Analysis of Babe Ruth's Swing

Fascinating stuff!

Francona Will Attend 100th Anniversary Celebration!

Excellent news!

Terry Francona has changed his mind. He will attend the huge 100th anniversary celebration at Fenway Park on Friday afternoon.

ESPNBoston:

Francona told ESPN on Wednesday that he believes he owes it to the fans to show up.

He's gonna get one hell of an ovation.

G12: Rangers 6, Red Sox 3

Rangers - 001 200 030 - 6 10  1
Red Sox - 020 000 001 - 3  5  0

Franklin Morales allowed three runs in the eighth inning, giving the Rangers enough runs to hold off a mini ninth-inning rally from the Red Sox. Six consecutive Rangers reached base, although two of those were because of intentional walks.

Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run home run to get the night started, but, like Dustin Pedroia's two-run dong the night before, it was pretty much all the scoring Boston would do. And Beckett squandered the lead immediately. He allowed a one-out walk and three consecutive singles in the third (throwing 31 pitches) and gave up a two-run bomb to Mike Napoli in the fourth.

Morales got the first batter of the eighth, with Vicente Padilla and Matt Albers warming behind him. Josh Hamilton singled and Adrian Beltre was walked intentionally after Morales fell behind 2-0. Padilla then sat down (?) as Morales walked Nelson Cruz to load the bases.

Morales stayed in to face right-handed hitting pinch-hitter Craig Gentry (a "curious" decision by Bobby Valentine); Morales hit him in the left ankle to force in a run. Napoli followed with a two-run double (also off Morales) off the Wall. Morales then intentionally walked Mike Moreland to re-load the bases before Valentine brought in Albers, who got a 6-4-3 double play.

In the ninth, Cody Ross walked against Joe Nathan. After David Ortiz struck out, Youkilis reached on a two-base throwing error by Beltre. Ryan Sweeney hit for Kelly Shoppach and singled to right, scoring Ross. Jarrod Saltalamacchia batted for Darnell McDonald and lined a full-count pitch to Brandon Snyder at first; the runners were off on the pitch, so it was an easy unassisted, game-ending double play.

Jerry Remy (NESN) speculated that Padilla may not have been able to get loose in the cool weather (approx. 50 degrees). Valentine made a serious error last night by having Padilla throw 20 pitches with the Red Sox down 16-2. We'll see if the two events are connected.

The Red Sox (4-8) are off on Thursday before hosting the Yankees (6-6) for three games.

Derek Holland / Josh Beckett

Beckett has been "the slowest working starting pitcher" in baseball since 2007.

Dave Cameron, Fangraphs:

You know who the slowest working pitching staff in baseball is to this point of 2012? The Boston Red Sox, who have taken an average of 24.6 seconds between pitches this year. You know who was the slowest working pitching staff in 2011? The Red Sox. 2010? The Red Sox. 2009? The Red Sox. 2008? The Red Sox.

The last time that Boston didn't have the slowest working pitching staff in baseball was 2007. That year, they had the second slowest staff, getting edged out by the Yankees by 0.3 seconds per pitch.

You know who the slowest working starting pitchers in baseball have been since 2007? Josh Beckett (25.6 seconds between pitches), Daisuke Matsuzaka (25.4), and Clay Buchholz (25.2). They are the only three starters in the sport to take more than 25 seconds between pitches, and they all pitch for the Red Sox.

G11: Rangers 18, Red Sox 3

Rangers - 043 001 082 - 18 21  0
Red Sox - 200 000 010 -  3 10  0

Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run home run in the first ... then a bunch of other shit happened ... and Adrian Gonzalez went deep in the eighth.

Lester (2-8-7-4-2, 80) faced only 17 batters - 13 of them reached base; his two innings pitched matched the shortest outing of his career. Scott Atchison pitched four innings of relief and was pretty good. Mark Melancon allowed six runs (on three home runs) in the eighth without retiring a batter; his ERA is now 49.50.

The Red Sox hadn't lost by as many as 15 runs since June 19, 2000 (a 22-1 loss to the Yankees).

Silver Lining: It counts as only one loss.

Colby Lewis / Jon Lester

The Rangers led the AL West with an 8-2 record. Lewis has allowed only two runs in 12.2 innings this season, walking one while striking out 15. ... Lester pitched a complete game three-hitter last Wednesday, losing to the Blue Jays 3-1.

Down in Fort Myers, Carl Crawford is expected to play in an extended spring training game today. ... Early reports indicate that Jacoby Ellsbury will not need surgery on his right shoulder.

John Tomase writes that Bobby Valentine "already has taken his first steps toward losing the clubhouse". ... Terry Francona did not think Valentine was criticizing Kevin Youkilis. ... Gordon Edes says "it would take a mental contortionist to buy Valentine's explanation" of his initial comments.

The Valentine-Youkilis-Pedroia Kerfuffle, In Their Own Words

WHDH Question (Sunday night):

Kevin Youkilis, his bat has come to life here in the last two games, but he was off to a surprising start for Kevin Youkilis. Seven games, seven strikeouts, has only walked twice. Very un-Youkilis-like. What are your eyes telling you?

