorrow".

Rob Bradford (WEEI) tweet:

FWIW, one GM just said it was looking like Lester deal would be done tonight or tomm. morning

G107: Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 2

Blue Jays - 010 200 001 - 4 12  0
Red Sox   - 001 000 001 - 2  7  1

Marcus Stroman / Rubby De La Rosa

Holt, RF
Nava, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Carp, 1B
Drew, SS
Bogaerts, 3B
Bradley, CF
Vazquez, C

G106: Blue Jays 14, Red Sox 1

Blue Jays - 200 209 100 - 14 14  1
Red Sox   - 000 001 000 -  1  5  0

Home or away, it doesn't matter. The Red Sox continue to circle the drain. With this blowout loss, they are a season-worst 11 games out of first place.

After Clay Buchholz (5-7-7-4-4, 100) pissed away any shot Boston had in this game, Felix Doubront - who recently complained about being demoted to the bullpen - threw gas on the fire (0.2-6-6-2-0, 36).

David Ortiz singled in David Ross for the lone Boston run.

R.A. Dickey / Clay Buchholz

Holt, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Victorino, RF
Drew, SS
Bogaerts, 3B
Ross, C

Ortiz Blasts Home Run, Archer and Maddon Start Whining

David Ortiz clubbed a three-run moon shot on Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay - and it made the difference in a 3-2 Red Sox win. Ortiz tossed his bat aside like he usually does when he truly gets ahold of one and trotted slowly around the bases.

As soon as the game was over, the Rays did what they do best. Pitcher Chris Archer and manager Joe Maddon went whining to the media.
Archer:

I think it was a perfect example of what Price said [about Ortiz thinking he is bigger than the game]. All of my interactions ... off the field have been good but when it comes to him on the field, I don't know what makes him think that he can showboat the way he does and then nobody retaliate, nobody look at him a funny way or nobody pitch him inside. I don't know why he feels like that but obviously he feels the way David [Price] said he does. He feels like he's bigger than the game. He feels like the show is all about him when in reality, if I don't walk Daniel Nava, if I don't give up an infield single to Pedroia, his one home run means nothing. I hope he realizes that there's more that goes into it than just him. I don't know. I feel like you can't say that your true character is defined by one action, but multiple actions speak to who you are.

Ortiz:

Whatever, dude. There's always going to be comments out there. He's not the right guy to be saying that, I don't think. He's got two days in the league. What can I tell you, man? Players these days are too sensitive about things. Just leave it at that. I think he's a good pitcher, I think he has great stuff. He's a guy I think is going to be pretty good, but it takes some time to get to that level.

Maddon:

He played it up pretty good. Again, you'd have to talk to him about that. I've had so much respect for that guy over the years. He's an iconic figure in that city, and I've always thought of him as a very classy person. The man has meant so much for the game and also back in his country [Dominican Republic]. Then there's those moments that occur like that. I'm not saying that my respect diminished, it's just something that makes you think a little bit more.

Does Ortiz think he's bigger than the game? I can't say - because I don't know the man or his private thoughts - but I suspect that he does not. What seems obvious is that after all that has gone on between the two teams this season, when Ortiz crushes a ball like he did yesterday, if he is showboating, he's showing up the Rays. It has nothing to do with the greater game.

G105: Red Sox 3, Rays 2

Red Sox - 003 000 000 - 3  6  0
Rays    - 002 000 000 - 2  5  0

David Ortiz clubbed a three-run homer and Koji Uehara, after allowing a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth, struck out the next three Rays to clinch the victory.

One Nice Thing: The Red Sox are 37-0 when leading after eight innings this season - the only team that has not lost a lead when leading entering the ninth inning.

Allen Webster / Chris Archer

Holt, 3B
Nava, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Victorino, RF
Carp, 1B
Drew, SS
Vazquez, C
Bradley, CF

With Jake Peavy moving across the country to San Francisco, Allen Webster gets the call today.

Alex Speier, WEEI:

Webster is 4-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 21 games (20 starts). He's allowed three or fewer runs in 19 of those appearances. In his most recent outing, he tossed seven innings (the sixth time this year he's pitched into at least the seventh) while permitting three runs; he's gone from being a five-inning pitcher in 2013 to a six-plus inning pitcher this year. Though his strikeout rate has been rather modest (7.4 per nine innings), that reflects an increased willingness to pitch to contact and navigate some efficient at-bats, resulting in the innings increase.

G104: Rays 3, Red Sox 0

Red Sox - 000 000 000 - 0  8  1
Rays    - 100 100 10x - 3  9  0

The Rays are currently on the kind of run we had hoped the Red Sox would pull off. Tampa Bay has won 27 of their last 38 games (since June 10, when they were 18 games under. 500), and is 15-4 in July.

The Rays - now at 51-53 - are trying to become the fourth team in history to get to .500 after being 18 games under. The others: 1899 Louisville Colonels, 2004 Devil Rays, 2006 Marlins.

John Lackey / Jeremy Hellickson

Holt, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Drew, SS
Bogaerts, 3B
Bradley, CF
Vazquez, C

Red Sox Trade Jake Peavy To Giants

The Red Sox traded pitcher Jake Peavy to the San Francisco Giants for two AAA pitchers: left-handed starter Edwin Escobar and right-handed reliever Heath Hembree. Both pitchers were assigned to Pawtucket.

Escobar began the season as San Francisco's #2 prospect (and #56 in MLB, according to Baseball America). Hembree was #7 on the Giants' list.

The two teams will split the remaining $5 million owed to Peavy this season. Peavy will make his Giants debut on Sunday night against the Dodgers.

