4/7 @ Toronto

[Jasonbay44]

Jon Lester vs R.A. Dickey

 

Sox looking to win their 2nd straight series to start the season. Get it done!

[Redsoxfan42]

Let hope Lester can turn it around. I hope Lackey can heel fast and get back in the lineup!! We will need a strong pitching staff if we are going todo anything this year.

[VA Sox Fan]

RED SOX (3-2)

Ellsbury CF

Victorino RF

Pedroia 2B

Napoli DH

Middlebrooks 3B

Nava 1B

Saltalamacchia C

Bradley Jr. LF

Iglesias SS

Pitching: LHP Jon Lester (1-0, 3.60).

 

BLUE JAYS (2-3)

Reyes SS

Davis RF

Cabrera LF

Encarnacion 1B

Arencibia DH

DeRosa 5

Izturis 2B

Blanco C

Bonifacio CF

Pitching: R.A. Dickey (0-1, 4.50).

[Bellhorn04]

Let hope Lester can turn it around. I hope Lackey can heel fast and get back in the lineup!! We will need a strong pitching staff if we are going todo anything this year.

 

You got that straight.

[VA Sox Fan]

Game time: 1:07 p.m.

 

TV/Radio: NESN / WEEI.

 

Red Sox vs. Dickey: Victorino 5-19, Ellsbury 1-6, Napoli 2-5, Pedroia 1-5, Ross 1-5, Gomes 0-2, Ciriaco 1-1.

 

Blue Jays vs. Lester: Bautista 10-45, Arencibia 5-26, Lind 3-27, Cabrera 9-24, Encarnacion 4-21, Davis 5-21, Izturis 5-15, Rasmus 2-9, DeRosa 2-6, Reyes 0-3, Bonifacio 0-2.

 

Stat of the Day: The Sox are 2 of 27 (.074) with runners in scoring position in their last three games.

 

Notes: The Sox send their ace to the mound to try and capture the season and send the team home to Fenway with a winning record. ... Lester is 11-7, 3.86 in 22 carer starts against Toronto. He was 1-3, 7.27 in four starts last season against the Jays. ... Dickey is facing the Sox for the first time since two relief appearances for the Twins in 2009. He allowed four runs (three earned) in his first start this season, that coming against the Guardians. ... Sox pitchers have struck out 48 and walked only 15. ... Napoli is 3 of 23 with 9 strikeouts and no walks. ... The Sox have hit two home runs and allowed 10. ... Victorino has reached base safely in all five games. ... The first two games of the series drew 91,125 fans.

 

Song of the Day: "Dear John" by Hank Williams.

[Station 13]

2 for 27? Yuck. They couldn't even get a sac fly or a ground out 9/10 those situation.

[redsoxbeatz]

Let hope Lester can turn it around. I hope Lackey can heel fast and get back in the lineup!! We will need a strong pitching staff if we are going todo anything this year.

 

Generally, this is the case in baseball.

 

2014 and beyond look like better days for the Sox. Growing pains for now.

 

Still, 85+ wins doesn't seem out of the question.

 

This is funny: "Napoli is 3 of 23 with 9 strikeouts and no walks."

[seabeachfred]

2 for 27? Yuck. They couldn't even get a sac fly or a ground out 9/10 those situation.

 

Yesterday was disappointing Station 13 but nothing anyone can do about it now. As Jason Bay said, "get it done" today. It is also been mentioned already in this thread that we go nowhere this season without solid pitching and we have one of our two best out there today. We need to see Jon more economical in his pitches so he can go deeper into the game instead of just five innings. We need him to get that habit forming, and we need Napoli and Middlebrooks and Pedroia to rake better than they have so far.

 

I see no reason why we can't win today. We all know coming home 4-2 is better than coming home 3-3, especially having to take on the Orioles and Rays in succession. As was said earlier, "get it done".

[redsoxbeatz]

No matter how the Red Sox return to fenway, it'll be better then their 0-6 start last season.

