Red Sox Are Rolling -- With An Easier Schedule Ahead

Since the beginning of June, the Red Sox have played four series against first-place teams (Tigers, Rangers, Yankees, Phillies). Boston went 9-3 in those games, outscoring their opponents 72-48.

Boston's schedule is about to get much easier. Their next 25 games -- from tonight until the All-Star break -- are against teams that are currently under .500. Sixteen of those 25 games are at home. There is no better time to fatten their two-game lead in the East.

Tim Wakefield, Brad Penny and Jon Lester will face the Marlins this week. The big question is who will start Friday's game against Atlanta -- John Smoltz or Daisuke Matsuzaka?

John Tomase, Herald:

Barring the trade of Penny, the most likely route for Smoltz into the rotation is through Matsuzaka, who could either be placed on the disabled list or shifted to the bullpen. If it's the latter, reliever Daniel Bard could be shipped back to Triple-A Pawtucket to make room for Smoltz, whose rehab window expires on Friday.

Gerry Callahan of the Herald would like the Red Sox to bury Matsuzaka in the bullpen, letting him mop-up or pitch in long relief.

If Penny is not traded, that will be a real possibility (though Callahan's "dump his ass" mentality is knee-jerk and childish). Tony Massarotti ponders that scenario, as well as four others. The Red Sox will not implement a six-man rotation, all public indications (as recently as two days ago) are that Smoltz will start, so the only other option is sending Wakefield to the pen.

Yet another potential starter, Clay Buchholz, is frustrated at being in Pawtucket:

I want to be in the big leagues and I do want to go somewhere where I'll be able to play and pitch every fifth day. ... [I]t's sort of a logjam up there (in Boston). Whenever they come to a problem, they seem like they find a way to fix it without me being in the picture. It is what it is -- it's frustrating at times. Everybody knows that this game doesn't last forever, for a pitcher especially. I feel like I don't want to waste bullets here.

Farm director Mike Hazen responded:

There should be an expectation of the player to feel like he's ready to go to the big leagues ... I think we're reading into it more that he has that confidence, that swagger, to seize the opportunity when it comes. Ultimately, he's just got to go out and continue to perform every five days. He's held up his end of the bargain. ... He's handled every situation that's been thrown at him like a pro. ... And his performance has been unbelievable. ... I believe wholeheartedly that Clay Buchholz wants to pitch for the Boston Red Sox. I believe wholeheartedly that both (Buchholz and Michael Bowden) want to be Boston Red Sox and that both of them will be, and that they'll help us win another World Series. It's just a matter of the timing of the situation.

***

Jason Bay was asked if there was anything new regarding a contract extension:

There's really nothing to say about it. It's been a hot topic. I understand that. Until there's something to say, there's nothing to say. In spring training, we said we would revisit it at some point. Now we're two months into the season, so there's still a lot of time left. It's not really something that I'm hung up with. If it's in the cards, it'll get worked out. If not ...

The herald's Michael Silverman has a Pedro update, saying Martinez

has been working out six days a week at Licey Stadium in downtown Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic for the last several weeks ... with scouts from major league teams stopping by to take looks. He is trying to stay on a five-day throwing program in anticipation of signing with a major league team, probably by the end of this month. His plan is to go on a 2-[3] week minor league tuneup stint before being ready to pitch in the second half of the MLB season, right after the All-Star break. ... He wants to have a good enough showing where he can continue to pitch through at least 2011.

***

Nick Cafardo took an unwarranted shot at Julio Lugo in his June 14 Globe story (my emphasis):

It was as if he experienced that Philadelphia freedom. As if he had run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art pumping his fists like Rocky. That's how invigorated Julio Lugo felt last night.

"Of course, when you get hits, you feel good," said Lugo, slipping on a pair of $400 Gucci sneakers after the Red Sox' 11-6 win over the Phillies. "The only way you feel comfortable is by having success."

I'd say Cafardo is better than that, but he is fairly worthless as a baseball writer.

Finally: Bloomsday!

Off-Day Outtakes: Guns N' Roses, AC-DC

Guns N' Roses
Appetite for Outtakes

Disc 1
[Hollywood Rose 1981 Demos; Axl/Izzy]
01  Shadow Of Your Love
02  My Way - Your Way (aka Anything Goes)
03  Wreckless (aka Reckless Life)
04  Unknown Song #1
[1986 Early Studio Demos]
05  Welcome To The Jungle #1  
06  Out Ta Get Me
07  Anything Goes
08  Ain't Goin' Down (aka Meet & Beer Jam)
09  Don't Cry
10  Back Off Bitch
11  Shadow Of Your Love
12  Welcome To The Jungle #2
13  Fucking Crazy (aka You're Crazy)
14  November Rain (acoustic guitar version)
15  November Rain (piano version)
[Appetite For Destruction Rehearsals 1986-87]
16  Reckless Life  
17  Move To The City
  
Disc 2
01  Ain't Goin' Down (aka Meet & Beer Jam)
02  Welcome To The Jungle
03  Nightrain
04  Paradise City
05  My Michelle
06  Think About You
07  You're Crazy
08  Anything Goes
09  Rocket Queen #1
10  Rocket Queen #2
11  Don't Cry
12  Back Off Bitch
13  Move To The City (acoustic)
14  Jumpin' Jack Flash (acoustic)
15  Heartbreak Hotel
16  Mama Kin
17  Jumpin' Jack Flash (electric)
  
Disc 3
["Live Like A Suicide" Recording Sessions;
Original Version Without Audience Noise]
01  Reckless Life  
02  Nice Boys  
03  Move To The City  
04  Mama Kin  
05  Shadow Of Your Love
06  Heartbreak Hotel  
07  Jumpin' Jack Flash
[Use Your Illusion: Early Demos]
08  Bad Obsession
09  Too Much Too Soon  
10  Sentimental Movie  
11  Crash Diet
12  Unknown Demo #1  
13  The Garden  
14  Just Another Sunday
15  Bring It Back Home  
16  Unknown Demo #2  
17  Yesterdays
18  Crash Diet

***AC/DC
Blow Up Your Video - 1987 Demos

01  That's The Way I Wanna Rock And Roll
02  Heatseeker
03  Let It Loose
04  Alright Tonight
05  She's My Babe

The last three tracks have never appeared on an AC-DC album in any form. Track 5 from Ballbreaker sessions (1995).

A Brief Heart Attack

Surfing around, I saw this headline:

Buchholz to have season-ending elbow surgery

I was quite happy to learn that the player in question was actually Colorado reliever Taylor Buchholz.

G63: Phillies 11, Red Sox 6

Red Sox  - 040 001 010 -  6 11  2
Phillies - 100 040 60x - 11 14  2

***

Josh Beckett (3.77, 125 ERA+) / J.A. Happ (2.98, 145 ERA+)

wmtc4 was a huge success, I slept in till 11:30, there is afternoon baseball, the Red Sox are 3 GA in the East and the weather will remain gorgeous for many evening hours of patio relaxation. Perfect.

Since the end of April, Beckett has a 1.70 ERA in seven straight quality starts; in the one game he was tagged with a loss, he allowed one unearned run in eight innings. Over his last four starts, his ERA is a paltry 0.31, with opposing batters hitting [sic] .115/.198/.167.

Happ started the year in the bullpen, but his last four appearances have been starts (log). In those starts: 23.2 innings, 17 hits, 9 walks, 17 strikeouts, 4 home runs allowed, .205/.298/.410.

Jacoby Ellsbury, hitting in the #2 spot last night, homered, singled, walked three times, and stole a base. He's hitting .367/.472/.500 in June. ... A Julio Lugo impersonator went 4-for-5 last night, with two doubles.

Brad Penny, on Joe Girardi's comment that Penny hit Alex Rodriguez intentionally on Thursday night:

I don't care what he thinks. ... We don't go back and say they hit us intentionally. We've got games to worry about ... He needs to worry about managing ... I think he's just frustrated that we have a good team and a good lineup. ... And they called the commissioner's office. Come on.