Bobby Valentine:

The walks came yesterday. He's had a couple of big at-bats where he's really gotten into it. I don't think he's as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason, but yesterday it seemed like he's seeing the ball well. He got those two walks, he got his on-base percentage up higher than his batting average, which is always a good thing, and he'll move on from there.

Youkilis hit only .195 in spring training (with one extra-base hit) and went 2-for-20 on the season-opening six-game road trip. He is now 6-for-30 (.200/.265/.233). He did not play on Monday.

Youkilis:

I'm more confused than anything because everyone knows I go out and play the game as hard as I can. It's just my style of play. I was never blessed with the raw tools and I've always had to use playing the game hard and with full effort my whole life.

Joe Bick (Youkilis's agent):

I will not dignify [Valentine's] quotes by responding to something that is so far off base on so many different levels.

Youkilis:

Everyone here knows I go out and play with emotion. The only time there has ever been a question is because I've been too emotional. ... I go out every day and play as hard as I can -- take every ground ball in the morning, take every at-bat like it's my last. I don't think my game has changed at all. I still get upset with myself. I still get mad.

Dustin Pedroia:

Youk plays as hard as anyone I've ever seen in my life and I have his back and his teammates have his back. We know how hard he plays. I don't really understand what Bobby's trying to do, but that's not the way we go about our stuff around here. I'm sure he'll figure that out soon. [Could Valentine's comment be motivational?] Maybe in Japan or something, but over here in the US we're on a three-game winning streak and we want to feel good and keep it rolling. We feel we have a good team and we just got to get each other's backs and play together, because if we don't do that, I don't care what sport you're playing, you're not going to win. This game is hard and Youk's a great player and he works his butt off and we all know how hard he works.

Valentine:

That wasn't meant to motivate. That's not the way it's done. [Pedroia] took a little part of something and thought that he understood what went on, and that's not what went on.

Valentine:

Kevin came in this morning and I thought it was about his groin. I thought he was going to tell me how his groin was, and I said, "Hey, how's the groin?" and he said, "Well, all right, but what's going on?" When he told me that people called him and told him that I said things that he didn't like, I totally apologized. I said the last thing in the world I want you to think is that I'm doing anything to criticize you. I was giving an answer to a question and I should've been more specific and said your physical was about your swing and your emotional was not being happy when you don't hit a ball off the wall. I don't know if he accepted my apology, but it was very sincere. The last thing in the world is that I didn't want him to think that this was anything but an answer to a question that seemed to be jabbing at him. I was just trying to smooth it over and I guess that I didn't.

During Monday's game, I saw a clip on NESN of some of Valentine's press conference and his explanation of his initial comments (some of which is in the above, though without the pauses and verbal stumbling) was rambling and unconvincing.

Cherington:

If I was Kevin this morning and saw that, it would've gotten my attention, so I think an apology was appropriate.

Cherington:

As with many things in baseball and life, the more you get a chance to talk about it, the more you get a chance to understand what people's meanings were and how people perceive something that allows you to get past it. We had a chance to do that this morning. Kevin and Bobby spoke, I spoke to Kevin, I spoke to Bobby and there were other conversations. I think what needed to be said has been said and we'll go forward. ...

I woke up and saw the quote. I was surprised for a couple of reasons. That's not something Bobby had expressed to me and we've all seen Youk play for a long time, never wondered if he was into the game. ... I think he hadn't seen the same player on the field that we've all seen in the past so he acknowledged that first of all, he acknowledged that the way he expressed that was not the best way to express that. He told the same thing to Kevin and apologized and had a chance to explain what he meant. ...

I think Bobby wishes he had expressed the sentiment to Kevin first and I would agree with him. That's normally the policy. ... I don't think there is a blanket policy on whether a manager should ever criticize a player publicly. I think every situation is different. There are times that can be a great thing to do. I don't think you should say it never should happen or always happen.

Valentine, on any lingering effects:

Oh God, come on. We're big boys and I'm sure he's going to get it and if not, I'll talk to him a lot more and figure out what it takes but I'd be surprised if Kevin doesn't know that I'm totally behind him, in good times and bad. ...

At the end of the [meeting], I said, "I don't know what the reason is because I haven't been here long enough. I don't know why his swing isn't exactly the way he wants it to be and why he isn't throwing as many helmets." I thought it was rather innocuous. As a matter of fact, it seemed like they were trying to [criticize] him and I think I started it by saying how good his at-bats were [Sunday], his two walks. ...

Until people want to understand what it really is, instead of making it up what they want to be, then there'll be confusion. I think eventually everyone will want to understand what it is. I like guys to give their best everyday and enjoy the fact that they're prepared and ready to go.

Adrian Gonzalez:

We all know Youk does give 110 percent every time he's out there, that's my reaction to it. Youk's a team player, we all love him, we're all behind him.

Valentine:

I talked to him during the game. [Is everything fine?] It is what it is.

Youkilis:

We're fine.

Pedroia met with Valentine and GM Ben Cherington:

We talked about it. We're good. ... It's between me and him, man. I'm not going to sit here and talk about what me and Bobby talked about. We're all grown men and everybody involved in this organization, this team, we're here to have everybody's backs, in the worst times and the best times. We all pride ourselves on that and make sure that happens.

