5/28 @ Seattle

[yeszir]

Gametime? 10:10 pm. f*** the left coast.

 

Wakefield vs Bedard

 

Let's improve my gamethread record to 1-1.

 

Manny for 500 tonight.

 

ESPN preview:

On Monday, Seattle's struggles were enough to end Boston's seven-game road skid. Tuesday, the Red Sox's problems on the road helped the Mariners snap a seven-game slide overall.

 

The teams finish their three-game series on Wednesday when Seattle ace Erik Bedard looks to bounce back from his worst start as a Mariner against a lineup he has dominated.

 

It looked like a trip to Safeco Field might cure Boston's road woes after the Red Sox (32-23) beat Seattle 5-3 on Monday, but they lost for the eighth time in their last nine road games on Tuesday -- even with a large contingent of their fans in the crowd.

 

After Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka left that game after just four innings with what a Red Sox spokesman called "shoulder fatigue," the Mariners won 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth on Jose Lopez's walk-off single.

 

"I feel great, to stop a seven-game losing streak and see my team laughing again," Lopez said.

 

While Boston's struggles have been isolated to the road, the Mariners (19-34) have been losing everywhere. Seattle had been on its longest losing streak of the season before Tuesday's victory -- just its sixth in its last 26 games.

 

Three of those losses were dealt to Bedard (3-3, 4.70 ERA), who nonetheless had mostly been pitching well until Friday. In his start at Yankee Stadium, he allowed a career-high nine runs in just 4 1-3 innings of a 13-2 loss.

 

He'll try to rebound in a ballpark that has been much kinder to the left-hander this year. In four home starts as a Mariner, Bedard is 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA, having allowed only 16 hits in 26 2-3 innings.

 

Bedard struggled against Boston early in his career, but in his last five starts against his former AL East rivals, he went 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA while pitching for Baltimore. Current Red Sox are hitting a combined .163 against Bedard, with Kevin Youkilis just 1-for-18 and Mike Lowell 1-for-14. Youkilis has missed the last two games with a sore hand, but he's considered day-to-day after X-rays were negative.

 

Manny Ramirez, who hit his 499th career home run in Tuesday's loss, has only four hits and no homers in 20 career at-bats against Bedard.

 

It's unclear which trend will prevail for the Red Sox on Wednesday. Boston is batting a major league-best .322 against left-handed pitchers, going 9-1 against southpaw starters.

 

But lately their bats have gone quiet on the road, where they've lost 13 of their last 18. In dropping four of five on their current road trip, the Red Sox have scored just 14 runs. They had scored seven runs per game during their 7-0 homestand last week..

 

The road has also been cruel to Tim Wakefield (3-3, 5.19), who has allowed 14 earned runs in 7 2-3 innings in his last two road starts. Wakefield has lost his last four starts against the Mariners, and remains without a win against Seattle -- the only AL team he hasn't beaten at least once since 2005 -- dating back to 1997.

[Soxfan1]

f*** i wanted to make this. im still un-ranked

 

yes my way of gettin back at u is bad grammer

[ksushi]

Please stop. It hurts us all.

[RedSoxRooter]

I don't think I've watched a single west coast game in its entirety this season. It's almost impossible now with the Celtics on at 8:30 every other night. I usually just stick around from innings 3-5 then go to bed.

 

But I will say this, Wake, if you're reading this (AND I KNOW YOU ARE). You had better start to get your s*** together, man. They already got rid of your personal catcher and Masterson's on the way. Granted, right now DiceK, Schill and Buckholz are injured or recovering, but if you keep pitching the way you have, you're going to lose your job.

 

Consider this your warning. Beckett, DiceK, Buckholz/Lester/Masterson/Colon looks pretty good to me right now. So get your s*** together old man or you'll be back pitching in Pittsburgh a hell of a lot faster than one of those meatballs you float up there to the plate.

 

Now go get 'em!

 

GO SOX!

[ksushi]

Buckholz? Really? Pun or poor spelling?