John_W_Henry:

Hope I didn't hurt Mark's feelings!

G62: Red Sox 11, Phillies 6

Red Sox   - 500 030 201 - 11 13  0
Phillies  - 001 310 100 -  6 13  3

***

Daisuke Matsuzaka (7.33, 64 ERA+) / Antonio Bastardo (2.45, 176 ERA+)

Lefty Bastardo, 23, made his major league debut on June 2. Tonight is his third start.

Slump: Dustin Pedroia is 3 for his last 32. His batting average has dropped 44 points since May 27. In those 15 games, he is hitting .167/.282/.250 in 72 trips to the plate.

***

Mark Teixeira, on John Henry's joke about an "MT Curse":

There's no reason to get into a war of words with a 70-year-old man [Henry is actually 59]. It doesn't make any sense. ... I made the best decision for me, and it's worked out great.

The Herald's John Tomase says the Yankees are whiny, sore losers.

happy birthday laura

My best friend turns 48 today!

Today is also our fourth annual wmtc party, so I'll be doing house and yard prep today.

Game post up around 4 PM.

G61: Red Sox 5, Phillies 2 (13)

Red Sox  - 000 110 000 000 3 - 5 11  0
Phillies - 010 000 001 000 0 - 2  5  0

With one out in the 13th, the Red Sox offense came alive.

Boston had not had a hit since the eighth when Jason Bay singled to left-center off Kyle Kendrick. Pinch-hitter Julio Lugo lined a 1-0 pitch (a fastball low in the zone) to left for a hit. Jason Varitek walked on five pitches to load the bases. There was a meeting at the mound, but there would be no relief help. This was Kendrick's responsibility.

With the infield in, Jacoby Ellsbury singled to right and Bay scored. Green, down 0-2 after talking a monstrous cut, hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored Lugo. And Mike Lowell lined a single to center to score Tek.

Daniel Bard came on for the bottom half. He walked Chase Utley on four pitches. Utley took second on DI on the first pitch to Jayson Werth. Bard went up and in with a 98 fastball, then low and away at 99 for a called strike. On 1-2, Bard dropped a 85 curveball and Werth had absolutely no chance, swinging and missing for the first out.

Bard got a called strike on Ryan Howard (who had tied the game in the ninth with a solo bomb off Ramon Ramirez) on a fastball, then got him flailing at two curves for another whiff. Bard hit Raul Ibanez to bring the potential tying run to the plate. Shane Victorino slashed an opposite field line drive down the left field line that was only a few feet foul. After another foul ball, he tried to check his swing on a low slider, but could not, falling to one knee, and getting rung up.

(There was a serious heart attack moment in the bottom of the 11th when it looked like pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs had hit a two out, three-run dong off Justin Masterson. But it apparently sailed over the right field pole as a foul ball -- I could not see it via MLBTV on my computer screen -- and the Big Donkey regrouped and quickly got a strikeout.)

Lester (7-2-1-2-11, 111) was absolutely superb, striking out the side in both the fourth and fifth innings and becoming the first left-handed pitcher in Red Sox history to record 10+ strikeouts in three consecutive starts.

The only two hits he allowed were Ibanez's single and Victorino's double to open the second inning. After that, he set down 14 in a row and 18 of his last 19 batters.

Solo home runs accounted for the two early Boston runs: Youkilis in the fourth and Drew in the fifth.

***

Jon Lester (5.09, 93 ERA+) / Joe Blanton (5.46, 79 ERA+)

Fifteen games of interleague play begin tonight against the defending World Series champs. After three games in Philadelphia, the Red Sox go back to Fenway to face the Marlins and Atlanta, then visit the Nationals and Atlanta. Each series is three games.

Pedroia, 2B
Drew, RF
Youkilis, 3B
Bay, LF
Ortiz, 1B
Varitek, C
Ellsbury, CF
Green, SS
Lester, P

With Boston facing lefties on Saturday and Sunday, Ortiz grabs his mitt tonight.

In his last two starts, Lester has allowed only five hits and five walks in 15 innings, while striking out 23. In his last four starts, opposing hitters are hitting .198.

In 33 plate appearances in June, J.D. drew is batting .391/.576/.696 for a cool OPS of 1.271. Since moving to the #2 spot eight games ago, Drew has reached base in every game: 10-for-27 (.370) with 10 walks.

John Smoltz's Pawtucket start was rained out last night. He will pitch tonight.

Papelbon Fined for Pace-Of-Game Violation

Maureen Mullen of the Lynn Daily Item reports that Jonathan Papelbon was fined $1,000 by MLB for violating pace-of-game guidelines.

[G]uidelines call for between-innings time, that is, the time from the third out of one half-inning to the first pitch of the next half-inning of two minutes and five seconds for local TV games, 2:25 for national TV games during the week, and 2:30 for national TV games on Saturdays and Sundays.

When Papelbon entered Wednesday's game it took 3:34 from the last out of the bottom of the eighth until he threw his first pitch in the top of the ninth.

Papelbon met with Frank Robinson (now working as a special assistant to Bud Selig) before last night's game against the Yankees. He did not contest the fine.

Bot:

I just got to find a way to get to the mound a little bit quicker and get my warm-up pitches in, and get ready a little bit quicker. ... I'm just a few seconds off the mark that I'll be able to shave it down.

Please, Mr. Henry, Mr. Henry, Please

Drop by a JoS Game Thread!

***

Only minutes after last night's win over the Yankees, Red Sox owner John Henry posted to his Twitter account: "The MT curse?"

In a subsequent email to Sean McAdam, Henry explained re Mark Teixeira: "Purely entertainment; nothing more. I don't believe in curses."

Two hours later, Henry posted: "Journalists emailing about curses. Does anyone really believe in curses except Dan?"

Schadenfreude 87 (A Continuing Series)

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

If the Yankees and Red Sox are headed for a date with destiny in the ALCS as many believe, then Boston should start making World Series plans.

The Bombers took another shot to the gut Thursday night, dropping a 4-3 decision for their eighth defeat in eight games against their rivals.

This one was particularly brutal, as Boston battled back for three runs in the eighth after the Yankees had taken a lead just an inning earlier, giving the Red Sox a victory to continue their most dominant run in the rivalry in nearly 100 years. ...

Joel Sherman, Post:

The Yankees need to stop talking about "the big picture" as a way to change the subject from how they have been dominated by the Red Sox.

Hey guys, I am here to tell you this: The Red Sox are the big picture. ...

This is not just a team in the division. This is Boston. This is your main rival and now your measuring stick, and on this measuring stick the Yankees could not be any tinier.

The Red Sox are embarrassing the Yankees. Ever since they became the first team ever to rally from 0-3 down to win a playoff series in the 2004 ALCS, Boston has seemingly been searching for new ways to humiliate the Yanks. And the Sox have come up with a doozy for this season. They are trying to go 18-0 against the Yanks. ...

Here is some more big picture: The AL East now undoubtedly goes through Boston and it is going to be kind of tricky to win the division without ever beating the Red Sox. ...

[O]ne team is 8-0 against the other. At some point that stops being coincidence. It is obvious now that Boston knows it will beat the Yankees, and the Yankees hope they can beat the Red Sox.

George A. King III, Post:

The Yankees insisted the Red Sox didn't rip their hearts out last night at Fenway Park with a come-from behind capper to a three-game sweep. ...

Yet, there was no ignoring that a gut-wrenching 4-3 loss to their blood rivals in front of 38,153 not only stretched their 2009 losing streak to the Red Sox to eight, but inserted a morsel of doubt. ...

John Harper, Daily News:

The 0-fer against the Red Sox becomes more embarrassing by the day for the Yankees, all the more so after an eighth-inning meltdown Thursday night that ruined a strong outing by CC Sabathia and officially put this rivalry on psych-out alert. ...

After Thursday night's 4-3 comeback victory by the Sox, you have to say that Aura and Mystique apparently have found a new haunt.