Baseball America, on Escobar and Hembree:

Escobar always had size and strength, but he got himself in better condition and made an adjustment to raise his elbow in his delivery, allowing him to locate his 92-93 mph fastball, and for the first time, throw a dependable breaking ball. He gained confidence in his slider and it's a plus offering at times that he can throw early in the count or as a put-away pitch. His changeup also ranges from average to plus, and he held righthanded hitters to a .222 average. Escobar has a durable arm and likes to throw a lot between starts, so a bullpen role isn't out of the question. He was pitching in that role in the Venezuelan League, but his three-pitch mix offers too much potential as a starter. He figures to start 2014 at Triple-A Fresno.

With a fastball that approaches triple digits and the makings of a power slider, Hembree has closer stuff. He works at 93-96 mph with quality life when fully healthy and got back up to 95 in the AFL. He's doing a better job of maintaining his arm slot, which has helped the consistency of his 82-85 mph slider. His changeup probably won't become anything more than a show-me pitch, but he has made some progress with it. If anything, Hembree's injury and diminished velocity showed him the importance of having dependable offspeed stuff. While he can be overpowering, he also has bouts of wildness.

Teddy Cahill, MLB.com:

Edwin Escobar, LHP: Escobar signed with the Rangers as a 16-year old out of Venezuela in 2008, but he pitched just one season for them before the Giants acquired him as a compensation for allowing the Rangers to keep Rule 5 selection Ben Snyder. Escobar pitched well in the Giants system, rising to Triple-A Fresno as a 22-year old this season. He's been met with a bit more resistance in the hitter friendly parks of the Pacific Coast League and posted a 5.11 ERA and struck out 96 batters in 111 innings this season [20 starts]. Escobar has a solid three-pitch mix and he commands his low-90s fastball well. He has also proved to be durable, throwing 370.1 innings since the start of 2012.

Heath Hembree, RHP: Hembree's big arm has made him a force out of the bullpen since the Giants drafted him in 2010. He has spent the last few years as the closer for Triple-A Fresno and got a brief look in the big leagues last September. His fastball gets up to 98 mph, but he more typically works in the mid-90s. At its best, his slider is a swing-and-miss offering and helped him average 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings in parts of three seasons with Fresno. He's saved 105 games in the Minor Leagues and has the mindset necessary to pitch late in games at the highest level.

Chris Haft, MLB.com:

Escobar, who's also ranked 77th by MLB.com among prospects from all organizations, ... participated for the World team in the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game recently. Hembree, once considered San Francisco's closer of the future, is 1-3 with a 3.89 ERA and 18 saves for Fresno. He has struck out 46 and walked 13 in 39.1 innings.

The consensus at SoSH is extremely positive. From curly2:

Great deal by Cherington. Even if Escobar doesn't make it as a starter (and he still has plenty of time to make it as a starter), they can probably get value out of him as a reliever. Hembree may not pan out, but sometimes relievers just "get it," and he certainly has the arm to be one of those guys. I thought they would just get a warm body for Peavy, but they got two guys with actual potential.

G103: Rays 6, Red Sox 4

Red Sox - 010 002 001 - 4 10  0
Rays    - 000 020 40x - 6  8  0

Jon Lester / David Price

Holt, SS
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Victorino, RF
Bogaerts, 3B
Bradley, CF
Ross, C

The war resumes.

G102: Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 0

Red Sox   - 000 000 000 - 0  1  0
Blue Jays - 122 020 01x - 8 14  0

Marcus Stroman (7-1-0-2-7, 97) threw six no-hit innings before Shane Victorino opened the seventh with a single. ... The Red Sox also drew five walks. Yippee!

While batting with two outs in the ninth, David Ortiz tweaked something in his back on a check-swing and had to leave the game. Jonny Gomes flied out to left for the afternoon's final out.

Rubby De La Rosa / Marcus Stroman

Holt, 2B
Victorino, RF
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Drew, SS
Bogaerts, 3B
Bradley, CF
Vazquez, C

Brock Holt is the first player in Red Sox history to start at every position other than pitcher or catcher in the same season.

David Ortiz's home run last night was his 37th at Skydome, the most ever by a visiting player. Also, Ortiz became the 14th-fastest player to reach 1,500 RBI (2,067 games) since RBI became an official stat in 1920.

Happy 10th anniversary!

And Mueller wins it.

G101: Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 4

Red Sox   - 300 010 000 - 4  9  1
Blue Jays - 300 002 10x - 6  8  1

Clay Buchholz / R.A. Dickey

Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Vazquez, C
Bradley, CF

G100: Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 3

Red Sox   - 000 000 012 - 3 11  0
Blue Jays - 001 003 12x - 7 13  0

Although the Red Sox had squandered some scoring chances, leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and stranding two more in the fifth, they still trailed by only one run in the middle of the sixth. But then Peavy (6.1-8-5-3-7, 105) - and the game - fell apart.

Jose Reyes (3-for-5) lined Peavy's 2-2 pitch to right for a home run. Melky Cabrera (3-for-5) hit a ground-rule double to right and after Jose Bautista flied out, Dioner Navarro (2-for-4) homered to right-center. Toronto led 4-0; from there, both teams traded runs until the end.

Once again, the Red Sox did not score while Peavy was in the game. He began the night with the lowest run support among all American League pitchers (2.91).

David Ortiz homered to center in the eighth. And after Shane Victorino opened the ninth with a single, Stephen Drew donged to right. Down by four, Boston tried to fashion a rally. David Ross grounded a one-out single to center (Jackie Bradley pinch-ran) and Brock Holt walked. But Dustin Pedroia flied to right and Ortiz forced Bradley at third.

