April 4th @ Kansas City

[MANNYHOF24]

What's up with Duece tonight?

[example1]

Holy s***, 3 errors for Lowell tonight?

[HeadOfSoxNation]

Man, Lowell is going to be glad when this one's over.

[example1]

Chad Spann, are you watching?

[a700hitter]

There are a lot of guys that take that long.

 

You've been pretty fair about Pedroia a700. It is easy to be skeptical of giving an unaccomplished 2B the starting job on one of the highest payroll teams in baseball. I completely understand that.

My biggest criticism was that the FO had no backup plan if he wasn't ready. Look at the young pitchers. They are still not ready, but we had other options.

 

OMG, Lowell with 3 errors in one game. Will he go on the DL? The KC announcers at the start of the game mentioned how he rarely makes an error. Now they are saying that it is hard to believe that they could have jinxed him that much. He looks like Yaz at 3rd tonight.

[MANNYHOF24]

Good game tonight, good to see the offense hit a little bit, and Beckett didn't melt down in the 4th inning like he would have last season. 1-1! Only 0.5 back!

[a700hitter]

Chad Spann' date=' are you watching?[/quote']SPan is really brutal at 3rd. I would have given some very long odds that lowell would not make 3 E's in one week this year never mind in one game.:dunno:

[MANNYHOF24]

SPan is really brutal at 3rd. I would have given some very long odds that lowell would not make 3 E's in one week this year never mind in one game.:dunno:

 

Even though Lowell was brutal tonight, I won't be worried unless he has about 10 at the allstar break.

[riverside sluggers]

First victory boys!

 

The bats came alive, and the pitching stepped it up from where it was tuesday afternoon. The relief pitching went 4 scoreless innings, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 3. The downside I can think of for this game is Mike Lowell's 3 errors and Beckett had a rough night with his command. He still battled and gave up a run on 2 hits in 5 innings. The command just needs to be there

[a700hitter]

I think Piniero might finish a lot of games that are not save situations. They'll help him hit his incentives so he doesn't become disgruntled. He looked good tonight, but it's hard to judge anything against KC.

[a700hitter]

Even though Lowell was brutal tonight' date=' I won't be worried unless he has about 10 at the allstar break.[/quote']I am not worried about his glove. He looked really pissed when he made that last E.

[MANNYHOF24]

First victory boys!

 

The bats came alive, and the pitching stepped it up from where it was tuesday afternoon. The relief pitching went 4 scoreless innings, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 3. The downside I can think of for this game is Mike Lowell's 3 errors and Beckett had a rough night with his command. He still battled and gave up a run on 2 hits in 5 innings. The command just needs to be there

 

I think Beckett was really squeezed tonight. They're were a lot of pitches that were really close. Also when it's 30 degrees its probably hard to throw a good curve ball.

[HeadOfSoxNation]

Overall a decent game...

 

It was nice to see Beckett work some of his breaking stuff rather than throwing all heat. Maybe he learned last year that hanging curves and straight gas just won't cut it in the AL. He's gotta get some more control, but that will come as he gets back into the swing of things. I was happy with what I saw.

 

I'm wicked excited about Drew...he managed to track down a ball or two that I could swear were falling and had some good at bats. Is it just me, or does everyone else get EXTREMELY paranoid whenever he breaks into even a half-stride jog? Man I just don't want him falling apart. I'm surprised Hinske didn't hit for him in the 9th.

[MANNYHOF24]

I am not worried about his glove. He looked really pissed when he made that last E.

 

Didn't Lowell make some uncharateristic errors in ST as well?

[MANNYHOF24]

Overall a decent game...

 

It was nice to see Beckett work some of his breaking stuff rather than throwing all heat. Maybe he learned last year that hanging curves and straight gas just won't cut it in the AL. He's gotta get some more control, but that will come as he gets back into the swing of things. I was happy with what I saw.

 

I'm wicked excited about Drew...he managed to track down a ball or two that I could swear were falling and had some good at bats. Is it just me, or does everyone else get EXTREMELY paranoid whenever he breaks into even a half-stride jog? Man I just don't want him falling apart. I'm surprised Hinske didn't hit for him in the 9th.

 

Barring injury, I think Drew is going to be an excellent player here. He is going to get an oppurtunity to drive in 120 runs. If he can capitalize this is going to be a great offense. I have the same feeling with Drew right now, even when he is standing in the batters box.