Then again, there is nothing magical about the way the Red Sox have dominated the Yankees this season, going 8-0 against them - with two wins in New York - because they've hit better in the clutch, played better defense and counted on what is statistically the best bullpen in the American League to close out games. ...

Still, this is the game that has to make the Yankees wonder if they'll ever find a way to beat the Sox this season. ...

Kevin Kernan, Post:

In every way, the Red Sox have the mental and physical edge now over the Yankees. This was shades of the 2004 ALCS when everything started going Boston's way. ...

This is the Yankees longest losing streak against Boston to start a season series since they lost 14 straight to the Red Sox from April 11, 1912, to July 1 of that year. ...

The best part for the Red Sox is that they can let the Yankees sit and stew until August when they meet again. That's a long time for the Yankees to wonder if they can ever beat these guys.

Tyler Kepner, Times:

They have 55 days to let this settle, 55 days of killing time until they meet the Boston Red Sox again. For almost two months, the Yankees will live with the rancid aftertaste of another sweep by their rivals. No matter how the Yankees handle other teams, the notion that they cannot beat Boston will rattle around somewhere in their brains.

A two-out, two-run double by Alex Rodriguez had given the Yankees a lead in the seventh. It was their first lead in 49 innings against Boston, but by the bottom of the eighth, it was gone.

Bob Klapisch, Record:

The wall of sound covered the Yankees like a downpour – it was the collective roar of a sold-out Fenway crowd celebrating another Red Sox victory over the Bombers. The cheers were mixed with taunts and insults. Mark Teixeira, who made the final out, lowered his head and walked off the field, absorbing the humiliation every step of the way.

So the hex continues, full force, in the Yankees' faces. ...

The Yankees were 3-for-38 with runners in scoring position in the series – a tattoo of failure that won't wash off any time soon. ...

"It stinks, it stinks for all of us," Joe Girardi said. "But you find out the character of a team in tough times."

That's the point, isn't it: The Yankees have glimpsed their competitive soul and discovered they're still lacking. ... [T]hey left Fenway shaken to their very core.

Ken Davidoff, Newsday:

Call it a system failure for the organization with the largest payroll in the industry. They spent the week here not coming up with enough big hits - they went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position last night, after going 2-for-14 on Wednesday night - and not getting anything from their first two starting pitchers, A.J. Burnett and Chien-Ming Wang. ...

If the Red Sox are favored to win the American League East, then the Yankees rank atop the contenders for the AL wild card. You need only be in it to win it.

Reassuring talk about the wild card on June 12! I love it.

G60: Red Sox 4, Yankees 3

Yankees - 000 000 300 - 3 10  1
Red Sox - 010 000 03x - 4  8  0

You never truly know with any given pitching match-up what kind of game you'll see.

Penny (6-6-0-1-5, 117) allowed five of his eight baserunners to reach second, but he threw six shutout innings. Manny Delcarmen allowed three runs in the seventh -- the first runs he had allowed to the Yankees in 16+ innings dating back to September 2006 -- but Takashi Saito got MDC out of further trouble and cruised through the eighth.

And when Girardi sent Sabathia out in the rain for the home eighth with a 3-1 lead, the big lefty could not record even a single out. The first three batters reached base and all of them scored -- as Boston batted around and pinned a big ol' "L" on CC's shirt.

Nick Green whacked a high changeup into left field, Dustin Pedroia worked a 10-pitch walk and J.D. Drew grounded an RBI single into center. Alfredo Aceves relieved CC. After taking a borderline pitch for a full count, Kevin Youkilis dropped a single into short right field to load the bases. Jason Bay lined the first pitch he saw into left field, FY scored and the game was tied. And there were still no outs!

Mike Lowell lifted a fly ball to left center. Brett Gardner called off Johnny Damon and uncorked a noodlesque throw that rolled into the infield. Drew scored easily and Boston had retaken the lead. Phil Coke came in and walked David Ortiz on four pitched to reload the sacks, but Jason Varitek fouled out to first and Rocco Baldelli struck out.

The top of the order could do nothing against Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth. Derek Jeter grounded to shortstop, Damon flied to left and Mark Teixeira lined to Yook at first. Nine pitches = save!

In addition to his single to kick off the eighth inning rally, Green made a great play on Jeter's grounder in the ninth. He ranged far to his left, turned a full 360 behind the bag and fired a bullet to first for the out. Also, back in the second, Green was the middle man on a 7-6-4 double play when Nick Swisher was caught off second when Francisco Cervelli flew out to deep left. (Anyone who thinks Julio Lugo makes either of those plays likely believes Sabathia is anorexic.)

Boston took a 1-0 lead in the second when Ortiz crushed Sabathia's first pitch over the Wall in left. It was his 4th dong of the year. Flo reached base in all four plate appearances tonight: Damon dropped his routine fly ball in the fourth, he singled in the seventh and walked in the eighth.

The Sox also threatened CC in the first, when Drew doubled with one out and Youkilis walked. Sabathia wriggled out of that jam and (outside of Tiz's HR) did not allow a Boston runner past first until Girardi tried to steal a few outs in the eighth.

That strategy failed miserably -- and the Red Sox attacked the MFY pen.

Boston is now 8-0 against the Yankees this season and are 2 GA of New York in the East. The rivals do not meet again until August 6-7-8-9 in the Bronx.

***

CC Sabathia (3.56, 126 ERA+) / Brad Penny (5.85, 81 ERA+)

It looks like Jacoby Ellsbury will miss tonight's game as well:

There's definitely still soreness. It's still really tender even doing non-baseball stuff. If I were to get out there and dive again, steal bases, that's where the possibility is of making it worse.

Jed Lowrie could return to the lineup before the end of the month. He is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Pawtucket on Monday and might rejoin the Red Sox in Atlanta on June 26. ... John Smoltz makes his final rehab start today for Pawtucket.

Jonathan Papelbon but unavailable for Tuesday's game because of food poisoning/dehydration, but was well enough to nail down the save last night:

I felt pretty good physically. I just had to take my time between each pitch. ... I was just breathing a little heavy. ... I was sick, but I was able to bounce back and come help the ballclub.

Jason Bay: "If you're sporadic and you're not really getting strike one, we're a bad team to face."

Bob Klapisch of the Record writes that the Yankees are

desperate for Sabathia to win on Thursday night. He's about to face a Red Sox lineup that has the best on-base percentage in the American League, a blend of power and speed and baseball smarts that's still a generation ahead of the Yankees.

Sabathia said, "I always look forward to pitching under pressure," and there's no reason to doubt him. ...

Yes, there is!

Schadenfreude 86 (A Continuing Series)

Bob Klapisch, The Record:

It seems like a million years ago since the Yankees left spring training, convinced they had the talent, the chemistry and the winning pedigree to finally crash the walls of the Red Sox' empire. The AL East has belonged to Boston since 2004, but the Bombers were willing to bet every last cent of their $200 million payroll that a coup was coming.

Two-a-half months later, the Yankees are dazed and confused, wondering what happened to that limitless reservoir of self-confidence. They're 0-7 against the Red Sox with no end in sight. The standings insist there's no crisis, but ask around the room and to a man the Yankees agree: The inability to beat Boston has become an embarrassment.

Ken Davidoff, Newsday:

What, in the name of Steve Trout, should the Yankees do about Chien-Ming Wang?

They can't possibly give him another turn in the starting rotation, right? Even if that turn comes Tuesday night against the pathetic Nationals? ...

You know these are rough times for the righthander when he gets embarrassed on the mound, and yet he still lowers his ERA, from 14.46 to 14.34. ...

"I'm a believer in people," Girardi said, and he reminded us that he kept the faith in Mike Mussina during the veteran's early struggles last year, and that Mussina wound up winning 20 games.

That's lovely. ...

Joel Sherman, Post:

Let's work on our fake injuries for Chien-Ming Wang.

How about sprained right eyebrow? Or contusion of the left pinkie nail? Or how about hyper-extended ERA? ...