Both Ross and Victorino went 3-for-4. Ortiz homered and doubled.

Jake Peavy / A.J. Happ

Holt, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Victorino, RF
Drew, SS
Bogaerts, 3B
Ross, C

The Continuing Legend of David Ortiz:

Sunday night: "I'm about to get hotter than Jamaica in the middle of August."

Monday: Slams 2 home runs, drives in four.

Monday night: "I'm on my way to Jamaica."

Jonny Gomes:

That's why they play one hundred and sixty-two. ... Not 16 games, not 40 - you go for six months and you go like this [a rollercoaster]. It takes 162 to figure this damn thing out.

Have the Red Sox finally figured this damn thing out? They have won eight of their last nine games, setting season-highs in runs (14) and hits (18) last night in Toronto. The pitching staff, which has been a strength all season, has allowed only five runs over the last six games. With 62 games left on the schedule, they are 7.5 games out of first place.

Optimism > Drudgery. It's time to get on the bus.

G99: Red Sox 14, Blue Jays 1

Red Sox   - 024 260 000 - 14 18  0
Blue Jays - 001 000 000 -  1  3  0

Seven Red Sox batters had at least two hits in a rout of the Blue Jays.

Xander Bogaerts, Mike Napoli, and Daniel Nava each had three hits. ... Stephen Drew and David Ortiz both had 4 RBI.

Ortiz cracked two home runs (both off lefty Brad Mills), and passed Carl Yastrzemski on MLB's all-time list. Flo, with 453 dongs, is 36th all-time.

John Lackey: 7-2-1-0-3, 76. And zero 3-ball counts. ... Opposing teams have scored only six runs off Red Sox pitching over the last five games.

Boston has won five in a row and eight of its last nine games. Baltimore won last night, so the Red Sox remain 7.5 GB.

John Lackey / Drew Hutchinson

Holt, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Drew, SS
Bogaerts, 3B
Bradley, CF
Vazquez, C

Boston - winners of seven of their last eight games - begins a seven-game road trip in Toronto. After four games with the Blue Jays, the Red Sox play three in Tampa Bay.

By sweeping the Royals, the Red Sox gained two games in the AL East. They are now 7.5 GB the Orioles.

G98: Red Sox 6, Royals 0

Royals  - 000 000 000 - 0  4  1
Red Sox - 102 300 00x - 6  9  0

Jon Lester: 8-4-0-2-8, 115. Last seven starts: 52.2 IP, 5 ER, 47 K, 0.85 ERA.

Daniel Nava: single, double, walk, 3 RBI.

Jackie Bradley: 2 singles, walk, 2 runs scored.

David Ross: 2-run home run, walk, 2 runs scored.

Shane Victorino: 2-for-4, 1 run scored. ... Brock Holt: 2-for-5, 1 run scored.

Boston has won four in a row (with the pitching staff allowing only five runs) and seven of its last eight games. (Go A's!)

Yordano Ventura / Jon Lester

Holt, 3B
Nava, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Carp, 1B
Victorino, RF
Drew, SS
Ross, C
Bradley, CF

G97: Red Sox 2, Royals 1

Royals  - 001 000 000 - 1  5  1
Red Sox - 000 101 00x - 2  6  1

Mike Napoli's sixth-inning home run snapped a 1-1 tie. Rubby De La Rosa (7-5-1-4-2, 104), Andrew Miller (a perfect eighth), and Koji Uehara (a perfect ninth) held the Royals in check.

Boston has now won six of its last seven games. Also, each of the Red Sox's last eight victories at Fenway Park (since June 16) have been decided by one run: 1-0, 2-1, 2-1 (10), 3-2, 5-4, 4-3 (10), 5-4, and 2-1.

Napoli scored Boston's first run, singling and scoring on an infield error in the fourth inning.

Jackie Bradley started his sixth double play with a catch in the top of the first inning. At the start of today's action, no other outfielder had more than three DPs. It was Bradley's 11th assist of the season.

Danny Duffy / Rubby De La Rosa

Holt SS
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Victorino, RF
Bogaerts, 3B
Bradley, CF
Vazquez, C

The Red Sox sent Mookie Betts to Pawtucket to make roster space for Shane Victorino.

G96: Red Sox 5, Royals 4

Royals  - 100 210 000 - 4 12  1
Red Sox - 010 004 00x - 5 10  2

Two-run homers from Xander Bogaerts and pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes in the sixth inning lifted the Red Sox to victory. The Red Sox gained a game in the standings: 8.5 GB.

Gomes has now hit six pinch-hit home runs during his two seasons with the Red Sox. Only Ted Williams (7) has hit more PH-HR in a Boston uniform.

Clay Buchholz (6-10-4-0-3, 104) became the first Red Sox starting pitcher to win consecutive team games since Don Schwall (July 9 and 13, 1961, also around the All-Star break).

(And while looking at the 1961 schedule, I see the Red Sox had walk-off wins in both ends of a June 18 doubleheader, 13-12 (8 runs in the bottom of the ninth!) and 6-5 in 13 innings. Must have been an extremely fun day at Fenway!)

James Shields / Clay Buchholz

Holt, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Ross, C
Bradley, CF

In the Red Sox's last game, Clay Buchholz had one of the finest outings of his eight-year career, tossing a three-hit complete game shutout, with a career-high 12 strikeouts. Buchholz gets the ball again in Friday's game against the Royals as Boston begins the season's "second half".

The Red Sox host the Royals for three games before going on the road to Toronto and Tampa Bay, before coming back to Fenway Park to play the Blue Jays and Yankees. Will the Red Sox have narrowed the gap in the AL East by the time the trade deadline passes and August begins? ... Boston has won four of its last five games, showing some offensive pop, though those victories came against the White Sox and Astros, two sub-.500 teams.