Valentine:

[Pedroia]'s cool. He says he gets it. I think he was asked a question in a dubious manner. I told him what happened, he said "OK I got it."

Valentine's description of his comments as "innocuous" is understating it a bit, but what he said - when taken in full context - is not that big of a deal. (It is beyond stupid, however, to speculate on a player's commitment based on how many helmets he's thrown.) But everything Valentine says is going to be picked over by the media and anything that can be construed as negative will be pounced upon. In the interest of running a smooth ship, Valentine should somehow learn to talk less often (and say fewer words when he does speak), but I'm not making any wagers that he will. The phrase "in-house" appears to be a foreign one to Bobby the Fifth.

But Pedroia's mildly shocking (yet still entertaining) comments are more troublesome. His statement "that's not the way we go about our stuff around here" is immediately contradicted by his wisecracks about how things might be done in Japan and saying that Valentine will no doubt get the hang of his job soon. Players calling out the manager after only nine games - that is not how the Red Sox do things, either. Here's the big question: Is Pedroia be busting Valentine's chops like he used to do with Terry Francona or is one of the team's leaders so fed up with the manager that he doesn't care about openly disrespecting him to the media? (It seems too early for the former and I'd rather not contemplate the possibility of the latter.)

One more possible angle: This could be the first step in paving the road out of town for Youkilis in favour of Will Middlebrooks (if not true, it might still be how Yook perceives it). The Red Sox have an option for 2013 of either a $13 million contract or a $1 million buy-out.

Or perhaps it's best not to make too big a deal over this. The story blew up and was "settled" in well under 24 hours. And, besides, we may have more eruptions after another nine games.

G10: Rays 1, Red Sox 0

Rays    - 000 000 100 - 1  7  0
Red Sox - 000 000 000 - 0  4  0

Bard (6.2-4-1-7-7, 111) walked three Rays with two outs in the seventh, one a four-pitch pass to Evan Longoria with the bases loaded. The walks hurt, obviously, but Bard turned in a great start, complimenting his fastball with a devastating slider.

Shields (8.1-4-0-2-5, 115) scattered four singles and allowed only one Boston runner past first base. In the bottom of the ninth, Dustin Pedroia walked with one out, and (with Fernando Rodney now pitching) took second on Adrian Gonzalez's grounder to first. David Ortiz was walked intentionally. Cody Ross saw five pitches; all of them were outside the strike zone, but plate umpire Larry Vanover called three of them strikes, ending the game.

Jere posted a NESN screen shot:

My simple plea: let the players on the field decide the outcome of the games. In Bud Selig's MLB, that is apparently too much to ask for.

Hell of a game, though. Maybe they'd still be playing if a competent umpire was working the plate.

James Shields / Daniel Bard

Wake up, Bert!

The Red Sox are trying to complete a four-game sweep of the Rays.

A quick check of this page tells me the Red Sox have swept a four-game series from Tampa Bay four times: May 3-6, 2002, September 9-12, 2002, August 29-September 1, 2005, and May 25-28, 2006.

The two most recent sweeps were played at Fenway Park.

G9: Red Sox 6, Rays 4

Rays    - 000 031 000 - 4 13  0
Red Sox - 030 101 10x - 6  8  0

Cody Ross crushed a three-run home run, David Ortiz got three hits and drove in the go-ahead run, and Vicente Padilla and Franklin Morales each pitched out of a tight jam as the Red Sox won their third straight game over the Rays.

Doubront (5-9-4-1-7, 96) couldn't kept his pitches down in the fifth and was hit for three runs; he surrendered a leadoff homer in the sixth and was pulled. Scott Atchison allowed a single and a walk before getting a strikeout. Padilla then fanned Desmond Jennings and retired Carlos Pena on a fly to right. In the eighth, Morales allowed two one-out singles, but got Jennings to fly to left and Pena to ground to shortstop. Alfredo Aceves pitched a perfect ninth, and was helped out by a diving catch in right-center by Jason Repko.

In the Boston second, Kevin Youkilis singled, Ortiz doubled, and Ross cleared everything in left. Kelly Shoppach drove in Ortiz in the fifth, and Flo's second double of the afternoon scored Yook in the sixth. Mike Aviles added an insurance homer to dead center in the seventh.

Ortiz is 9-for-13 in this series (with 8 RBI) and has five multi-hit games this season. He's hitting .444 through nine games.

Boston goes for the sweep at 11 AM tomorrow with Daniel Bard on the hill.

Matt Moore / Felix Doubront

After totaling only 22 runs in their first six games, the Red Sox have scored 21 times in their last 9 innings! Despite a 3-5 record, the two blowouts against the Rays have given them a positive run differential (+2) for the first time this season.

Moore makes the third start of his young career, while Doubront starts for the fifth time. Doubront lasted only five innings in Toronto last Monday, running up a high pitch count (5-4-2-3-6, 101). Moore faced the Tigers in his first start of the season (6.2-4-2-5-4, 106).

Che-Hsuan Lin was in center field for the top of the ninth inning yesterday, but did not touch the ball. After the game, he was optioned back to Pawtucket. For now, call him "Moonlight". ... Another PawSox outfielder, Jason Repko, 31 years old and a career .226/.297/.350 hitter, is expected to be called up for today's game. In four games for the PawSox, Repko is 7-for-13.