There is no acceptable answer for sticking with Wang. Hughes may not be perfect. He still may have a lot to learn. But he is at least competitive. Wang, on the other hand, is making Kei Igawa look good by comparison.

John Harper, Daily News:

[O]nce the emotion wears off Girardi needs to do the right thing and give Wang another chance. ...

George A. King III, Post:

... Wang pitch[ed] with the command of a 4-year-old playing pin the tale on the donkey ...

Wang wasn't the only one likely to keep Girardi from a restful night. His hitters went a pitiful 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position. ...

"We have played very good against the rest of the league but not against our rival," Damon said. "We would like to win one soon."

G59: Red Sox 6, Yankees 5

Yankees - 010 110 200 - 5 11  0
Red Sox - 121 200 00x - 6  9  0

Yet another Yankees starter failed to finish the third inning and the Red Sox bullpen held the line to notch the seventh straight win over the New Yorkers this season.

Wang (2.2-6-4-3-3) threw 29 pitches in each of the first two innings. He walked three in the first inning, with Bay's single putting the Sox on the board. In the second, Nick Green and Dustin Pedroia struck back-to-back RBI doubles. Mike Lowell drove Wang's first pitch of the third over the Wall for a dong. However, Wang's miserable performance did lower his ERA: 14.46 to 14.34!

Kevin Youkilis smashed a two-run dong into the Red Sox pen off Phil Hughes in the fourth to give Boston a 6-2 lead.

New York battled back -- back-to-back home runs by Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira (4-for-5) off Ramon Ramirez to start the seventh closed the gap to 6-5. Ram-Ram also allowed a two-out single, but Hideki Okajima came in and struck out Shemp. A leadoff walk was bunted to second in the eighth, but Jeemer fanned both CI and Damon to close that door.

In the ninth, Jonathan Papelbon walked Slappy with one out, but struck out Robinson Cano and then got Dumbo to fly to left.

J.D. Drew tripled and walked three times and George Kottaras smacked two doubles. David Ortiz walked twice in four trips and had a fly out to deep center.

Boston now has a one-game lead over the Yankees in the East. The Blue Jays were rained out in Texas and are 2 GB.

***

Chien-Ming Wang (14.46, 31 ERA+) / Tim Wakefield (4.50, 106 ERA+)

Since coming back from the disabled list, Wang has chopped 20 runs off his ERA (!), but has still surrendered 16 hits in 12.2 innings. In his start last Thursday against Texas, he went 4.2-7-5-1-5, 69.

***

Jed Lowrie could begin a rehab stint in the minors in little more than a week. Terry Francona: "We need to certainly look at him the next three days, let him have the next three days before we contemplate anything. See where his strength is."

In his last seven starts, Josh Beckett has a 1.70 ERA; in his last four outings, it's 0.31. Last night, he became the first Red Sox pitcher to allow one hit or less in six or more scoreless innings against the Yankees in 19 years (Greg Harris, 8-1-0-0-7, June 7, 1990).

Schadenfreude 85 (A Continuing Series)

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

Maybe A.J. Burnett should have served his suspension after all.

The Yankees would have been better off with virtually anyone else on the mound Tuesday night, as Burnett was torched for five runs in 2-2/3 innings en route to a 7-0 Red Sox victory. ...

When the Yankees handed Burnett a five-year, $82.5 million contract this winter, it was with the expectation that he and his 5-0 career mark against the Red Sox would play a key role in getting the Bombers back to the top of the AL East. Having watched Burnett cough up a 6-0 lead on April 25, then fail to make it out of the third inning last night, the Yankees might be feeling some buyer's remorse. ...

Ken Davidoff, Newsday:

The lesson of last night's Yankees disappointment is, simply, this:

With silly investments come silly expectations, and serious disappointments.

If you're going to invest $82.5 million in a guy in part because he pitches well against the Red Sox - rather than, you know, his larger body of work - then what choice do we have but to crush him when said guy doesn't deliver on his alleged skill set? ...

Joel Sherman, Post:

The final score was Red Sox 7, Yankees 0, so now the won-loss score in 2009 is Red Sox 6, Yankees 0. ...

Girardi recommended looking at "the big picture," in which the Yanks are tied atop the AL East with Boston despite the one-sided results. But do the Yanks really want to challenge the degree of difficulty by proving they can win a division while going 0-18 against their main rival?

Mike Lupica, Daily News:

This time A.J. Burnett did not make it out of the third inning against the Red Sox. The last time was even worse, of course. The last time was in April, and it was the day after Jason Bay had taken Mo Rivera out of Fenway in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, before Kevin Youkilis took Damaso Marte halfway to Vermont to win it. That Saturday afternoon, on national television, Burnett had a big fat 6-0 lead. Until he didn't. ...

It is not such a good thing that in his first two times out of the box against the Red Sox, a guy who is supposed to be a star Yankee has made A.J. look as if it stands for AJoke.

John Harper, Daily News:

... if the Yankees are honest with themselves they had to leave this house of horrors last night asking the obvious question: Are the Red Sox in their heads? ...

Bob Klapisch, Record:

Tonight the Bombers take their chances with Wang, who may or may not be in touch with his inner sinker. He’s allowed 16 hits in 12 2/3 innings since returning from the disabled list, so you decide. ...

Even with $200 million worth of firepower, the Yankees still can’t land a punch on their most hated rivals.

G58: Red Sox 7, Yankees 0

Yankees - 000 000 000 - 0  2  1
Red Sox - 041 100 10x - 7  9  0

David Ortiz banged a two-run bomb to dead center to put the Sox on the board in the second and Beckett (6-1-0-2-8, 93) cruised along, setting down the Yankees with a breaking ball-heavy arsenal.

Burnett had next to no control (2.2-5-5-5-1, 84) in the steady drizzle, throwing 43 pitches in a lengthy second inning -- J.D. Drew brought home the other two runs with a double high off the Wall -- and 22 more before being yanked in the third.

Nick Green homered over everything down the left field line off Jose Veras to cap the scoring.

Beckett did not allow a hit until Robinson Cano singled in the fourth. Dustin Pedroia ranged far to his left and snared the grounder in short right, but could not make a play. New York's only other hit was Brett Gardner's single past Green's left into left center in the eighth.

Boston is now 6-0 against the Yankees this season. The only other season with a 6-0 start: 1912 -- in which the Sox won the first 14 meetings between the two teams and ended the season series with a 19-2 record.

The two teams are tied atop the East, each with a 34-24 record.

***

A.J. Burnett (4.69, 96 ERA+) / Josh Beckett (4.09, 116 ERA+)

AL East
             W    L    PCT     GB
Yankees     34   23   .596    ---
Red Sox     33   24   .579    1.0
Blue Jays   33   27   .550    2.5
Rays        29   30   .492    6.0
Orioles     24   33   .421   10.0

***

In his last four starts (29.2 innings), Beckett has a 0.91 ERA. (Only three of the eight runs he has allowed have been earned.)

David Ortiz had his eyes checked yesterday. A team spokesman said his vision is fine.

Jacoby Ellsbury has a strain of his acromioclavicular (AC) joint in his right shoulder -- but no structural damage. The team will decide this afternoon if he can play tonight.

Shoulder Strain Makes Ellsbury Unsure About Tuesday; Drew Set To Return

Jacoby Ellsbury left Sunday's game after the fifth inning with a right shoulder strain and is unsure whether he'll be able to play on Tuesday against the Yankees.

I banged it up a little bit on the slide [into second base in the third inning] and tried to play through it. Then [I] had that catch in the outfield, landed on my right shoulder, and I think I made it even worse from that. But I iced it up, and it's not feeling too good right now, but we have the off-day [Monday].

J.D. Drew received a cortisone shot in his left shoulder after Friday night's game. He sat out the two weekend games, but says "I completely expect to be right back in the lineup" on Tuesday night. Drew said he has pain in the collarbone area that worked its way down his left arm:

I've felt it a little bit maybe off and on in Spring Training. I've had it throughout my career. It usually just goes away but this one kind of lingered and over about the last two-and-a-half, three weeks, it'd gotten pretty severe.