Orioles    52  42  ---
Blue Jays  49  47  4.0
Yankees    47  47  5.0
Red Sox    43  52  9.5
Rays       44  53  9.5

Jon Lester:

Our division is pretty open. ... You're talking about nine games, you're talking about a homestand where things can be very, very different if we get on a roll and we start playing better. I think you saw that the last five or six games from us. The offense has started swinging the bat a lot better lately. If we continue to keep our guys in games, we're going to win more games and hopefully those one-run games are going to change for us.

Koji Uehara:

I feel that the way we finished off the first half and how many games there are left in the season, I certainly think that we have a shot.

Ben Cherington:

We've put ourselves in this position, so the math is working against us a little bit. But stranger things have happened. We don't see why we can't win more games than most of the teams ahead of us.

Shane Victorino could rejoin the Red Sox for the KC series.

Re2pect

Will Leitch, Sports On Earth:

The moment came mid-game, off the field. It came when National League starter Adam Wainwright, talking to reporters after giving up three first-inning runs, admitted the pitch he threw that Jeter hit for a double to lead off the game … he grooved it. "I was gonna give him a couple pipe shots," Wainwright said. "He deserved it. I didn't know he was gonna hit a double or I might have changed my mind." ...

It was as plain as day. He didn't hedge. He wasn't vague. He told the exact truth. He grooved a pitch to Derek Jeter because he respects Jeter so much he felt he deserved it. And then he owned up to it. ...

But that's not why Wainwright was criticized, or why he was forced to apologize to Erin Andrews during the game and act like he was kidding. The reaction among media - who are paid to ask questions of players and managers that elicit honest reactions, and if the reactions aren't honest, they're paid to find out what the truth in fact is - wasn't to thank Wainwright for his honesty. It was to blast him for not lying. ...

And why did people want Wainwright to lie? Because now Jeter's night - Jeter's perfect night - was somehow sullied. Everybody had their stories written in the first inning. This was Jeter's last great moment, and of course he went 2-for-2 because he was special. Wainwright telling the truth meant that the Jeter's Great Night story had to have an asterisk. And Derek Jeter is never, ever supposed to have an asterisk.

Also: Deadspin.

Giants Hit Historic Grand Slams

From Elias Sports Bureau:

The Giants beat the Diamondbacks 8-4 yesterday. Giants catcher Buster Posey hit a grand slam in the fifth inning. Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner hit a grand slam in the sixth inning. It was the first time in MLB history that pitcher/catcher teammates hit grand slams in the same game. It was the second time in Giants history (132 years) that they hit grand slams in consecutive innings; Bill Mueller and Jeff Kent did it against the Dodgers in 1998. And Bumgarner, who hit a grand slam against the Rockies on April 11, is the second pitcher with two slams in the same season. The first was Tony Cloninger (1966).

Clay Buchholz struck out 12 batters in a three-hit complete game shutout on Sunday. It was the highest strikeout total by a Red Sox pitcher in a complete game shutout with no walks since Hideo Nomo fanned 14 batters in a one-hitter against the Blue Jays on May 25, 2001.

Jose Abreu's two-run homer on Saturday was the 50th extra-base hit of his career. Abreu reached the half-century mark in just his 81st major-league game. That's the fewest games any player has needed since Ted Williams did it in his 80th appearance in 1939.

G95: Red Sox 11, Astros 0

Red Sox - 112 020 203 - 11 16  0
Astros  - 000 000 000 -  0  3  3

Clay Buchholz: 9-3-0-0-12, 109. A new career high in strikeouts. Buchholz retired the last 17 batters he faced. ... Buchholz will also start the Red Sox's next game, this Friday against the Royals.

Brock Holt: 5-for-6, home run, two runs scored. (He went 10-for-15 in the series.) Holt is the first Red Sock to have five hits in a game since Dustin Pedroia went 5-for-5 (with three home runs) against Colorado on June 24, 2010. Holt also played two innings at second base, the seventh position he has played this season.

Two hits: Pedroia, Daniel Nava, Stephen Drew, Christian Vazquez.

Two RBI: Vazquez, David Ortiz, Mike Carp.

The Red Sox had 16 hits, eight walks, and one HBP. They left 11 men on base and hit into five double plays. ... And still scored 11 times.

Clay Buchholz / Brad Peacock

Holt, SS
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Nava, LF
Bradley, CF
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Vazquez, C

G94: Astros 3, Red Sox 2

Red Sox - 000 100 100 - 2 13  1
Astros  - 002 000 01x - 3  8  0

Jake Peavy / Brett Oberholtzer

Holt, SS
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Ross, C
Bradley, CF
Betts, RF

Fun [sic] Fact about last night's game: "It marked just the second time in the last four weeks that the Red Sox won a game by a margin of more than one run."

Chris Hedges: "Kneeling In Fenway Park To The Gods Of War"

Essential reading.

Chris Hedges, TruthDig:

On Saturday [July 5] I went to one of the massive temples across the country where we celebrate our state religion. The temple I visited was Boston’s Fenway Park. I was inspired to go by reading Andrew Bacevich’s thoughtful book "Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country," which opens with a scene at Fenway from July 4, 2011. ...