G8: Red Sox 13, Rays 5

Rays    - 401 000 000 -  5  6  0
Red Sox - 021 020 35x - 13 15  0

The Red Sox clubbed five home runs - Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Mike Aviles, and Cody Ross - and the pitching trio of Buchholz, Franklin Morales, and Alfredo Aceves limited the Rays to only two singles after the third inning.

David Ortiz led the offense by going 4-for-5, with 5 RBI; Ross drove in four runs, Aviles had three hits in the leadoff spot, and Kevin Youkilis singled, walked twice, and scored three times. For the second day in a row, the Boston bats exploded late in the game, turning what had been a 5-5 tie into another laugher.

Buchholz got off to a rough start, walking two batters in the first inning and surrendering a three-run homer to Luke Scott (who also doubled home a run in the third). But Buchholz settled down, retiring 13 of his last 15 batters on only 45 pitches. Morales and Aceves pitched a perfect eighth and ninth, respectively.

Lin made his major league debut in the top of the ninth, taking over for Ross in center, and watching as Aceves retired the Rays on a fly to right and two strikeouts.

Jeremy Hellickson / Clay Buchholz

Che-Hsuan Lin will be with the Red Sox for today's game. ... Gordon Edes looks at the time missed by various other players with dislocated shoulders and figures Jacoby Ellsbury will be out a minimum of six weeks.

Hellickson dominated the Yankees (8.2-3-0-4-4, 118) in his first start of the year, while Buchholz had a rough time against the Tigers (4-8-7-2-2, 78) last Sunday.

The Rays, Orioles, Blue Jays, and Yankees are in a four-way tie for first place - all at 4-3 - with the Red Sox (2-5) two games back.

Ellsbury Taken To Mass General With Right Shoulder Injury

Update:

Jacoby Ellsbury told teammates he "felt something move" in his right shoulder in the fourth inning when Tampa Bay shortstop Reid Brignac fell on him after completing the throw to first on a double play. It looked like Ellsbury's shoulder took the full weight of Brignac's fall.

Bobby Valentine said Ellsbury was "in a lot of pain". Ellsbury was taken to Mass General for examination. The Red Sox will probably wait until Saturday before releasing any more information.

Brignac:

I fell on his shoulder. ... I could hear him and it sounded like a very painful thing. I kind of landed on him, rolled off. He was yelling and screaming a little bit. ... It was just an unfortunate thing.

WEEI's Alex Speier reported that according to "an industry source with knowledge of the situation" (whatever that is), Ellsbury

likely suffered a dislocation or subluxation in which the shoulder slipped out of the joint. With such a diagnosis, Ellsbury would be expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks to see if the injury responds to rest and rehabilitation. If not, then season-ending surgery would be a possibility.

More medical info/possibilities at SoSH (here).

The Red Sox will call up an additional outfielder for tomorrow's game, either putting Ellsbury on the disabled list or sending one of the team's eight relief pitchers to Pawtucket. Che-Hsuan Lin (3-for-20 with Pawtucket this year) is the only other available outfielder on the 40-man roster, and he was scratched from the PawSox's lineup on Friday night. (Another possible candidate, Jason Repko, is out with a minor leg injury; he has not played since April 7.)

G7: Red Sox 12, Rays 2

Rays    - 010 000 001 -  2  6  0
Red Sox - 003 100 08x - 12 16  0

Beckett (8-5-1-1-1, 94) shut down the Rays and the first 10 Red Sox batters reached base in the eighth inning as Boston won its home opener in a rout.

The Red Sox have won their last eight home openers, and have scored 5+ runs in every home opner dating back to 1998.

In the eighth: Darnell McDonald doubled, Cody Ross walked, Mike Aviles walked, Kelly Shoppach doubled (2 RBI), Ryan Sweeney singled (2 RBI), Dustin Pedroia singled, Adrian Gonzalez singled, Kevin Youkilis singled (2 RBI), David Ortiz doubled (RBI), McDonald walked, Ross flied out to CF (RBI), Aviles singled, Shoppach popped to SS, and Sweeney flied out to LF.

A double by Ellsbury and RBI singles from Gonzalez and Ortiz were the key hits in the third inning. Ellsbury doubled in Shoppach (3-for-4, 2 doubles, 3 runs, 2 RBI) in the fourth. ... Ellsbury, Gonzalez, Ortiz, and Youkilis each had two hits. Youkilis also drove in three runs.

Ellsbury left the game in the fourth with a "right shoulder injury". He collided with Rays shortstop Reid Brignac at second base as Brignac was turning a double play; after throwing to first, Brignac fell on Ellsbury's shoulder.

David Price / Josh Beckett

After a 1-5 road trip, the Red Sox's schedule doesn't get any easier. In fact, it may be getting tougher. Boston begins its 101st season at Fenway Park with four games against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Saturday: Jeremy Hellickson / Clay Buchholz, 4 PM
Sunday: Matt Moore / Felix Doubront, 1:30 PM
Monday: James Shields / Daniel Bard, 11 AM

The Red Sox then play two games against the Rangers before the Yankees come in for three games.