Kevin Youkilis was hit by an inside fastball in the third inning, but home plate umpire Tim Timmons ruled that Yook had jabbed his left elbow at it, called the pitch a ball and had him remain at the plate. Yook walked on the next pitch.

Being plunked does not automatically entitle a batter to first base. The rulebook states that a batter must make an attempt to avoid being hit -- and that is left to the umpire's discretion. Much to my annoyance, this rule is almost never enforced. But Yook's ploy was pretty blatant. Do umpires make a distinction between simply standing in the way of a pitch (which is absolutely against the rules, but usually tolerated) and actually moving into the path of the pitch?

John Farrell, on Jon Lester's complete game on Saturday:

His ability not only to change speeds, but also because the cutter will bore in on right-handed hitters and the changeup has fade, he's able to spread the plate even more than the 17 inches it is. That's not even to mention the separation of velocity. It lets his fastball have a little more margin for error around the plate or in the strike zone. ...

As long as he remains healthy and doesn't get overworked, he's the type of pitcher that has dominating stuff every time he walks to the mound. If there's more to it than the last couple of games, then we're in for a real treat to watch.

Match-ups for the Yankees series:

Tuesday: A.J. Burnett / Josh Beckett
Wednesday: Chien-Ming Wang / Tim Wakefield
Thursday: CC Sabathia / Brad Penny

G57: Rangers 6, Red Sox 3

Rangers - 112 010 100 - 6 12  1
Red Sox - 002 100 000 - 3  4  0

Matsuzaka did not walk a batter, but other than that, it was yet another poor outing: 5-10-5-0-8, 102.

Ten of his 27 batters reached base. Nelson Cruz doubled, tripled and homered, Michael Young singled and homered, and David Murphy singled twice and doubled.

Dice recorded his third 1-2-3 inning of the season, though. He has set down the opposing team in only three of the 26 complete innings he has pitched this year. His other two blemish-free frames were also against the Rangers, back on May 22.

The Red Sox hits: Youkilis's double in the first; Kotsay's single in the third; Kotsay's home run in the fourth; and Ortiz's single in the sixth. In the third, Boston took advantage of a two-base error by Ian Kinsler and three walks from Padilla to score twice.

After Kotsay's solo dong in the fourth, only two Red Sox reached base.

The Yankees scored three times in the eighth to beat Tampa 4-3 and moved back into first place -- by 0.5.

***

Vicente Padilla (5.57, 82 ERA+) / Daisuke Matsuzaka (7.17, 67 ERA+)

MLB.com:

Padilla made his first start since May 16 on Tuesday against the Yankees ... [He] allowed seven earned runs [and seven hits, four walks and two hit batters] in just 3.2 innings. ... He had won his final two starts before going on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder. ...

Matsuzaka hasn't pitched six innings in any of his five starts. ...

Julio Lugo Speaks Out

Julio Lugo says his leg feels fine and he is satisfied with his range at shortstop. But he is annoyed at the media and frustrated at not playing every day.

[W]hatever the managers put out there, that's what you have to do, because if they don't put me in there, I can't go take my glove and at 7:05 just run to the shortstop. I have to wait until they put me in, and I'm not going to stress it. ...

It's tough. I mean, nobody wants to be booed -- not me, not anybody -- and sometimes the only person who knows what's going on and why you miss a ball is you, because you're the only one out there. You know what happened. Those fans, they just want you to make the play. They don't understand sometimes that you make an effort. At the same time, I ain't making excuses, not at all. I ain't making excuses. It's not fair to anyone, not me, anybody. If you try to make a play like that and you get destroyed by [the media] the next day, it's not fair.

I mean, you guys can say whatever you want. I can take it. I'm a human being, I got feelings, but I can take it because you know what, I go out there, I work my [behind] off. ... I love Boston, man. I love it. There's nowhere else you want to play. I love it. And I tell you the truth, I think fans will be OK with me. I signed here because they want to see Julio Lugo hitting the ball, going crazy making plays. Sometimes you deserve to be booed, sometimes you don't. But I love it here.

Francona:

[T]he last thing I'm ever going to do is sit and pick a player's game apart publicly, because it doesn't help us. [The media is] good at it, anyways. ... Players, I don't know it's always fair to ask them to self-evaluate. That's our job. They're going out there trying to win. So, on the flip side, we do what we think is right, and we tell them, because I think it's fair. That's kind of how we've always done it. They don't always have to agree. ...

I don't know what I envision [at shortstop in the future], to be honest with you. We're trying to win. We're trying to balance now with down the road. [I'm] not saying I don't respect a media person's opinion. As a media person, you can have an opinion right now. If you're wrong, you can change it next week. Sometimes we need to not just jump at an opinion, and try to see things through.

Red Sox Radio Also Fails To Give A Full Picture

It is no secret that Yankees radio man John Sterling, in addition to being hopelessly addicted to his idiotic catch-phrases (oops!), simply makes shit up.

The Red Sox announcers are nowhere near as insufferable and inaccurate. Nevertheless,they also fail to give a full picture of what is happening on the field or act as though their audience is following along on TV.

On Thursday afternoon, after Ramon Santiago singled to start the sixth, Dave O'Brien said that was the 4th hit off Wakefield, then corrected himself and said it was the 5th. ... It was actually the 7th hit Wakefield had allowed. I assume that O'Brien keeps a scorecard as part of his job. If not, there is a big electronic scoreboard somewhere in the stadium that presumably has the proper hit totals. O'Brien never corrected his "correction".

Earlier in the game, O'Brien told us that Kevin Youkilis dove for Miguel Cabrera's grounder, but failed to inform us whether he dove to his left or right. Since he did not mention the foul line, I assumed Yook dove to his right. But I have absolutely no idea.

Likewise, on a foul ball to the third base side, O'Brien told us a player was "racing, racing" after it, but neglected to say whether it was the third baseman or the left fielder. Are we supposed to infer that it was the third baseman and O'Brien would have said "left field side" if it has been the outfielder?

(Also: Joe Castiglione, with Rocco Baldelli batting in the eighth, did not bother to say that Mike Lowell was running on the 2-1 pitch. I learned about that only because I was also following along on Gameday.)

O'Brien's errors were more than simple misspeak -- which will happen when talking about a live event for roughly three hours. During the few times I listen to baseball on the radio (with the Tigers feed on EI, we decided to sit outside last Thursday afternoon) and the play-by-play man says the pitch is "fouled down the line", I want to know (so I can visualize it in my mind) which side of the field it was.

Some listeners may not care that much or listen that carefully. But it's a reasonable expectation from someone whose job is describing an event that others cannot see.

G56: Red Sox 8, Rangers 1

Rangers - 000 000 001 - 1  2  1
Red Sox - 010 034 00x - 8  9  0

Lester retired the first 19 Rangers with as strong a repertoire of pitches as Red Sox fans have seen in several years.

Fastball, cutter, curveball -- he was absolute command of all of them. His fastball was hitting 98 in the early innings and coupled with a 81 mph cutter -- "evil, depraved filth", as Lord Lynch said during the game thread -- the Texas batters had no clue what was going on. In 6.1 perfect innings, Lester threw only 64 pitches, yet racked up 10 strikeouts!

In the fifth inning, it seemed like there was only one way this game could possibly turn out. I had the overpowering feeling of knowing the ending and the sense that I was rewatching the game, reveling in the majesty of Lester's performance. I can't recall another instance of that feeling of inevitability.

Michael Young broke the tension with a first-pitch double to left-center in the seventh. After acknowledging a loud standing ovation, Lester walked Andruw Jones, but got the next two outs. He breezed through a 1-2-3 eighth. Elvis Andrus walked to start the ninth, moved to second on a grounder, took third on Young's single to left and scored on Jones's fly out to center.

