9/8 @ Toronto

[VA Sox Fan]

TEK!

[NativeBostonian]

Yeah!!!!

[NativeBostonian]

Now only if we didn't give those runs up in the 8th.

[NativeBostonian]

SAFE!!!!!!!!

[NativeBostonian]

I still have hope. Come one Red Sox.

[NativeBostonian]

Homer here and we are golden!

[TheMeanWalrus]

too bad pedroia didnt forget his passport - he was a no-show in this series

[NativeBostonian]

f***, that sucks. I wanted to see the laser show.

[TheMeanWalrus]

playing poorly is never a good thing, but its probably better that they get this s*** out of their system before the end of the month rolls around

[Cocos Disciples]

Well that sucks again. Now on to Tampa Bay, where a sweep makes this a race.

[SoxSport]

they can't get it out of their system unless the pitching improves. how does that happen?

[a700hitter]

I am glad that I missed this game. I didn't need to see that mistake Miller give up a bunch of early runs ensuring another loss. We go into the weekend series like patsies with a 6 game lead. Unless we get extremely lucky the weekend will conclude with the Sox having only a 3 game lead. I really can't watch. I have seen this show before. It ain't pretty, and this has the potential to be the biggest let down in team history. Let's hope that we get some luck.

[jacksonianmarch]

You know the funny thing is, Dojji made a thread about Miller being equivalent to Randy Johnson

[DwightFright]

Welcome to your 2011 Red Sox swoon.

[a700hitter]

You know the funny thing is' date=' Dojji made a thread about Miller being equivalent to Randy Johnson[/quote']Yep, he's a Johnson all right

[a700hitter]

With our rotation set for this weekend against Tampa with Lackey, Weiland and TBA against Wade Davis, Hellickson and Shields would anyone care to post something in the Optimism Thread. I could use a lift.

 

BTW: Screw you Theo. You left this team exposed because you thought the playoffs were guaranteed. You may have badly miscalculated. This team needed reinforcement-- not a lot, but just enough to get by. You basically did nothing and $175 million may be getting flushed down the toilet. Fool!

[crc2120]

With our rotation set for this weekend against Tampa with Lackey, Weiland and TBA against Wade Davis, Hellickson and Shields would anyone care to post something in the Optimism Thread. I could use a lift.

 

BTW: Screw you Theo. You left this team exposed because you thought the playoffs were guaranteed. You may have badly miscalculated. This team needed reinforcement-- not a lot, but just enough to get by. You basically did nothing and $175 million may be getting flushed down the toilet. Fool!

 

It's Lester going on Sunday against Shields.....

[a700hitter]

It's Lester going on Sunday against Shields.....

That does make me feel better.

[SoxSport]

Welcome to your 2011 Red Sox swoon.

 

Swoon? They're throwing the same crap out there for pitchers, and they keep getting hit.

What do they expect?

 

If you're a hitter, you get pretty disgusted being taken out of games early by terrible pitching. That expensive lineup doesn't deserve it.

 

Look at the whips of their starters--and a few of their relievers. Abominable.

A whip over 1.4 says you suck.

[ORS]

With our rotation set for this weekend against Tampa with Lackey, Weiland and TBA against Wade Davis, Hellickson and Shields would anyone care to post something in the Optimism Thread. I could use a lift.

 

BTW: Screw you Theo. You left this team exposed because you thought the playoffs were guaranteed. You may have badly miscalculated. This team needed reinforcement-- not a lot, but just enough to get by. You basically did nothing and $175 million may be getting flushed down the toilet. Fool!

FTR, the problems for this team is starting pitching, and he did go get a starter.

[VA Sox Fan]

Pitching matchups for the Rays series

 

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff September 9, 2011 10:00 AM

 

 

Tonight: RHP John Lackey (12-11, 6.11) vs. RHP Wade Davis (9-8, 4.50), 7:10 p.m., NESN

 

Saturday: RHP Kyle Weiland (0-1, 6.75) vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (12-10, 2.90), 7:10 p.m., NESN

 

Sunday: LHP Jon Lester (15-6, 2.93) vs. RHP James Shields (14-10, 2.77), 1:40 p.m., NESN

[SoxFanForsyth]

With our rotation set for this weekend against Tampa with Lackey, Weiland and TBA against Wade Davis, Hellickson and Shields would anyone care to post something in the Optimism Thread. I could use a lift.

 

BTW: Screw you Theo. You left this team exposed because you thought the playoffs were guaranteed. You may have badly miscalculated. This team needed reinforcement-- not a lot, but just enough to get by. You basically did nothing and $175 million may be getting flushed down the toilet. Fool!