Working On The Sequel ...

Jon Lester:

What do you want me to talk about? We're 1-5. We're not playing good right now. ... Nobody in this clubhouse wants to start slow regardless of years past. Like we said last year, it sucks to hear, but it's a long season.

Adrian Gonzalez:

It's just as frustrating [as last year]. ... It's a different team. It does feel different.

Bobby Valentine:

That's not the road trip we want.

Dustin Pedroia:

It's kind of hard to believe.

David Ortiz:

Hopefully we start playing better once we get home.

Bobby Valentine:

Six games is a ridiculously small sample size.

Here are the Red Sox linescores:

000 000 002
000 000 000
025 002 001 02
000 001 003
000 001 002
001 000 000

12 of the team's 22 runs came in one game. ... Of the other 10 runs, only one has come before the sixth inning. ... In five of their six games, the Red Sox entered the ninth inning with zero runs or one run.

As a team, the Red Sox are hitting .236/.300/.341, which looks pretty bad, but is actually only a little below league average for the AL right now (.236/.303/.379).

Bobby Valentine: "I think the offense is fine."

Hot: Ryan Sweeney (8-for-18), Dustin Pedroia (8-for-25), David Ortiz (7-for-23), Adrian Gonzalez (6-for-23). ... Not: Jarrod Saltalamacchia (1-for-13), Kevin Youkilis (2-for-20), Jacoby Ellsbury (3-for-23).

On the pitching side, the Red Sox have the worst staff ERA in MLB (6.40) and the second-worst WHIP in the AL (1.404). Boston has the highest opponents' batting average in the AL (.283), second worst opposition OBP (.333), and second-worst opposition slugging (.459). It's small consolation, but the Yankees' staff has the worst WHIP, worst opponents OBP, and worst opponents' SLG.

Finally, the Red Sox have the worst run differential of all 30 teams (-16).

Meanwhile, the media hype about Bobby Valentine running a more active spring training camp, with players jogging from field to field and an emphasis on drills stressing the fundamentals, seems like a scam at this point. The team has been as sloppy and absent-minded as ever. In the Toronto series:

Monday: David Ortiz - the potential tying run with no outs in the seventh inning - attempts to steal second base. He is thrown out.

Tuesday: With a runner at second and no outs, Kevin Youkilis fails to cover third base on Brett Lawrie's ground ball to shortstop. Nick Punto looks briefly towards third, sees no one at the bag, and throws belatedly to first. That single is Daniel Bard's last batter and a key part of Toronto's rally that pushes its lead from 3-1 to 6-1.

Wednesday: Kelly Shopach's weak bunt, with runners on first and second and no outs in the third, is pounced on by Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia, who gets the lead runner at third. (And a hearty boo to Bobby Valentine for calling for a bunt in the third inning.) ... Jon Lester has Rajai Davis picked off first base, but soft-tosses the ball to Gonzalez, and Gonzalez's throw to second is too late. Yunel Escobar singles on Lester's next pitch and Davis scores an insurance run for the Blue Jays.

"Surviving Grady" Podcast

I am one of Red's guest on the latest Surviving Grady podcast.

Jere was the other participant and the three of us talked about how we got started blogging, what has kept each of us going strong for nearly a decade (!), and what we expect to accomplish. (Answer: Nothing.) Plus some personal highlights and lowlights.

Thanks again to Red for inviting me. After the formal part was done, we kept talking for what seemed like another hour, and that was probably as entertaining as what was actually recorded.

Red claims this bloggers-rap-about-the-Sox might be a semi-regular thing this summer. Or not!

Note: Only two of us were in our basements for the interview, however. Click here to find out who was sitting upstairs (and probably wearing pants; apostate!).

Ozzie, Castro, And Expressing An Opinion

A country's acceptance of free speech is a little like being pregnant. You can't have some freedom of expression. It either exists for everyone or it does not exist at all.

Laura explains the extreme insanity and multi-leveled irony surrounding Ozzie Guillen's five-game suspension for speaking a thought.

Francona Declines Invitation To April 20 Celebration

Terry Francona, the greatest manager in Red Sox history, will not attend the huge celebration for Fenway park's 100th anniversary next Friday, April 20. Francona rejected an offer made by John Henry last month and declined again on Monday in a telephone conversation with Larry Lucchino.

Francona, who is working on a book with Dan Shaughnessy about his eight years in Boston, explained his decision and the still-raw wounds from last October's debacle. As you may recall, "team sources" leaked various information to a handful of writers from the Globe. From Bob Hohler's article "Inside The Collapse":

Team sources said Francona ... appeared distracted during the season by issues related to his troubled marriage and to his health.

Francona spent the season living in a hotel after he moved out of the Brookline home he shared with Jacque, his wife of nearly 30 years. ...

Team sources also expressed concern that Francona's performance may have been affected by his use of pain medication, which he also vehemently denied.

Francona:

Somebody went out of their way to make me look pretty bad. It's a shame. I'm sure they'll have a great event and I was part of a lot of that stuff there, but I just can't go back there and start hugging people and stuff without feeling a little bit hypocritical. ...

