6/13 @ Reds

[Jayhawk Bill]

ORS is absent without leave, but we don't have to start a Game Thread without him yet (which might mess up his boring but potent mojo). This is a rain thread:

 

Update from Cincinnati

It’s raining hard here at the Great American Ballpark and tonight’s series opener vs. the Cincinnati Reds could be in jeopardy. There are varying reports on when/if the nasty weather will clear. One TV station predicts that it won’t stop at all, while a weather service is calling for clearing around 9 p.m. Another forecast calls for it to be stopped early enough to start the game on time, so hang in there and we’ll keep you updated.

The big news here is that the Sox have announced that Daisuke Matsuzaka will make a rehab start on Monday for Pawtucket in Allentown, PA, against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. If all continues to progress with his rotator cuff strain, he will return to the Boston rotation on Sat., June 21 vs. St. Louis at Fenway Park.

In other rehab news, Curt Schilling had a discouraging bullpen session, according to Terry Francona, but there is no reason to be alarmed or concerned. It hasn’t been determined when Schilling will throw again.

Manny Ramirez is back in left field tonight after playing 10 straight games at designated hitter due to a sore right hamstring. The tentative plan is to have him play in left tonight, rest tomorrow and return to the lineup on Sunday.

Jason Varitek is out of the lineup again tonight due to strep throat and isn’t feeling any better, according to Francona. It’s hoped that he will be feeling well enough to return on Sunday.

Finally, Francona said that he intends to speak with Jonathan Papelbon about his inflammatory, this-thing-ain’t-over comments yesterday regarding the Sox-Rays feud. The comments all but guarantee that pre-game warnings will be issued by umpires before the first game of the series in St. Pete on June 30.

Here are tonight’s lineups:

BOSTON

CF Jacoby Ellsbury

2B Dustin Pedroia

RF JD Drew

LF Manny Ramirez

3B Mike Lowell

1B Sean Casey

SS Julio Lugo

C Kevin Cash

RHP Justin Masterson

 

CINCINNATI

CF Jay Bruce

SS Paul Janish

RF Ken Griffey Jr.

2B Brandon Phillips

LF Adam Dunn

3B Edwin Encarnacion

1B Joey Votto

C David Ross

RHP Aaron Harang

 

http://news.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/red_sox/?p=1945&srvc=home&position=recent

[TheKilo]

f***. Now what am I gonna do?

[Jayhawk Bill]

f***. Now what am I gonna do?

 

Dunno--you could choose between building your fortune, solving the problem of world hunger, or charitable work giving pleasure to the most beautiful nubile women of your community. :dunno:

[Jayhawk Bill]

Harang strikes out Ellsbury to start the game. It might still be rained out...unless ORS shows up, we can just continue here.

[The Dustball]

Ouch, not a good start to the night for Masterson. Now he's allowed 4 homeruns.

[TheKilo]

Pray for rain? He's due for a regression.

[Jayhawk Bill]

Hey, Bruce is off to the best start of, perhaps, a generation...no shame in one home run in Great American Bandbox.

[TheKilo]

NL baseball blows. So does having three pitchers at the bottom of your order.

[TheKilo]

Manny set up Harang so bad there. That was awesome.

[Jayhawk Bill]

Manny set up Harang so bad there. That was awesome.

 

How was not reaching second base on a ball hit past Griffey Jr. to the right field wall awesome?

 

NESN didn't show it clearly--was Manny crawling, not running?

[Jayhawk Bill]

Mike Lowell follows up with a two-out single that would've scored Manny.

 

[a700hitter]

How was not reaching second base on a ball hit past Griffey Jr. to the right field wall awesome?

 

NESN didn't show it clearly--was Manny crawling, not running?

He does have a hamstring problem, and he is more valuable in the lineup at half speed than on the bench or the DL.

[Jayhawk Bill]

He does have a hamstring problem' date=' and he is more valuable in the lineup at half speed than on the bench or the DL.[/quote']

 

While your point is valid, a ball past a Jurassic Era right fielder into the corner is a triple for half of the hitters in MLB. Manny didn't even try for second base, as far as I could see. :dunno:

 

Now it's 2-1 Reds with the Dunn home run--it would've been tied had Manny tried for second base.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Damn it

[Youk Of The Nation]

Argh

[TheKilo]

While your point is valid, a ball past a Jurassic Era right fielder into the corner is a triple for half of the hitters in MLB. Manny didn't even try for second base, as far as I could see. :dunno:

 

Now it's 2-1 Reds with the Dunn home run--it would've been tied had Manny tried for second base.

 

The ball was smoked, he has a gimpy hamstring, and it's slick out there.

 

Rather he didn't take the chance.

[a700hitter]

The Red Sox offense will click into gear when Pedroia kicks into gear. He's the catalyst. As long as he struggles, the offense will be very inconsistent.

[TheKilo]

Pedroia needs to be moved down in the order.

[Jayhawk Bill]

Pedroia needs to be moved down in the order.

 

...or down in the system.

 

A groundout to third, a pop up, and a 290-foot pulled fly ball combine to match the definition of "problem," and it's the same problem he's been having.

[Jayhawk Bill]

Bill Hohn's work so far:

 

[table]Team Pitching | Balls Called Strikes | Strikes Called Balls

Boston | 1 | 8

Cincinnati | 6 | 5 [/table]

 

+ 8 pitch calls for the Reds. That's worth over a run, and it's just a two-run game.

[TheKilo]

Aardsma has looked real good lately.

[TheKilo]

Any word why Manny was lifted?

[a700hitter]

Any word why Manny was lifted?

They are being careful with his hamstring.

[TheKilo]

Sigh.

[Jayhawk Bill]

Pedroia got a sharp opposite-field single...Drew strikes out.

 

Has anybody considered the possibility that Drew took Dustin's mojo at the beginning of June and that Pedroia just snagged it back?

[Jayhawk Bill]

Lowell is Boston's last chance...long opposite field fly ball for Crisp.

[a700hitter]

Pedroia got a sharp opposite-field single...Drew strikes out.

 

Has anybody considered the possibility that Drew took Dustin's mojo at the beginning of June and that Pedroia just snagged it back?

I was just about to post that.

[TheKilo]

Awesome AB Lowell. Top Notch.

[TheKilo]

Pedroia got a sharp opposite-field single...Drew strikes out.

 

Has anybody considered the possibility that Drew took Dustin's mojo at the beginning of June and that Pedroia just snagged it back?

 

No. Crisp was on deck, why give Drew a fastball?

[Jayhawk Bill]

Dangit.