Three pitches later, the game was over. 9-2-1-2-11, 107. Masterful.

Also: David Ortiz walked, singled and homered (off the right field pole) in four plate appearances. Mike Lowell also hit a dong. Dustin Pedroia had two singles and two RBI, Jason Variek and Rocco Baldelli both singled and walked, and Jason Bay whacked a two-run single to cap a 10-pitch at-bat and send Holland to the showers in the fifth.

Boston is in sole possession of first place, 0.5 GA of the Yankees.

***

Derek Holland (6.33, 72 ERA+) / Jon Lester (5.65, 85 ERA+)

Holland is a 22-year-old lefty who has pitched in only 11 major league games, including nine in relief. After his two starts on May 22 and 27, he was back in the pen for two appearances.

BP 2009:

Even the Rangers don't have a good explanation for what happened to Derek Holland last year, and frankly, they don't care, they're just enjoying it. One of the last of the draft-and-follows, Holland had signed with an average fastball, but he kicked off the year at Low-A Clinton touching 95 on the speed gun (2.40 ERA), and by the end of the season, it was there consistently while reaching as high as 99 mph [0.69 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 26 AA innings], and he fills the strike zone with it. It's an absolute monster of a pitch, and he'll be a future stud if he can figure out a more breaking ball than his current slurvy offering. That will be his primary focus in 2009, and will determine his future as either a power starter or power reliever, but he'll be awfully valuable either way.

After his dreadful performance last night, Julio Lugo will get a seat on the bench and Nick Green will start.

***

Terry Francona and Theo Epstein both tried to stamp down the story of David Ortiz possibly having vision trouble.

Tito:

I had a feeling this one would get some legs. ... He had dry eyes on this last trip and he was blinking on a couple of at-bats. So he went to the trainers. Rather than give a guy a thing of eyedrops, we have really good ophthalmologists . He had some dry eyes, which I think we all do [at times].

[While searching for the word "optometrist", Tito initially said "obstetrician" -- and once everything was clarified, he said: "If he ends up pregnant on Tuesday, we have an issue!"]

Theo:

We used probably the most experienced baseball ophthalmologist. ... He has lots of fancy charts and graphs. Even if a player is 20-20, they'll still push for a correction because an average big leaguer is significantly better than 20-20. David tested really well back in Spring Training. But it makes sense, any time a guys eyes are bothering him, to get re-tested.

***

At 1 PM: Rays/Yankees and Royals/Blue Jays. New York leads the East by 0.5 over Boston and 2.5 over Toronto.

Linescores Of The Month - May

Better late than never!

May 2

Cleveland    - 000 050 200 - 7 13  1
Tigers       - 000 501 03x - 9 11  0

May 3 (No HRs hit in the 13th)

Athletics    - 300 010 000 000 300 - 7 14  1
Mariners     - 000 200 101 000 301 - 8 16  3

May 4

Cleveland    - 000 000 303 003 - 9 15  1
Blue Jays    - 011 000 202 001 - 7 16  2

May 5 (Runs scored in 11 of 18 half-innings)

Phillies     - 103 030 201 - 10 15  0
Cardinals    - 001 211 101 -  7 11  0

May 8

Blue Jays    - 030 000 000 - 3  8  0
Athletics    - 050 000 00x - 5  7  2

May 14

Tigers       - 000 005 000 - 5  9  0
Twins        - 000 000 60x - 6  9  0

May 20

Diamondbacks - 004 000 300 001 3 - 11 14  2
Marlins      - 040 201 000 001 1 -  9 15  2

May 25

Rays         - 052 300 000 - 10 10  2
Cleveland    - 000 200 027 - 11 12  0

May 25 (16 runs in only three half-innings)

Dodgers      - 000 700 801 - 16 19  1
Rockies      - 000 141 000 -  6  8  1

May 31

Nationals    - 000 100 100 - 2  5  0
Phillies     - 110 100 10x - 4  7  1

I wonder what the largest score is in a game where no more than one run was scored in any half-inning?

"Seldom Has An Infielder Thrown Himself On The Ground More And Come Up With Fewer Plays"

The Herald's Sean McAdam writes what most of us were thinking:

Brad Penny's pitching line - 5 innings, five earned runs - doesn't begin to tell the story of last night's 5-1 loss to the Texas Rangers. ...

Every one of the runs could, indirectly, just as easily have been charged to shortstop Julio Lugo.

In a scoreless game in the fifth with two on and two out, Penny got Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus to hit a grounder to short. Looking like he was running in hip-deep water, Lugo seemingly took forever to get to the ball, only to have it get by him and onto the outfield grass for a run-scoring single.

An incredulous Penny, bent over at the waist on the mound, couldn't hide his frustration ...

It was more of the same in the sixth.

With two outs, Marlon Byrd hit a grounder to the left side of the second base bag. Again, Lugo threw himself on it awkwardly and again, the ball got through the infield. ...

The next base hit Lugo takes away will be the first. Seldom has an infielder thrown himself on the ground more and come up with fewer plays.

John Tomase, also of the Herald:

Forget David Ortiz. The Red Sox may be reaching the point of no return with Julio Lugo.

Lugo butchered a pair of balls last night that turned a potential shutout into an easy 5-1 victory for the Rangers.

Nick Green was told after the game that he would be playing tonight ...

Since returning from the disabled list following knee surgery at the end of spring training, Lugo has started 21 games. The Sox are 8-13.

Conversely, with Green at short the Red Sox are 21-8. ... Green has more than four times as many RBI (17-4) and three times as many extra base hits (12-4) in only 29 more at-bats.

A 12-game stretch in late April and early May was illuminating. With Lugo and Green basically alternating starts, the Red Sox went 5-1 with Green in the starting lineup and 1-5 with Lugo there.

In the Globe, Adam Kilgore was somewhat more polite:

Brad Penny allowed five runs, and all of them were earned. Depending on one's perspective, all of them also could have been traced to Lugo's diminished range. ...

[Lugo] left the park before reporters arrived in the clubhouse. ...

With two down, Elvis Andrus hit a hard grounder in the hole on the left side, and Lugo shuffled over. Lugo entered the game with a .733 zone rating, which means he has successfully fielded about 73 percent of the ground balls in what is considered the shortstop zone. (For comparison's sake: Andrus, his counterpart, entered with an .851 zone rating, and the four other everyday shortstops in the AL East each have at least an .815 zone rating.) ...

Penny leaned over in frustration after Andrus's single rolled through the infield ...

The Rangers added a run in the next inning after another close encounter with Lugo's glove. This time, with two outs and Hank Blalock on by a walk, Byrd rolled a ball up the middle, not hit that sharply, to the left of second. Lugo ranged and dived and watched the ball trickle into center.

During the Mets series two weeks, both Terry Francona and Dustin Pedroia expressed frustration (in their own ways) at Lugo's lackluster attempt at turning a double play. Last night, Tito said similar things:

Did I think he had a shot? Yeah, I think every ball that's hit, we have a shot.

Asked whether he thought Lugo had lost a step (or more) since surgery, Jason Varitek said:

I don't know that. I just think, regardless, he's part of this team.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

G55: Rangers 5, Red Sox 1

Rangers - 000 041 000 - 5  8  1
Red Sox - 000 000 010 - 1  7  0

Julio Lugo's inability to field his position and record the third out extended Texas's fifth inning and Ian Kinsler crushed a three-run home run to left.

With two outs, Elvis Andrus's grounder to Lugo's right should have been scooped up for the final out. But the ball trickled under his glove -- he may have been screened by Marlon Byrd breaking for third, but the play was not that difficult -- and into left field. That scored the Rangers' first run. Then Kinsler stepped to the plate.

The Red Sox tried to rally in the eighth. Millwood was sent out after seven innings and 105 pitches. His fatigue was obvious. He fell behind Jason Bay 3-1 before Bay reached on an infield error. He walked Mike Lowell on four pitches. David Ortiz lined a single to right, scoring Bay and ending Millwood's night.