Larry [Lucchino] called me [on Monday]. I was in a phone store in Arizona. I had three people standing around me. I was at a little bit of a disadvantage. He got a little perturbed at me, telling me I was being unfair to them. I called him back last night and left him a message. He called me back and we ended up getting into an argument. ... [T]he more we talked I realized we're just not on the same wavelength. They're probably better off going forth and leaving me out of it. ...

Until I'm more comfortable with some answers on what happened at the end of the year, I don't want to have much to do with the organization and that's a shame. ... It was pretty raw at the end of the year. I think I've done a pretty good job of moving on from that. At the same time, I'm never going to forget that.

I completely understand and respect Francona's stance. Even if the smears did not come from (or were orchestrated by) the upper-most levels of management, the silence and non-denials from Henry, Lucchino, and Tom Werner regarding the allegations must have hurt tremendously.

While I'd like the fans at Fenway Park that afternoon to be able to show their appreciation for Francona for the first time since last fall, Francona has to do what he feels is right. Additionally, this is a celebration of the park itself - not a group of players or a team or an event - and Francona's absence won't make much difference.

I do hope, however, that there are a few "We Want Tito" chants ... and I hope time heals some of these wounds so Francona feels good about attending any 10th anniversary festivities in 2014.

G6: Blue Jays 3, Red Sox 1

Red Sox   - 001 000 000 - 1  3  0
Blue Jays - 002 000 01x - 3  3  0

Romero (8.1-3-1-2-5, 104) completely stymied the Boston bats, outduelling Lester (8-3-3-2-6, 116), as Toronto sent the Red Sox to their fifth defeat in six games. Romero worked quickly and efficiently, throwing only 63 pitches through six innings and 90 through eight. The game was played in 2:13.

Boston scored first, for the first time in a game this season. Cody Ross and Mike Aviles singled to start the third. Kelly Shoppach bunted (in the goddamn 3rd inning, and it was a poor bunt, too), and catcher J.P. Arencibia was able to force Ross at third. Jacoby Ellsbury's line drive single to left brought Aviles home.

Eric Thames singled in the home half of the inning, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on Rajai Davis's triple into the right field corner. Davis scored on Yunel Escobar's sac fly.

Those were the only base runners in the game on either side until Davis walked with two outs in the eighth. He stole second and scored on Escobar's single.

After Ellsbury's RBI hit, Romero retired 17 Red Sox in a row (one two of the outs left the infield). But he lost the plate to begin the ninth, walking Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia. The runners moved up to second and third on Adrian Gonzalez's fly ball to center, and John Farrell called on Sergio Santos to close it out. He did, with the potential go-ahead run at the plate, striking out Kevin Youkilis and getting David Ortiz on a ground ball to shortstop.

Jon Lester / Ricky Romero

The Red Sox (1-4) finish their six-game, season-opening road trip with a day game at Skydome. Boston is off on Thursday before facing the Rays for four games at Fenway, beginning on Friday afternoon.

Lester (7-6-1-3-4, 107) dueled with Justin Verlander last Thursday and received a no-decision. Romero (5-3-4-3-4, 96) faced Cleveland in a game that lasted 16 innings. All four of the runs he allowed came in the second inning, three of them scoring on a dong by Jack Hannahan.

The Red Sox hit Romero extremely well.

G5: Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 3

Red Sox   - 000 001 002 - 3  9  0
Blue Jays - 102 003 10x - 7 11  0

Bard pitched better than his line (5-8-5-1-6, 96); it was a solid, promising start. Only one or two of Toronto's eight hits were well-hit (two were infield singles) and Justin Thomas - Bobby Valentine's first (and terrible) choice out of the bullpen with the Blue Jays up only 3-1 - allowed two inherited runners to score. He also allowed one of his own runners to cross, and the Blue Jays blew the game open 6-1.

After the game, Valentine admitted that leaving Thomas in to face more than one batter was "a dumb move". After Thomas walked Eric Thames, J.P. Arencibia cracked a two-run single. Colby Rasmus followed with a sac fly.

Just a dumb move. ... I don't like being dumb. I like doing what I'm supposed to do. I should have brought in Albers with the bases loaded, it might have been still a 3-1 game. We get a great ground ball there and maybe we would have won that game.

Bard threw 49 fastballs, 35 sliders, and 12 changeups (according to Brooks). His fastball started out between 95-97 in the early innings, but dipped to 92-94 as he tired in the sixth inning. He avoided his changeup in the first four innings, with 10 of the 12 coming in his last two innings. His pitch count by innings: 20-9-28 9-18-12.

The Red Sox made some noise in the ninth. With two outs, Nick Punto singled, Jacoby Ellsbury walked, Pedoria (3-for-5) singled, and Gonzalez (3 RBI) doubled in two runs. It cut the lead to 7-3 and put the potential tying run on deck. But David Ortiz was called out on strikes to end the game.

Daniel Bard / Kyle Drabeck

Daniel Bard will make the much-anticipated first start of his career.

Ben Cherington:

We made a decision this winter collectively to give him a chance to get stretched out in spring training and show us what he can do. We feel like he showed enough in spring training, enough development, to carry that into the season. If he can do that and do it well, and we believe he can, then there's a great long-term benefit to the organization. ... It's way too early in the season to talk about changing roles or reacting off a three-game series.