The religious reverie — repeated in sports arenas throughout the United States — is used to justify our bloated war budget and endless wars. Schools and libraries are closing. Unemployment and underemployment are chronic. Our infrastructure is broken and decrepit. And we will have paid a crippling $4 trillion for the useless and futile wars we waged over the last 13 years in the Middle East. But the military remains as unassailable as Jesus, or, among those who have season tickets at Fenway Park, the Red Sox. The military is the repository of our honor and patriotism. No public official dares criticize the armed forces or challenge their divine right to more than half of all the nation’s discretionary spending. And although we may be distrustful of government, the military — in the twisted logic of the American mind — is somehow separate.

The heroes of war and the heroes of sport are indistinguishable in militarized societies. War is sold to a gullible public as a noble game. Few have the athletic prowess to play professional sports, but almost any young man or woman can go to a recruiter and sign up to be a military hero. The fusion of the military with baseball, along with the recruitment ads that appeared intermittently Saturday on the television screens mounted on green iron pillars throughout Fenway Park, caters to this illusion ...

Saturday's crowd of some 37,000, which paid on average about $70 for a ticket, dutifully sang hosannas — including “God Bless America” in the seventh inning — to the flag and the instruments of death and war. It blessed and applauded a military machine that, ironically, oversees the wholesale surveillance of everyone in the ballpark and has the power under the National Defense Authorization Act to snatch anyone in the stands and hold him or her indefinitely in a military facility. There was no mention of targeted assassinations of U.S. citizens, kill lists or those lost or crippled in the wars. The crowd roared its approval every time the military was mentioned. It cheered its own enslavement.

War is not a sport. It is about killing. It is dirty, messy and deeply demoralizing. It brings with it trauma, lifelong wounds, loss and feelings of shame and guilt. It leaves bleeding or dead bodies on its fields. The pay is lousy. The working conditions are horrific. And those who come back from war are usually discarded. ... At best, you are trotted out for a public event, as long as you read from the script they give you, the one designed to entice the naive into the military. Otherwise, you are forgotten.

Also: After our trip to Boston in early April, my partner Laura wrote the following: "military propaganda at sports events reaches new extremes: continuous recruitment ads at baseball games".

It disgusts me that my favourite team seems intent on prying the title of "Biggest Military/War Lovers" in MLB from the Yankees.

G93: Red Sox 8, Astros 3

Red Sox - 002 105 000 - 8 12  1
Astros  - 000 101 010 - 3  7  1

In his second major league game, Christian Vazquez went 3-for-4, with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBI. (Vazquez became one of just three Red Sox players since 1914 to record at least three hits and three RBIs within their first two career games, joining Sam Horn in 1987 and Merl Combs in 1947.)

David Ortiz had a three-run double. Brock Holt, Jackie Bradley, and Daniel Nava each had two hits. Holt and Stephen Drew each tripled and scored two runs.

Lackey: 6-4-2-5-3, 117.

John Lackey / Scott Feldman

Holt, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Carp, 1B
Nava, LF
Bradley, CF
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Vazquez, C

Thanks to two walkoff victories against the White Sox - the Christian Vazquez Era has been nothing but fun! - Boston is now tied with Tampa Bay for fourth place in the AL East, 9.5 GB the Orioles. The Red Sox play three games in Houston and then it's time for the All-Star Break. ... The Astros are one of two teams (along with Texas) with a worse record than Boston.

Shane Victorino began a rehab assignment last night with the Lowell Spinners. He played right field for five innings and went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. Victorino will play with Lowell again tonight, then move up to Pawtucket on Saturday and Sunday. Victorino has played in only 21 games with the Red Sox this year.

Babe Ruth made his major league debut 100 years ago today. He pitched seven innings as the Red Sox beat Cleveland 4-3 at Fenway Park.

Meanwhile, in New York:

G92: Red Sox 4, White Sox 3 (10)

White Sox - 100 000 002 0 - 3 10  0
Red Sox   - 000 003 000 1 - 4  3  0

The Red Sox notched their second walkoff victory in as many days.

Mike Carp's pinch-hit single scored Daniel Nava with the winning run.

Recaps: MLB, ESPNBoston (also here), WEEI.

Jose Quintana / Jon Lester

Holt, 3B
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Betts, RF
Drew, SS
Ross, C
Bradley, CF

Pictures and video of Jackie Bradley's catch from last night are here.

Surprise! AJP Was A Total A-Hole In The Clubhouse

Rob Bradford, WEEI:

According to multiple sources within the Red Sox clubhouse, Pierzynski had become such a negative influence on the team that players approached both the Sox coaches and front office to address the problem. The common theme expressed was the catcher's seeming indifference toward his teammates and the common goals of the same organization that had relied on an all-for-one approach when winning the 2013 World Series. ...

The frustrations with Pierzynski among the Red Sox grew with the catcher's indifference toward the perceived needs of the club. ...

[T]he facts are that this one player was identified by multiple members of what is perceived as one of baseball's most tight-knit groups as the dark cloud that has just been lifted. ...

It became obvious to those in the clubhouse fairly early on that this might be an oil-and-water situation. Pierzynski's personality wasn't conducive to the Red Sox' way of doing things, saying what he wanted when he wanted without much regard for the greater good. From the dugout, he would yell across the field at the opposition, or ridicule umpires during replay challenges. It made many cringe. ...

Pitchers started to express their preference to pitch to David Ross, with Pierzynski perhaps the team's worst receiving catcher since Javy Lopez swept through town in 2006. He also made little effort to fall in line with the rest of the lineup in regard to seeing at least a few pitches, a frustration that came to a head when he grounded into an inning-ending double play on a first-pitch fastball after the Red Sox had loaded the bases with three walks in Seattle.

AJP Fun Fact: He had more GIDPs (11) than walks (9).