 

Justin Upton has 5 HR so far... c'mon Sox, make a freaking splash.

[BSN07]

I was at a baseball tournament all weekend, what's the latest on Lackey? I have never been a fan of horse face, but he garnered some respect points from me for coming in this season in such good shape, hate to seen any player get hurt.

[VA Sox Fan]

I was at a baseball tournament all weekend, what's the latest on Lackey? I have never been a fan of horse face, but he garnered some respect points from me for coming in this season in such good shape, hate to seen any player get hurt.

 

Strained bicep. He is having an MRI today.

[Thunder]

No matter how the Red Sox return to fenway, it'll be better then their 0-6 start last season.

 

Justin Upton has 5 HR so far... c'mon Sox, make a freaking splash.

 

They were 1-5 last season, 0-6 in 2011.

 

This game should be interesting. Two very good pitchers on the mound, but Dickey can be good or bad, depends on the knuckler.

[MANNYHOF24]

Let hope Lester can turn it around. I hope Lackey can heel fast and get back in the lineup!! We will need a strong pitching staff if we are going todo anything this year.

 

One bad game, classic talksox over reaction. I mean I agree, that a good team needs good pitching, but with Ortiz and Drew coming back we should have a pretty solid offense.

[a700hitter]

WTH were Farrell and Nieves looking at yesterday. On the pitch before his injury, Lackey clearly showed signs of distress, cramping or pain. They should have been out to the mound with the trainer before he threw the next pitch. A little vigilance could have saved Lackey from a lengthy DL stint. In the post game, Farrell admitted to seeing Lackey's reaction on the prior pitch. There's no excuse for him not visiting the mound.

[a700hitter]

One bad game, classic talksox over reaction. I mean I agree, that a good team needs good pitching, but with Ortiz and Drew coming back we should have a pretty solid offense.

This is the fastest start that we have ahd in years.

[Palodios]

WTH were Farrell and Nieves looking at yesterday. On the pitch before his injury, Lackey clearly showed signs of distress, cramping or pain. They should have been out to the mound with the trainer before he threw the next pitch. A little vigilance could have saved Lackey from a lengthy DL stint. In the post game, Farrell admitted to seeing Lackey's reaction on the prior pitch. There's no excuse for him not visiting the mound.

 

In the same way, Lackey should know his arm, and if he felt something, he should have done something about it. I don't know if you noticed during the game, but they had him icing his arm between every inning.

[jung]

It is not that unusual for a pitcher to use ice between innings. I am torn on the lack of reaction to Lackey's discomfort on the mound. We all comment here that Lackey will not complain, will not fail to take the ball and will not give up the ball unless dragged kicking and screaming from the mound. It would have to have fallen off for him to have stopped. They have to know this if we do. I think at least a visit from Nieves was called for.

[jung]

Dickey starts up in the zone with the knuckler. Sox taking advantage so far. Two on nobody out.

[jung]

Pedey is such a good guy to have in the 3 hole. Great piece of hitting to get the run home.

[NativeBostonian]

I think we should be able to get a lot of runs today off the knuckle ball.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Welcome to the American League East, Dickey.

[Youk Of The Nation]

WMVP

[Thunder]

That's a good start to a game that I've been looking for!

[NativeBostonian]

Can we face this guy more often?

[afjay]

Welcome to the AL East Dickey.

[Thunder]

Middlebrooks has 2 out of 3 HR. Wow.

[jung]

Cabrera...what a stiff....Dickey's pitches are all up except for the one to Pedey. As I have tried to explain Up is bad. Don't care where it is unless it is the rising FB with plenty of juice behind it, Up is bad.

[Youk Of The Nation]

It feels so much better watching a knuckleballer get his ass kicked from this side.

[Thunder]

Can we face this guy more often?

 

The teams play 16 more times, so it's possible to see him 3 or 4 more times.

[jung]

And those two pitches to Salty especially the first were in about the worst place you could put them to a LH power hitter.