 

Lackey throws well against TB. Last outing, 6.2 IP, 3 ER. Quality start. And he goes up against Wade Davis. The Sox offense is head and shoulders above the Rays, so Lackey should be able to contain the Rays offense enough for a W here. Also, Wade has a 4.95 ERA over his last 3 starts. Against BAL, TOR, and DET. Hardly powerhouse teams.

 

Anytime we trot out Lester, I count it as a win. So the Sox should take 2/3 this series.

 

Oh. Also, the Rays have to face the Sox/Yanks 13 times in their remaining 20 games and are 6.5 games back. And with the Sox so close to the Yankees, there will be no scrub games, so the Rays will have to work for every win.

[a700hitter]

FTR' date=' the problems for this team is starting pitching, and he did go get a starter.[/quote']Who was on the DL with a knee issue and who got lit up in his start when he returned from the DL. He did a poor job. He does the big picture stuff very well, but he really sucks at the finishing details. The last time that he really succeeded in that regard was 2004 when he traded Nomar.

[SoxFanForsyth]

The Rays E# is 14 right now. If the Red Sox go 9-10 to finish the season, the Rays will have to go 16-4 to finish off the season to catch up.

 

We're fine, a700. It's a bad stretch because we had bad pitching. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. Beckett's foot gives out, but it's just a bad sprain. Wakefield left with a 3 run lead, and Bard let up 5 runs, and then Aviles got gunned down. Miller gets shelled. It's typical, but we're fine.

[a700hitter]

Also' date=' the Rays have to face the Sox/Yanks 13 times in their remaining 20 games and are 6.5 games back. And with the Sox so close to the Yankees, there will be no scrub games, so the Rays will have to work for every win.[/quote']The Yankees play the Rays at Yankee Stadium the final 3 games of the season. If they have a 4 game lead on us going into that final series, they will most definitely play their scrubs. The Yankees and Girardi would love for Tampa to knock us out of the playoffs on the final weekend. We had better hope that we have clinched before that weekend.

[SoxFanForsyth]

The Yankees play the Rays at Yankee Stadium the final 3 games of the season. If they have a 4 game lead on us going into that final series' date=' they will most definitely play their scrubs. The Yankees and Girardi would love for Tampa to knock us out of the playoffs on the final weekend. We had better hope that we have clinched before that weekend.[/quote']

 

Unless the Rays somehow pick up 6 games on us in the next 17 games played, we won't be tied with the Rays going into that series, meaning the Rays will have to do better against the Yankees than we do against the Orioles. And while the Yankees may be playing some of their scrubs if they find themselves clinched for the division, we will find ourselves playing the Orioles scrubs as well, and I like our odds in that situation.

[a700hitter]

Unless the Rays somehow pick up 6 games on us in the next 17 games played' date=' we won't be tied with the Rays going into that series, meaning the Rays will have to do better against the Yankees than we do against the Orioles. And while the Yankees may be playing some of their scrubs if they find themselves clinched for the division, we will find ourselves playing the Orioles scrubs as well, and I like our odds in that situation.[/quote']Showalter will relish the opportunity to knock us out of the playoffs. It would make him relevant. He will pull out all the stops to beat us if it counts. I appreciate your optimism and it makes me feel better about things, but this weekend series is crucial.

 

BTW: Did you live through 1978? If you did, you should understand my concerns.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I was not alive in 1978, but I have all the confidence in the world that the Sox are going to the playoffs. Let's put it this way, if they somehow miss the post season this year, I will be utterly shocked beyond belief. If they make the post season, I wouldn't even blink. And that's how we should all be. We've been through these bad spurts before,

 

We went through a rough patch in the beginning of August, where we were 4-5 in 9 games. We had just dropped game 1 to the Yankees at home, and had Lackey vs CC coming up. The team kicked it into gear, and we won 5 of the following 6 games, and it was lead by Lackey throwing a great game against CC. I have no doubt in my mind that this team is capable of doing the same thing, and look at this series as a "going for the kill" series.

[a700hitter]

I was not alive in 1978' date=' but I have all the confidence in the world that the Sox are going to the playoffs.[/quote']In 1978, I would have posted this same thought.

 

Let's put it this way' date=' if they somehow miss the post season this year, I will be utterly shocked beyond belief. [/quote']That's exactly how I felt in 1978 when we got eliminated.

 

Let's hope this is not your generations 1978.

[a700hitter]

More bad news:

 

Youkilis not in lineup, reportedly in Boston

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff September 9, 2011 03:04 PM

 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Kevin Youkilis is not in the Red Sox lineup tonight. WEEI's Dale Arnold reported earlier today, via Twitter, that Youkilis was on a flight from Toronto to Boston.

 

More on this as it becomes available.

 

Youkilis played all nine innings last night. He is 5 of 27 in seven games since coming off the disabled list last week.