Ultimately, of course if things are not working deeper as we get deeper into the season, we'll consider changes, whether that involves a pitcher inside the organization, outside the organization, different roles, etc., but for right now, Daniel's going to start tomorrow. We'll see how this goes, and again, we feel like there's enough talent down there to get the job done.

If there is no one in the current bullpen that can hold a two- or three-run lead in the late innings, then it won't matter what Bard's role is. This team is doomed. Fortunately, that is not the case.

Valentine Takes Some Blame For Bullpen Meltdowns

Bobby Valentine said he has to do a better job of managing his bullpen, getting the right guys in their roles.

I've just got to manage it better, that's all I think. I think we've got the arms out there to do what we have to do. Just get the guys in the right position to do it. Just manage better. I will. I don't think the deck has to be totally shuffled. ... I talked to Alfredo [Sunday] night. Everything happened to quickly. He thinks he's making pretty good pitches. I do, too. Mark was pretty close to finishing that out. [The pitch to Avila] wasn't that bad a pitch. Got to have a little better results and I think we'll have that.

I just have to get the right guys matched up. Give me a little more time and I think I'll be able to do that. There's a lot of information. Trying to get all the information in there. These guys are good players and I think we have good arms out there that will do the job and I think we have good starters who are going to last longer in the game, too. This has been three days of something other than what it's going to be like for this season. I believe.

The Elias Sports Bureau said that Sunday's game was the first time the Red Sox had ever blown multiple-run leads in the ninth inning or later twice in the same game.

Last night's comeback and 4-2 win allowed the team to collectively exhale. The Red Sox had never started consecutive seasons 0-4.

Adrian Gonzalez:

We needed a win, let's be honest. We didn't want to start 0-6 like we did last year and start heading down that road. It was huge.

Valentine:

[Alfredo Aceves] came in, he threw pretty much the same pitches. They were all quality -- up in the zone, away in the zone. His breaking ball was really good. His fastball was crisp. Before the game, he wrote me a little note and talked about trust. I told him I trusted him. He knew he was going to have the ball.

Aceves:

All it said was "trust". Trust. We've got to trust. It's been three games and everything was negative. We stick together. I need to keep that in mind that I have to trust my stuff. For me, for you, you've got to trust what you have.

Bobby the Fifth has been impressed with Dustin Pedroia:

I came here at 12 o'clock and figured nobody would be here, he was already here pacing and he said we had to get the monkey off our back and let's go. He gets a high slider and puts it in the seats. He gets a high fastball and starts a winning rally off of the double. He's a great player.

Pedroia:

I don't know, hopefully it sparked us. I'm just trying to put good at-bats together. This early in the season, everyone's got nerves going and everything. It's hard to settle down and find your rhythm and everything.

Down in Miami, Mark Buehrle cut his pitching hand opening a jar of mayonnaise.

I came in to make a sandwich and they said "You know we have people who can make sandwiches for you." [I said] "I'm a grown man, I can make my own sandwich."

Buehrle said he would make his next start. He had no comment about making any future lunches.

Rays Got Off to Worse Start Than Red Sox In 2011

It has been forgotten amid the September collapse, the chicken and beer stories, the change of managers (and general managers) and the craptastic opening-season series in Detroit - and it does not fit neatly into the media narrative, but the Tampa Bay Rays got off to a worse start last year than the Red Sox did, and through a series of improbable events, made the playoffs.

Kelly Shoppach:

Everyone wants to get off to a great start. But these guys did it last year, we did it down in Tampa last year. The standard has been set. It can be done. Last year they said it couldn't be done. It can be done. So, three games. If it was June, it wouldn't be that noticeable. But everything's exciting. Hell, I've already seen them show the standings on TV. Three games in, and we're already looking at standings?

AFTER        BOS    TBR
 6 games    0- 6    0-6
 7 games    1- 6    1-6
 8 games    1- 7    1-7
 9 games    2- 7    1-8
10 games    2- 8    2-8
11 games    2- 9    3-8
12 games    2-10    4-8
13 games    3-10    5-8
14 games    4-10    6-8
15 games    5-10    6-9

The 1-8 record for Tampa Bay is the worst (non-.000) winning percentage either team had through the first two weeks of 2011.

G4: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 2

Red Sox   - 000 001 003 - 4  7  0
Blue Jays - 002 000 000 - 2  5  0

After the Red Sox rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth, Alfredo Aceves set down the Blue Jays in order, getting two ground balls to shortstop and a strikeout. He threw 15 pitches, 11 strikes.

Doubront (5-4-2-3-6, 101) kept the Sox in the game, but threw too many pitches in each inning (18-19-22 21-21). Scott Atchison was very impressive, working quickly and throwing three shutout innings, allowing only an infield single.

Dustin Pedroia homered in the sixth and he got the Boston rally going in the ninth, also. He whacked a double to left on a Sergio Santos pitch up around his eyes. He took third on a passed ball and scored the tying run on Adrian Gonzalez's sacrifice fly to left.

After Kevin Youkilis struck out (he's 0-for-12 this year), Santos walked David Ortiz and Cody Ross. Ryan Sweeney singled to right and pinch-runner Darnell McDonald scored as Jose Bauista's throw from shallow right bounced twice and hopped past catcher J.P. Arencibia. A wild pitch scored Ross with the third run of the inning. Santos then walked Jarrod Saltamacchia before being yanked.