 

Maybe I'm wrong in my perspective, but I kind of look at wake as pretty damn expendable at this point. It hurts me to say that, because I like him, but a soft tossing 40+ year old doesn't do as much for me as someone like Masterson or more likely, Buchholz, would learning on the job. The results would be very similar and the time spent with the big club would go a long way for either of them. Masterson needs a little seasoning, but I think Buchholz can handle the bigs despite his tough beatings before hitting the DL. Keep his innings down in AAA, and when the time is right, I wouldn't be shocked in the least if he took over wakes role. I believe Buchholz will be a number 1 type starter as soon as next year, and more big league experience would only make me more confident in that.

[Soxfan1]

Please stop. It hurts us all.

 

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/209/477171039_40441118d0.jpg

 

 

Nice peptalk RSR. Go Wake.

[RedSoxRooter]

Buckholz? Really? Pun or poor spelling?

 

I just suck at spelling in general. It took me a year to get Matsuzaka right. Or is it Matzusaki?

 

BTW, your sig almost got me in trouble at work a while back. People still look at me strange.

[ksushi]

i love womens volley ball? hahah thats awesome. And I don't think its either. Matsuwalkza? something like that.

 

edit: im slow. meatspin? haha wow, im an ******* and i should take that out of there. the person who was formerly known on this site as "i love womens volley ball" put my sig together when i left myself signed in on his computer, but i left it alone. thats fantastic though. nothing wrong with being into chicks with photoshopped dicks.

[yeszir]

I don't think I've watched a single west coast game in its entirety this season. It's almost impossible now with the Celtics on at 8:30 every other night. I usually just stick around from innings 3-5 then go to bed.

 

It's because you're old

[RedSoxRooter]

I don't think it was photoshopped and I don't think it was a chick...

 

But I didn't look at it long enough to find any dead giveaways either. All I remember is round and round it went on my companies desktop. lol.

[yeszir]

I've witnessed many discussions about the subject and the general consensus is that it's a transvestite. Some people cite the tan lines as proof.

[VA Sox Fan]

Red Sox

 

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, RF

2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B

3. David Ortiz, DH

4. Manny Ramirez, LF

5. Mike Lowell, 3B

6. Sean Casey, 1B

7. Coco Crisp, CF

8. Kevin Cash, C

9. Julio Lugo, SS

 

-- Tim Wakefield, SP

 

Mariners

 

1. Ichiro Suzuki, CF

2. Miguel Cairo, 1B

3. Jose Vidro, DH

4. Raul Ibanez, LF

5. Jose Lopez, 2B

6. Adrian Beltre, 3B

7. Wladimir Balentien, RF

8. Jamie Burke, C

9. Yuniesky Betancourt, SS

 

-- Erik Bedard, SP

 

Go Timmaaah! GO RED SOX!!

[yeszir]

Wladamir Balentien is a joke name. We have to beat a team with a guy named Wladamir Balentien.

[yeszir]

Bedard looks like Nolan Ryan all of a sudden.

[Thumper]

Manny hits 500 tonight. I'm calling it.

[Soxfan1]

GET TOSSED PLZ

[Thumper]

What's going on? I can't connect to MLB.tv!

[Thumper]

Putz is a pussy. No way those WEREN'T intentional.

[yeszir]

Well, I guess I suck at starting game threads.

 

It sucks because Wake pitched well.

[The Dustball]

Sucky game last night. I guess if you want to try and find a bright spot, it would be that the bullpen got some rest and combined with this off day they should be good to go on friday.

[TheKilo]

No mention of Lowell's piss-poor AB in the 9th?

 

Putz throws 5 straight balls, and he hits his weak-ass popup. Putz then goes ahead and walks Casey on 4 or 5 pitches.

 

Why Lowell wasn't taking until there was a strike thrown is rather stupid.

[ksushi]

I was pretty mad about that. Lowell is routinely having bad at bats and is having trouble covering the plate. Not good.

[das11209]

Does someone has the offensive splits of home and on the road. I suspect they will be interesting.

[BSN07]

I posted the splits before this series. Its under Red Sox on the road thread. It's nothing spectacular, just sosmething I threw together quickly.

[The Dustball]

From Edes:

The Sox have summoned Jeff Bailey from Pawtucket to join them in Baltimore, but it's still uncertain whether he'll be activated for the series against the Orioles. It all depends on whether the Sox place Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL. Matsuzaka was scheduled to undergo an MRI this a.m.

 

Bailey has been a hot hitter for the PawSox, hitting two more home runs last night in Pawtucket to give him 16 for the season.

Damn. 16 Homers?