G91: Red Sox 5, White Sox 4

White Sox - 110 100 100 - 4 10  0
Red Sox   - 000 000 032 - 5  9  1

Stymied by Chris Sale (7.2-4-1-0-6, 107) and four outs from yet another lifeless defeat, the Red Sox attacked the White Sox bullpen, eventually winning the game with one out in the bottom of the ninth on Daniel Nava's game-tying double and Brock Holt's game-winning single.

The Red Sox had done absolutely nothing with Sale for seven innings, managing to get only one batter past first base in that time. That came courtesy of Mookie Betts, who doubled with one out in the fifth, a successful end to an 11-pitch at-bat.

This was the first time since August 16, 1987, that the Red Sox started five rookies, not including September call-ups, in a game.

Betts also got the eighth inning rally going - with an infield double! Facing Sale, he grounded to shortstop and beat the throw to first, then noticed that no one was covering second base, so he took off - and slid safely in head-first. Sale retired the next two batters, and was then pulled by Chicago manager Robin Ventura. He had thrown only 107 pitches, and the hook may have been too quick.

Dustin Pedroia greeted reliever Jake Petricka by lining his second pitch to center, scoring Betts with a single. David Ortiz doubled off the left field wall, and Pedroia scored, making it 4-2. Mike Napoli walked on five pitches, bringing the potential tying run to the plate. Jonny Gomes ripped a 1-1 pitch down the left field line, into the corner, and Ortiz scored. Four batters and no outs, and Petricka was yanked. Javy Guerra came in to face pinch-hitter Mike Carp, who was batting for Xander Bogaerts. (I would have rather seen X hit for himself; hell, I would have rather seen the already-departed A.J. Pierzynski.) Carp grounded out first-to-pitcher to snuff out the promising rally.

But the Red Sox were not done. After Koji Uehara struck out the side in the top of the ninth, the bottom of the Boston lineup went to work on Guerra. Although Jackie Bradley fouled out to third, Betts was hit by a pitch. Nava, pinch-hitting for Christian Vazquez, doubled to the opposite field, the ball one-hopping the wall in left-center. The speedy Betts had no trouble scoring the tying run from first base. Guerra then got ahead of Holt 1-2, but Holt slashed a hit to right field, bringing in Nava with the game-winner. It was the Red Sox's seventh walkoff win of the season.

Vazquez went 0-for-3 in his major league debut, flying to right, lining to shortstop, and grounding to second. He was also part of two sterling defensive plays. In the fourth he came out in front of the plate to grab Betts's throw and gun down Dayan Viciedo trying to advance to second after singling in Chicago's third run. He also blocked the plate and tagged out Alejandro De Aza, who was trying to score on a double to left in the seventh; the play went 7-5-2.

Bradley went 0-for-4, but made one of the most amazing catches of the season in the second inning. Chicago led 2-0 and had a runner on second with one out. Tyler Flowers smoked a line drive to the gap in right-center. Bradley ran and ran, then leapt flat-out, seemingly hanging in the air an extra split-second, before spearing the ball and crashing to the ground. You can watch video here.

Chris Sale / Rubby De La Rosa

Holt, SS
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Bradley, CF
Betts, RF
Vazquez, C

39-51. Last place. 10.5 GB.

Joon Lee, Over The Monster: "The Season Is Over"

Alex Speier, WEEI: "Reality Bites: Brutal Homestand Forces Red Sox To Accept 2014 As All But Lost"

Pierzynski DFA'd; Christian Vazquez Will Start Tonight

The future is now.

The Red Sox have designated A.J. Pierzynski for assignment and called up Christian Vazquez from Pawtucket. Vazquez, 23, will be behind the plate tonight, catching Rubby De La Rosa.

According to tweets posted by WEEI's Alex Speier, John Farrell said, "We're turning the page in terms of investing in young players." and that Vazquez is up to stay and has a chance to be "a frontline catcher for years to come". Vazquez batted .279/.336/.385 for Pawtucket in 66 games this year.

Sox Prospects:

Plus defensive catcher with a strong, wide frame and solid agility behind the plate. Quick release, plus-to-better arm. Consistently timed quicker than 1.9 seconds on throws to second base. Struggled in the past blocking balls in the dirt, but has made strong strides improving with controlling his body to front offerings. Firm when receiving pitches. Quick feet. Smooth footwork when firing out of crouch. Learning to lead behind the plate. Average bat speed. Has worked to quicken swing load. Extends on offerings middle-to-away well. Gets tied up by higher velocity fastballs on inner third. Must increase hitting zones to make consistent contact in higher levels. Tends to be fooled by sharp breaking balls. Fringe-average-to-average power potential. Capable of driving balls into the gap hard.

In 72 games, AJP was a bust at the plate (.254/.286/.348) and a liability behind it.

Neither Pierzynski nor David Ross will be with the Red Sox in 2015. The team might as well let Vazquez get accustomed to the majors as soon as possible. It's not like the team will be pushing for a playoff spot in these remaining 72 games.

G90: White Sox 8, Red Sox 3

White Sox - 020 102 003 - 8 12  0
Red Sox   - 000 030 000 - 3 10  2

John Danks / Brandon Workman

Holt, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Ross, C
Drew, SS
Betts, CF

Yankees Fan Caught Sleeping On TV Sues ESPN, MLB For $10 Million

Troy Machir, The Sporting News:

A New York man who was caught sleeping at a recent Yankees game against the Red Sox on ESPN is filing a $10 million defamation suit against broadcasters Dan Shulman and John Kruk for their "avalanche of disparaging words," according to the New York Post.

Andrew Robert Rector admitted that he "briefly slept" while attending the April 13 game between A.L. East rivals, and when ESPN cameras caught him sleeping during the fourth inning, the Sunday Night Baseball announcers launched into what he described as an "unending verbal crusade" against him, with their "vituperative utterances" redistributed on the MLB website the following day.