Eddie Guardado came in with the potential tying run on deck -- and slammed shut the door. He struck out Jason Varitek, got Jacoby Ellsbury to fly to left and retired pinch-hitter Rocco Baldelli on a fielder's choice.

***

Kevin Millwood (3.23, 142 ERA+) / Brad Penny (5.63, 86 ERA+)

Back at Fenway Park for two three-game series, against the Rangers and Yankees. After that -- 15 interleague games. One big question: How much time will David Ortiz get at first base?

The Red Sox finished their 6-4 road trip on a strong note. In the last run through the rotation (five games), the starters had a 2.01 ERA.

After an 8.66 ERA in April, Penny has pitched extremely well, for a fifth starter. He had an ERA of 4.17 in six May starts, tossing 36.2 innings and allowing 46 hits but only six walks, while striking out 27. Those hits gave opponents a .305 average against him, but he limited them to a .333 OBP.

Millwood had a good April, but slumped in May: 4.28 in six starts and an opponents line of .280/.354/.490.

Also at 7: Tampa Bay at New York (Price/Sabathia) and Royals at Blue Jays (Greinke/Romero).

Ortiz Thinking About Getting Eyes Checked

David Ortiz -- mired in what he called the toughest stretch of his professional career -- says he is

thinking about getting my eyes checked, for real. There have been some situations that something has happened to my eyes, my vision. But I'm planning on getting my eyes checked out sometime soon ... just to make sure. We get our eyes checked every year. I'm 20-20. Go and check it out. It's not anything big. I will, though. I seriously will.

First of all, "thinking about it"? "Sometime soon?" WTF? It's not an invasive procedure! Go now!

And second, wouldn't this have been something the team could have had done weeks ago?

***

Drew walked four times yesterday afternoon -- tying a career high. He has now done it five times.

G54: Red Sox 6, Tigers 3

Red Sox - 006 000 000 - 6  6  0
Tigers  - 030 000 000 - 3 10  0

First series sweep in Detroit since September 17-18-19, 1996! In the first game of that series, the TCM struck out 20 Tigers.

The Red Sox took advantage of Willis's inability to throw strikes. Though a lot of his pitches were not far out of the zone, he did not get many calls. He walked one in the second, but quickly got a double play. He faced the minimum six batters through two innings.

In the third, Willis plunked Ellsbury, then walked Lugo. After Kottaras struck out, Willis walked Pedroia, Drew and Youkilis -- on a total of 14 pitches. That was the end of his day (2.1-0-5-5-3, 53). Zach Miner came on and allowed Bay's two-run double (ending the Tigers' no-hit bid!), Lowell's RBI groundout and Baldelli's run-scoring single.

Wakefield allowed three straight hits to begin the Detroit second, but other than that, pitched well (6.2-8-3-0-3, 81). Okajima extended his team-best scoreless innings streak to 16.1 and while Papelbon gave up a walk and a single in the ninth, he got his 14th save.

***

Tim Wakefield (4.55, 106 ERA+) / Dontrelle Willis (5.56, 84 ERA+)

On May 12, Wakefield had a 2.92 ERA. Since then, he has made four starts and allowed 19 runs in 23.1 innings, with opponents teeing off at a .320/.409/.480 clip.

Actually, there was an excellent eight-inning, one-run game mixed in there. But in the other three starts -- against the Angels, Mets and Blue Jays -- Wake gave up 18 runs in only 15.1 innings.

MLB.com:

The Tigers are wondering which version of Willis will show up -- the somewhat effective lefty who compiled a 3.57 through three starts after he was activated from the 15-day disabled list after being treated for an anxiety disorder, or the guy who threw batting practice to the Orioles on Friday. In a disastrous outing at Camden Yards, Willis surrendered seven runs on 10 hits over five innings and his ERA jumped almost two runs a game.

Schadenfreude 84 (A Continuing Series)

Anthony Mccarron, Daily News:

Rodriguez drove in the team's first run of the game with an RBI single, but made three crucial outs in his other at-bats, stranding five runners with a double play and two strikeouts. He was booed each time by many in the crowd of 44,452, the loudest jeers coming after he struck out with one out and Nick Swisher at first in the eighth.

Mike Puma, Post:

Take your choice, getting attached to a waterboard or watching replays of Andy Pettitte's last two starts.

Something isn't right with Pettitte, who simply can't find the strike zone. ...

The Yanks ... fell into a first-place tie with Boston in the AL East. They will try to get back on track today with Chien-Ming Wang making his first start in six weeks, replacing Phil Hughes in the rotation.

And: Daily News Yankee Stadium Nickname Contest!

G53: Red Sox 10, Tigers 5

Red Sox - 200 020 060 - 10 13  3
Tigers  - 000 000 050 -  5  3  1

On the 91st anniversary of Dutch Leonard's no-hitter against the Tigers in Detroit, Josh Beckett was well on his way to duplicating Leonard's 1918 feat.

He was seven outs away when Curtis Granderson lined a clean single to right field. Beckett finished the inning with a strike out ... and then things got a wee bit crazy.

A total of 11 runs were scored in the eighth inning. David Ortiz and Jason Varitek banged consecutive two-run doubles in the top half, then Boston committed three infield errors so all five of Detroit's runs -- three of which scored on a Granderson triple off Daniel Bard -- were unearned.

An injury to Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell's ejection meant the Sox went into the bottom of the ninth with an infield of Nick Green at 3B, Julio Lugo at SS, Dustin Pedroia at 2B and Mark Kotsay at 1B. Takashi Saito loaded the bases in the ninth, but escaped without allowing a run.

The Rangers beat the Yankees 4-2, so Boston and New York are once again tied for first place at 31-22.

***
Josh Beckett (4.60, 105 ERA+) / Armando Galarraga (5.50, 84 ERA+)

Josh Beckett made five starts in May:

34 innings, 28 hits, 12 walks, 28 strikeouts
2.38 ERA, Opponents hit .222/.293/.341

I would like to see that continue.

Jacoby Ellsbury, on his low walk totals:

Everybody talks about you need to walk more, but in order to walk more, they have to throw you balls. A lot of these teams, when you're fast, they don't want to throw you balls. They're going to pound the zone before they're going to try to nibble at the corners. ...

As a fast player, as a leadoff guy, they're not going to pitch around me. It makes it tough to walk. If you go up trying to walk you get down in the count. If the pitch is there you have to be swinging at it. You can't be taking (good) pitches just to walk.

Do fast guys draw fewer walks? I have no idea, but SoSHer SoxScout notes:

Going down the SB leaderboard, it takes to #37, Cesar Izturis, to find a worse walk rate than Ells' 4%.

While some of what Ellsbury says makes me absolutely cringe -- "You can't be taking (good) pitches just to walk" -- as if batters go to the plate planning to walk -- he does make a bit of sense.

He knows he doesn't have a lot of power, so most pitchers will not nibble. They are likely to challenge him with fastballs -- and he has seen fastballs almost 70% of the time this year. If he slugged more, pitchers might be willing to concede a walk rather than a double or a dong. Ellsbury, though, will have to earn any walk he gets.

His current OBP of .342 is only a tad below his career mark of .345 -- in close to 1,000 plate appearances. This may be the player he is -- and the criticism of him may come from unrealistic expectations after his amazing finish in 2007.

Here are his 2009 splits:

          PA    AVG   OBP   SLG   SB  CS
vs RHP   158   .338  .373  .426   17   2
vs LHP    74   .232  .274  .261    5   4

Sheesh, even his running game suffers against lefties. Rocco Baldelli has played only two games in center field this season, usually filling in for J.D. Drew in right. If Baldy's knee is feeling okay, it would be nice to see him in center field against lefties -- like, say, Dontrelle Willis on Thursday afternoon.

Also: Hideki Okajima has the longest scoreless-innings streak on the team this season. It is currently at 15.2, two outs better than Ramon Ramirez's run of 15 earlier this year.