[example1]

SPan is really brutal at 3rd. I would have given some very long odds that lowell would not make 3 E's in one week this year never mind in one game.:dunno:

 

I'm sure you can tell I was joking, right a700? :thumbsup:

 

I saw some of Spann in Spring Training, let's assume this was an anomoly.

 

Lowell, if you're reading this, we still have confidence in ya man! Yeah Sox. nice victory.

 

That is how Beckett SHOULD handle inferior teams.

[MANNYHOF24]

Disukae tommorow, it's going to be very exciting. I wonder if he will have trouble getting his breaking pitches over with the cold weather. It would be great if he went out and dominated tommorow.

[riverside sluggers]

Keep it up Drew, show why the Sox signed you to that 5 year deal...

 

Lets soak this win up and get ready for the major league debut of Daisuke Matsuzaka I guess BoSox is making the thread tomorrow? I hope the skies stay clear, NESN said rain would start coming around at 3pm with chance of sleet

[a700hitter]

Didn't Lowell make some uncharateristic errors in ST as well?

I think he made 3 errors in the Spring.

[MANNYHOF24]

Keep it up Drew, show why the Sox signed you to that 5 year deal...

 

Lets soak this win up and get ready for the major league debut of Daisuke Matsuzaka I guess BoSox is making the thread tomorrow?

 

He better keep the thread starter mojo going. Let's hope he will be starting threads for awhile now.

[a700hitter]

Keep it up Drew, show why the Sox signed you to that 5 year deal...

 

Lets soak this win up and get ready for the major league debut of Daisuke Matsuzaka I guess BoSox is making the thread tomorrow? I hope the skies stay clear, NESN said rain would start coming around at 3pm with chance of sleet

The forecast on line did not look that bad.

 

This guy Drew is very, very smooth. I know I have said it before, but he makes it look effortless in the field.

[MANNYHOF24]

If the game is rained out tommorow that would be horrendous, it is snowing up here in Maine and I get a snow day tommorow, so I was planning to sleep until about 1:00 watch the pre-game show, DiceK, and then watch my Black Bears in the Frozen four. That would equal one hell of a day.

[example1]

The forecast on line did not look that bad.

 

This guy Drew is very, very smooth. I know I have said it before, but he makes it look effortless in the field.

 

Again, if he's healthy he is a SIGNIFICANT upgrade over Trot. He is as good a hitter as Ortiz or Manny, just slightly less power but he won't get fooled often and really makes pitchers work.

 

BTW, I can't help but try my Latin from high school:

 

Ubi est Jacksonianmarch? Ubi est Gom? Sox win and silence, sox lose and razzing?

 

That's not really fair to jacksonian, I suppose.

[a700hitter]

Jackson's absence is conspicuous.

[MANNYHOF24]

Gom is a troll plain and simple, Jacko needs a break he has been posting 24/7 for the last year or so.

[HeadOfSoxNation]

He is as good a hitter as Ortiz or Manny

 

Let's not get carried away here...Manny is one of the top 10 best hitters of the past 30 years.

[MANNYHOF24]

Let's not get carried away here...Manny is one of the top 10 best hitters of the past 30 years.

 

I was about to post something to that magnitude. I think it's always been clear that Manny overall is a better hitter, it's just that Papi does it in the clutch so the attention is taken off of Manny from fans and the media. Which is how Manny likes it, I would presume.

[a700hitter]

Where's JSinger? Did he leave with mark Loretta?

[example1]

Let's not get carried away here...Manny is one of the top 10 best hitters of the past 30 years.

 

I don't think I'm getting carried away. I think that we're talking about a guy who has regularly been injured and hasn't put together a full healthy season. I stated honestly that he doesn't have the power, but his plate control and ability to make hard contact is very, very good.

 

Production-wise, very few hitters can rival what Manny has done. As far as pure talent and ability to hit a thrown ball I think JD Drew has shown that he's among the elite. Clearly the Sox thought so, that's why they paid him as much as they did. Look at his control and calm there at the plate.

 

Regardless, I'm very excited to have him as the #5 on this team.

[example1]

Where's JSinger? Did he leave with mark Loretta?

 

good question. perhaps his ears (eyes) will burn from our wondering and he will return.