Lorena Mongelli, David K. Li and Bruce Golding, New York Post:

[H]is typo-ridden suit says Shulman and Kruk's "false statements" include suggestions that Rector is "not worthy" to be a Yankee fan and "is a fatty cow that need two seats at all time and represent symbol of failure."

It also says Rector was made out to be "a confused individual that neither understands nor knows anything about history and the meaning of rivalry between Red Sox and New York Yankee."

As a result, the used-car dealer claims to have "suffered substantial injury" to his "character and reputation," as well as "mental anguish, loss of future income and loss of earning capacity."

The Smoking Gun has posted three pages of his complaint. Here is a sampling:

13. Nothing triggered all these assertions only that the plaintiff briefly slept off while watching the great game something or circumstance any one can easily found them self.

16. Plaintiff assert that defendants are guilty of juxtaposition of a series of fact that imply defamatory connection between them, and in doing so, they create a defamatory implication even though the particular fact are connected.

This jumbled mess - which reads like Rector's attorney translated it from English to some other language and then back to English - and the fact that his complaint is actually with readers' comments on mlb.com, not the TV announcers - will only increase the amount of ridicule heaped on Rector.

G89: White Sox 4, Red Sox 0

White Sox - 010 300 000 - 4  6  0
Red Sox   - 000 000 000 - 0  2  0

Scott Carroll / Clay Buchholz

Holt, RF
Nava, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Drew, SS
Pierzynski, C
Bradley, CF
Bogaerts, 3B

Red Sox Stats ‏@redsoxstats

McAdam says on The Baseball Show [Sunday night] that members of the organization say anything less than 5-2 against CWS & HOU and the Sox go into sell mode

I'm not sure why a good performance over the next seven games would convince the front office that this is a team with a shot at even the second wild card. The organization can't be that dumb or short-sighted about something that has roughly a 4% chance of happening. (And I'd say 3-4 is a far sounder bet than 5-2.) Every decision the Red Sox make this summer should be made with an eye toward 2015 and beyond.

G88: Orioles 7, Red Sox 6 (12)

Orioles - 000 101 400 001 - 7 16  0
Red Sox - 000 001 500 000 - 6 15  2

Kevin Gausman / Jake Peavy

Holt, RF
Nava, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Drew, SS
Ross, C
Bradley, CF
Bogaerts, 3B

G87: Orioles 7, Red Sox 4

Orioles - 000 214 000 - 7 16  0
Red Sox - 000 400 000 - 4  6  2

Ubaldo Jimenez / John Lackey

Holt, 3B
Nava, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Drew, SS
Gomes, LF
Pierzynski, C
Betts, CF

Game 2 of a day-night doubleheader.

G86: Red Sox 3, Orioles 2

Orioles - 002 000 000 - 2  5  1
Red Sox - 020 000 001 - 3  9  3

John Farrell's managerial moves worked to perfection in the bottom of the ninth. Jonny Gomes, pinch-hitting for Stephen Drew against lefty T.J. McFarland, reached on an infield single deep in the shortstop hole. Then David Ross bunted Gomes over to second, his first sacrifice in over a year. And a second pinch-hitter, Jonathan Herrera, batting for Jackie Bradley (who was 2-for-3), flared a broken-bat single to short right-center. Gomes tore around third, beating the throw easily with a long head-first slide, with the winning run.

Drew got the Red Sox on the board in the second with a solo home run. A second run scored on an infield error. Fielding miscues helped Baltimore tie the game in the third. A throwing error by Dustin Pedroia and a single put two Orioles on base. With two outs, and runners on second and third, Steve Pearce hit a ground ball to Xander Bogaerts at third. The ball skipped off his glove into left field, allowing both runners to score.

Both of the runs off Lester (8-5-2-0-7, 118) were unearned. Miguel Gonzalez (8-7-2-2-6, 113) nearly matched Lester pitch-for-pitch. Koji Uehara pitched the ninth for Boston.

Miguel Gonzalez / Jon Lester

Holt, RF
Nava, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Napoli, 1B
Pierzynski, DH
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Ross, C
Bradley, CF

Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader against the first-place Orioles. Boston is 8 GB.

G86: Orioles at Red Sox, PPD.

Orioles -
Red Sox - 

Red Sox:

Friday's Red Sox-Orioles game has been postponed due to inclement weather associated with Tropical Storm Arthur. ... Friday's game will be rescheduled as the first game of a day-night doubleheader, tomorrow, Saturday, July 5, beginning at 1:05 p.m. ET. Tomorrow's regularly scheduled game remains at 7:15 p.m.

Jon Lester will pitch Game 1, with John Lackey starting Game 2.

Miguel Gonzalez / Jon Lester

The Orioles (46-39) are in a first-place tie with the Blue Jays (47-40), while the Red Sox are only 1.5 games out of the AL East basement.

Good News For The Red Sox

They will not lose today.

G85: Cubs 16, Red Sox 9

Cubs    - 300 321 016 - 16 19  1
Red Sox - 001 220 013 -  9 16  0

If only Anthony Rizzo had bothered to drive in a run...

Dustin Pedroia has collected three hits in four of his last five games, going 12-for-20.

David Ortiz hit two doubles, and now has 1,001 extra-base hits in his career. He is the 36th player in history to reach the 1,000 mark

Mookie Betts's first hit at Fenway was a two-run homer. Betts and Xander Bogaerts are the first pair of Red Sox players age 21 or younger to homer in the same season since 1980 (Glenn Hoffman, Chico Walker).