G52: Red Sox 5, Tigers 1

Red Sox - 102 002 000 - 5  9  0
Tigers  - 100 000 000 - 1  9  2

Dice (5-6-1-3-6, 96) pitched out of two serious jams and after a trio of Red Sox relievers tossed three perfect innings, Jonathan Papelbon needed 35 pitches to get through the ninth: three singles followed by three strikeouts.

Boston grabbed a 1-0 lead six pitches into the game. Dustin Pedroia doubled to left on a 1-0 pitch and scored when J.D. Drew singled to center on a 1-2 count. Dice walked Clete Thomas to start the home first and Placido Polanco singled. Magglio Ordonez GIDP, but Miguel Cabrera and Curtis Granderson singled. Dice struck out Brandon Inge for the third out.

The Red Sox took a 3-1 lead in the third when Drew singled and Bay smashed a one-out, two-run dong to left, his 16th tater of the year.

Matsuzaka walked the 8th and 9th hitters (on 16 pitches) to start the Detroit fifth, but struck out Thomas, got Polanco to line out to left and fanned Ordonez.

The Sox scored twice off relievers Ryan Perry and Brandon Lyon in the sixth on three walks, a single and a bases-loaded HBP.

Manny Delcarmen pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, Hideki Okajima retired the four batters he faced and Ramon Ramirez got the final two hitters in the eighth. In the ninth, Bot allowed a broken bat single to Cabrera (cbsb), a line drive single to left by Granderson (bbf) and a ground single to left by Inge (f). Bases loaded, no one out.

Josh Anderson battled through an 11-pitch at-bat (ffffbfffff), but chased a high fastball for strike three. Pinch-hitter Jeff Larish whiffed on an inside heater (bbff) and Ramon Santiago (bbcs) struck out on gas to end the game.

David Ortiz slapped an opposite-field single in the second inning, but grounded to first (a 3635 DP) to end the third and struck out in his last three at-bats. ... Jacoby Ellsbury reached base four times: an infield error, two singles and an intentional walk. ... Jason Varitek singled, doubled and walked.

***

Daisuke Matsuzaka (8.82, 55 ERA+) / Rick Porcello (3.48, 134 ERA+)

The Red Sox (29-22), who trail the Yankees (30-21) by one game, visit Comerica Park for three games against the AL Central-leading Tigers.

(New York hosts the Rangers, who are 4.5 GA of the Angels in the AL West. LAA is playing in Toronto.)

Last season, Dice held hitters to an MLB-best .164 average with runners in scoring position. Everyone knew the Houdini act could not last. In his four starts this year, hitters are batting .400 (10-for-25) with RISP. He has still pitched far better with the bases empty:

              PA    AVG   OBP   SLG    OPS
Runners On    47   .297  .413  .432   .845
Bases Empty   39   .472  .513  .889  1.402

Although he dropped Jacoby Ellsbury to the 8th spot in Sunday's lineup and led off with Dustin Pedroia and J.D. Drew, Terry Francona says any changes are not an attempt to jump-start the offense or based on a hunch:

I think that that goes against everything I believe in. I think the one thing I'm supposed to be is consistent and that goes against that. ... We are getting to the point where we're 50 games into the season and I think the numbers start meaning something. ... We need to have our on-base guys for the guys in the middle of the order. ... Sometimes when we don't score, you can look at a lot of things. It's a little easy to get mixed up, so I just try to sit back and think, "OK, what can help us?" without forgetting what can hurt us.

Tito also said "there is a pretty decent chance" Mark Kotsay (9-for-26 for the PawSox) would be activated tonight. Jeff Bailey likely would be sent back to Pawtucket.

MLB.com:

How does Porcello [a 6-5, 200 RHP] follow up a 5-0 May? Continuing the unbeaten streak into June would be an impressive step. In addition to being the first Tigers pitcher since John Doherty in 1984 to win five or more games in a month, the impressive rookie has posted a 1.50 ERA during his current five-game winning streak. According to Elias Sports Bureau, that makes Porcello -- at 20 years, 151 days old -- the second-youngest pitcher in Major League history to go 5-0 with an ERA of 1.50 or better in any five-start span (the Mets' Dwight Gooden went 5-0 with a 1.43 ERA in five starts at age 19 in 1984). ... He's worked seven innings only once in his nine starts, a clear sign that the Tigers will take a conservative approach and not overwork him.

BP 2009:

Porcello was universally seen as one of the top pitching prospects in the game before he threw a pitch as a professional, and in his pro debut, he led the Florida State League in ERA as a teenager. Yet, for some reason, his season was categorized by some as a disappointment, mostly due to a low strikeout rate. However, the Tigers limited him by only allowing a small number of breaking balls per start and had him focus on his low-90s sinker rather than his monster four-seam fastball. Despite this deliberate pair of handicaps, we repeat: he still led the league in ERA.

Porcello's highest pitch count total of the season has been 95; he's been between 82 and 89 in seven of his nine starts (log).

***

John Smoltz pitched five innings (5-4-1-0-6, 73) for Greenville (A) on Sunday, allowing one run on four hits to the Charleston RiverDogs. Smoltz struck out his final three batters.

I don't think I'm far away. Today was more a familiar pitching that I thought I was capable of the last month, two months. For the most part, I'm really pleased with today's effort. I felt really fresh in the fifth inning, even though it's the longest stint I've had.

Smoltz's next two starts are expected to be with Pawtucket.

Jon Lester was the first Boston lefty to strike out at least 12 batters while allowing three hits or fewer since Roger Moret (9-1-0-2-12) on August 21, 1974. All three of the hits allowed by Lester on Sunday were infield singles.

The Red Sox executed their first two sacrifice bunts of the season on Sunday; by contrast, Seattle has 26. ... Steve Buckley of the Herald checks in with Portland starter Junichi Tazawa (2.82 in 10 starts). ... In his June 1 mailbag, MLB.com's Ian Browne writes: "I could see [Jed Lowrie] being back in the lineup in about three weeks."

Remy: "Hope To Be In The Booth Very Soon"

Jerry Remy (audio tweet):

Hi, this is Jerry. I just want to thank everybody for the overwhelming support I've got from you over the last couple of weeks. I've got a much larger family than I ever anticipated. Hope to be in the booth very soon.

Off-Day Outtakes: Dictators & Sonic Youth

The Dictators
Demos & Rare Tracks 1973-1976

Miami Steve Van Zandt calls the Dictators "the connective tissue between the eras of The MC5, Stooges, New York Dolls, and the punk explosion of the mid to late 1970's".

01  Weekend
02  Backseat Boogie
03  Master Race Rock
04  California Sun
05  Fireman's Friend
06  Interstellar Overdrive
07  Tits to You
08  Too Much Fun
09  Dogs (Rock And Roll Made A Man Out Of Me)
10  America the Beautiful
11  Sleepin' With the TV On I
12  Heartache
13  Search & Destroy
14  Disease
15  Sleepin' With the TV On II
16  Exposed
17  Smash That Faggot's Head
18  Radio Ad

Video Bonus: The Dictators play "New York, New York" at CBGBs on October 13, 2006:



Makes me a bit homesick (sniffle ...)

***

Sonic Youth
Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star - Early Rough Mixes

01  Bull In The Heather
02  Starfield Road
03  Skink
04  Screaming Skull
05  Screaming Skull (Rap Damage)
06  Self-Obsessed And Sexxee
07  Bone
08  Bone Remix
09  Androgynous Mind
10  Sweet Shine
11  Waiste Away
12  Doctor's Orders Part 1
13  Doctor's Orders Part 2
14  In The Mind Of The Bourgeois Reader

This set has a horrifically low bit rate (80 kbps!), but after poking around online, I think this is all there is.

***

Also check out Daytrotter:

Daytrotter is a recording studio with a website. We invite musicians to our studio, record their songs, and give (give, as in "for free, no strings attached") them to you, from our website. Simple.

I will confess to having heard of maybe 1.7% of the bands listed on the sessions archives, so feel free to recommend one or four.