Felix Doubront / Henderson Alvarez

Rookie left-hander Doubront will make the fourth start of his career and his first since July 2010. Doubront allowed five runs in 16.2 spring innings (2.70), walking six and striking out 10.

It is the Blue Jays' home opener. The start time has been changed from 7:00 to 7:30.

Ten of Boston's next 12 games will be against the AL East. After three games in Toronto, the Red Sox come home to face the Rays (four games), Rangers (two), and Yankees (three).

The Blue Jays won two of their three games against Cleveland. They won 7-4 in 16 innings on Opening Day (the longest OD game in MLB history), won 7-4 in 12 innings, and lost 4-3. It was the first time in franchise history that the Jays started the season with two extra-inning games.

Fun Fact: The Red Sox have not begun a season 0-3 since 2011.

However, we can't both finish 0-162 ...

Keep Calm And Carry On

Losing three games - two of them by only one run - to the powerhouse-hitting team many people think will steamroll to the World Series? This is making Red Sox fans panic?

We have dealt with far worse situations than this, and somehow kept our heads. In fact, we sometimes accepted those situations as merely our sad lot in life.

It was a bad three games, I agree. Sunday's game was particularly horrific. The two relief pitchers in competition for the role of shutting down the opposition in the ninth inning have utterly failed. Mark Melancon allowed two hits in the ninth inning of a 2-2 tie on Opening Day and one of them scored when Alfredo Aceves allowed a ground ball single down the left field line. Melancon could not put away Alex Avila on Sunday evening and the resulting two-run home run in the 11th inning crushed the hopes of fans hoping to salvage something from this season-opening series. And Aceves left his mark on G3 also. Entrusted with a three-run lead in the ninth, he allowed two singles and a home run to flush what could have been a 10-7 win.

This has many fans demanding that Daniel Bard be yanked from the rotation before he has made even one start and plugged back into the bullpen. But that would be a mistake and a clear sign that the front office has abandoned the philosophy that brought them two World Series championships after an 86-year drought. It would show that the team is taking the short view and looking at only the recent games when making important decisions. You don't base team decisions on two games worth of data.

Reacting impulsively to the most recent thing that happened - that's exactly what the sports media does. And it's one of the things we hate about them. They need attention, they need web clicks, so they go for the most sensationalist, attention-grabbing angle. Quick to stir up controversy, create gloom and doom where there is none, put fans on edge - it is their raison d'être. However, I expect a more mature attitude from a multi-million dollar business like the Red Sox. I trust them not to measure their success by water cooler talk or angry calls to sports radio.

When George Steinbrenner let his emotional outbursts drive the direction of the Yankees during the 1980s, he was the laughingstock of baseball, and the team suffered accordingly. In contrast, the front office that Theo Epstein ran from 2003-11 prided itself at taking the long view, of not getting its cues from sports columnists or the impatient fans on sports radio. There was a clear reason why we said: "In Theo We Trust". The front office explained its five-year plan, it sounded ambitious and logical, and they executed it with as much precision as you can in the unpredictable world of professional baseball. And it worked. It goddamn worked. They won two titles in those five years.

Relief pitching is extraordinary difficult (if not impossible) to predict. Every season relief pitchers seemingly come out of nowhere and excel beyond anyone's expectations, and then they often lose that effectiveness in a season or two. (Who knew that Kyle Farnsworth would become an elite closer for Tampa Bay last year?) The reverse also happens. Being able to keep your cool and concentrate in the highest-leverage situations is a talent, but considering the pressure and demand to excel that every major league pitcher deals with while rising up through the minors, the possession of a "closer's attitude" seems unimportant to me. Any player unable to shut out the crowd and focus on the task in front of him either washes out of the majors very quickly or never gets within shouting distance of the bigs in the first place.

Bobby Valentine committed an error when he announced that Aceves would be the team's closer. Aceves was angry at not being chosen for the rotation and perhaps Valentine's designation was made to boost his ego. I don't know. But I do know that without that pronouncement, Valentine could have used Aceves or Melancon or Vicente Padilla or Franklin Morales as each ninth-inning situation and different opponent arose. One size does not fit all. Now, if (when?) Valentine changes anything, it will be spun as a panicking manager of a rudderless team giving up on a player after only a handful of appearances.

I want the management of my team to understand that shit happens. (I want overwrought and misplaced panic to be the exclusive domain of the CHBs of the world.) Bad teams beat good teams, and good teams lose games. Sometimes those good teams lose two or three games in a row. The 1998 Yankees began the season 0-3 (and 1-4), and ended up with a 114-48 record and a World Series trophy. The 2011 Red Sox started out 2-10, then started winning like gangbusters, going 80-41, including 36-15 in June and July. (What happened in September does not erase the previous four months of excellence.)

After Sunday's game, Adrian Gonzalez told Mark Melancon: "Keep your head up. Keep grinding. A couple of weeks from now you're not even going to remember it."

A bad three-game start to a six-month baseball season is like grinding your gears at the start of a long drive. It's annoying, but it won't affect your journey.