Time of game: 4:19, the longest nine-inning game played thus far this season.

Travis Wood / Brandon Workman

Holt, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Pierzynski, c
Betts, CF
Herrera, SS

The Red Sox have had trouble scoring runs all season - they have crossed the plate only 312 times, dead last in the American League (3.71 per game) - but their current ineptitude at home is reaching historic levels.

Boston has scored two runs or fewer in seven straight games at Fenway Park, only one shy of the franchise record set by the woeful 1932 team, which finished 43-111 (.279, the worst in team history), 64 games out of first place. (Thanks to The Omnipotent Q for this factoid.)

If you're wondering, the major league record for most home games with two or fewer runs scored is 11, set by the Washington Senators (May 11-19, 1947). That Senators' mark is tied with two other teams for the longest stretch of games (home or away) with two or fewer runs scored: Boston Braves, June 4-13, 1942 and St. Louis Cardinals, May 17-29, 1978.

How about consecutive games scoring 0 or 1 run? The Houston Colt .45s - in their second year of existence - played nine straight games (June 18-25, 1963), losing by scores of: 3-1, 9-1, 5-0, 3-0, 3-0, 4-0, 8-1, 3-0, 4-0.

In other words, things could be worse.

"Don't Let Us Win Tonight" On NESN Pre-Game

NESN:

The 2004 Boston Red Sox team was a special bunch that didn't just break the 86-year World Series curse, but one that did it with personality and in inspiring fashion.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the championship squad, Allan Wood and Bill Nowlin wrote "Don't Let Us Win Tonight: An Oral History of the 2004 Boston Red Sox's Impossible Playoff Run." The book gives readers an inside look at the historic team, as the authors spoke to players, coaches, front-office personnel and even bat boys to bring every detail to life for the fans.

Tom Caron and Tim Wakefield talked to my co-author Bill Nowlin about the book before last night's game. Video here.

G84: Cubs 2, Red Sox 1

Cubs    - 000 001 001 - 2  7  0
Red Sox - 000 010 000 - 1  8  0

Yet another strong pitching performance - this time, by Clay Buchholz (6.1-5-1-0-2, 100) - was wasted because the Red Sox could not score more than a single run. Boston left nine men on base, including two in the fourth and three in the fifth.

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead with two outs in the fifth. Jackie Bradley doubled to the opposite field and went to third as Brock Holt singled to left. Dustin Pedroia's (3-for-5) line drive to left was nearly caught by shortstop Starlin Castro, as the ball glanced off his glove, but it landed in left field, and Bradley scored. David Ortiz walked to load the bases, but Mike Napoli ended the rally with a fielder's choice to shortstop.

The Cubs quickly tied the game. Justin Ruggiano began the top of the sixth with a double (ending a string of 13 straight batters retired by Buchholz). Ruggiano took third on Darwin Barney's single and scored on Chris Coghlan fielder's choice.

Chicago took the lead against Koji Uehara in the ninth. Anthony Rizzo lined Uehara's first pitch into center for a single. Castro doubled to the Wall in left, and Rizzo advanced to third. Luis Valbuena lofted a fly ball to Mookie Betts in right field, deep enough for Rizzo to score the go-ahead run.

In the ninth, against Hector Rondon, Betts flied to center and Bradley struck out looking. Brock Holt kept things alive with an infield hit to third, but Pedroia grounded out to third. The play at first was extremely close, but after being reviewed the original call of "out" was upheld.

Pedroia had his third three-hit game in four starts. A.J. Pierzynski and Holt each had two hits.

Edwin Jackson / Clay Buchholz

Holt, LF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Pierzynski, C
Bogaerts, 3B
Drew, SS
Betts, RF
Bradley, CF

An Unprecedented Accomplishment For The Pitching Staff

Something historic happened at Fenway Park last night.

Boston's pitching staff allowed only two runs. It was the 13th consecutive home game in which the Red Sox have allowed three or fewer runs, a new franchise record.

May 28  - Red Sox 4, Atlanta 0
May 29  - Red Sox 4, Atlanta 3
May 30  - Red Sox 3, Rays 2
May 31  - Red Sox 7, Rays 1
June 1  - Red Sox 4, Rays 0
June 12 - Red Sox 5, Cleveland 2
June 13 - Red Sox 10, Cleveland 3
June 14 - Cleveland 3, Red Sox 2
June 15 - Cleveland 3, Red Sox 2 (11)
June 16 - Red Sox 1, Twins 0
June 17 - Red Sox 2, Twins 1
June 18 - Red Sox 2, Twins 1 (10)
June 30 - Cubs 2, Red Sox 0

The previous record was 12: August 15-31, 1914 and August 3-16, 1915. ... Those two streaks remain the club's record for consecutive games, home or away.

NESN: Pop-Up Facts Not Always Factual

It's hard to decide which one of NESN's inane new "features" during Red Sox broadcasts is the dumbest: the Wally Wave dance, Don Orsillo's blurry cellphone videos, or polls that obscure the actual game. My vote goes to something that was lame and pointless when VH-1 introduced it nearly 20 years ago: pop-up facts.

NESN still has not mastered the fine art of showing an entire baseball game - one essential aspect: showing every pitch - yet the network seems intent on larding up the broadcast with non-baseball crap. Does NESN truly believe it will catch (and hold!) the attention of casual viewers with this stuff?

And now, you can't even trust the pop-up "facts" to be correct. Here's one from the bottom of the fifth last night:

Chances are you have already spotted the fairly obvious error. Sammy Sosa retired in 2007 - which was seven years ago. Sosa hit 20 dongs in June 1998 - which was actually 16 years ago, not six.