4/14 vs Tampa Bay

[BornToRun]

BTR Mojo part two. Kick some ass and get the W.

[VA Sox Fan]

RAYS (4-6)

Jennings CF

Zobrist 2B

Longoria 3B

Joyce DH

Escobar SS

Loney 1B

Molina C

Johnson LF

Fuld RF

Pitching: RHP Alex Cobb (1-0, 0.00).

 

RED SOX (6-4)

Ellsbury CF

Victorino RF

Pedroia 2B

Napoli 1B

Nava DH

Middlebrooks 3B

Drew SS

Saltalamacchia C

Bradley Jr. LF

Pitching: RHP Clay Buchholz (2-0, 0.64).

[VA Sox Fan]

Game time: 1:35 p.m.

 

TV/Radio: NESN, TBS / WEEI-FM.

 

Red Sox vs. Cobb: Pedroia 0-6, Saltalamacchia 0-3, Ciriaco 0-6, Drew 2-3, Nava 1-4, Carp 1-3, Ellsbury 1-3, Napoli 1-2.

 

Rays vs. Buchholz: Zobrist 4-32, Longoria 7-29, Joyce 6-18, Molina 7-17, Escobar 3-12, Jennings 2-11, Rodriguez 3-10, Johnson 0-7, Duncan 0-3, Loney 0-2, Fuld 1-2, Roberts 0-1.

 

Stat of the Day: Red Sox reliever Koji Uehara has faced 15 batters and retired 13 of them while throwing only 43 pitches, 31 of them strikes. That's only 2.86 pitchers per batter.

 

Notes: Buchholz is 5-5 with a 2.76 ERA in 14 career starts against the Rays. He was 1-3, 3.99 in six starts last season. Buchholz has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his 14 starts against the Rays.... Cobb is 2-1, 2.81 in three career starts against the Sox. The Boston native is 2-0 in two starts at Fenway, allowing two earned runs over 10 innings. Cobb is pitching on extended rest, having last started on April 6 against Cleveland. ... The Rays have been struggling at the plate all season. They have scored 33 runs in 10 games while hitting .221 with a .601 OPS. They are hitless in their last 17 at-bats with runners in scoring position and are hitting .169 in the last five games with eight runs. They are 3 of 36 (.083) with runners in scoring position in those games and have been outscored 26-8. ... The Sox haven't been bashing the ball lately, either. They are hitting .197 (25 of 127) in the last four games with 12 runs scored. ... Red Sox starters are 4-2 with a 2.35 in 10 games and have yet to allow more than three runs in a game. ... Pedroia has reached base safely in all 10 games this season and 20 straight dating back to 2012. ... The Sox were 111-58 (.656) against the Rays from 1998-2007. They are 40-51 (.439) since but have won 10 of the last 19. ... Sox closer Joel Hanrahan's first three appearances: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 HR. Hanrahan's last 3 appearances: 1.2 IP, 5 H (2 HR), 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. He has thrown only 31 of 59 pitches for strikes this season. ... The Sox have committed two errors this season, both in the outfield. ... Drew is 1 for 10 since coming off the disabled list.

[jung]

Buch steps up for another test today. The Rays are not exactly murderers row but their formula is still the same. Don't give up many runs and you don't have to score many to win.

 

Lester's key so far this year....an insanely low number of mistake pitches. I have no figures to back this up but just watching him pitch, his location has been very good but the mix of pitches he has been able to command so far has been ridiculous. Sometimes he is just putting the ball in locations that are tough for the hitter to get to and other times he has them tied up with a pitch type they were just not expecting.

 

Buch's stuff is a little bit better and he does not command the number of pitch types that Lester has been able to command. The result has been the same so far. Buch has made very few mistake pitches as well. If Buch pitches today as he has so far, I would expect the same result as the Rays are not the team you would expect to come up and bite you if you are not making mistakes from the mound.

 

As for winning the game itself, these Rays games are frustrating games. The Rays are usually able to outpatient opponents that grow frustrated with the lack of success at the plate and start hackin'. It turns into a battle of attrition and the team that has its nerves crack first usually ends up on the short end. That is why I hate four game series with the Rays. By game four teams have usually had enough and just want it to end.

 

That is probably the thing that we really do not credit Madden for that distinguishes him and his teams from others. Madden knows what his team is and he always has them playing within themselves. Escobar at SS is probably the one guy that does not look like a match for what Madden looks for as Escobar tends to go through the motions out there at SS. I think Madden is an arrogant prick and I hate him both for his annoying arrogance and for the way his teams play. However if you are looking for some in-game genius that defines Madden as one of the league's better managers you will likely be frustrated. Look instead for how well suited his teams tend to be to the war of nerves created inside these low scoring pitchers duals and that is where his "genius" lives. I hate his guts and I hate playing his teams. That said, beating them is very rewarding.

[Station 13]

Hanrahan is on the backburner with a phantom hamstring problem. I guess they do not want to Fenway crowd to continue jeering him. With a trip out to mid-west after tomorrow, he might get back into action in a non saving situation. If he sucks, what else can he fall back on? Relievers are often cop-out, especially closers by defining an apperance as a non adrenaline rush inning when they bombed.

 

This is a short bullpen already with Uehara unable to work many back to back days, especially a day game after a night game. Miller is useless. We're left with mop-up junk balling championed Clay Mortensen and a rookie Alex Wilson. Aceves is in the starting spot. He too isn't a reliever highlight hour. Tazawa has work in 6 games already, a pace that put him for close to 100 games.

 

Bard is still struggling in double AA and might never put it together again. Once thought as the strength of the team, the bullpen will get tested as there's no day off until the 29th. Starters aren't exactly going deep either to help them out. It seems our relievers have to work about 4 inning average this season. The offense too need to help them out.

[User Name]

"Once thought"? It's April 14th, and the BP hasn't even been complete this season.

[Palodios]

Starters aren't exactly going deep either to help them out. It seems our relievers have to work about 4 inning average this season. The offense too need to help them out.

 

The problem isn't necessarily the starters, its all of the close games they've played, and how they're being used. Lester went 7 innings yesterday, and somehow we saw 4 relievers.

 

We also keep seeing Miller come in for 1-2 batters, walking a pile, and then being replaced-- He's had 4 appearances so far, and in those, he's gotten a total 4 outs. Ouch.

[jung]

Hanrahan injured.... a likely story. I doubt we will see him close his next time out. They need to get him an inning against a team where he can win out. Then maybe he might be able to go back to the ninth at some point. Clearly he is not used to facing the meat of these AL lineups. He is running out of pitch while there is still 9th inning left to go.

[CaliSoxFan04]

I hope buch continues to pitch well, just off in time to watch the the game!

[Palodios]

Can we retire the Red Sox Small-talk thing? Its awful.

[BornToRun]

Let's go clay

[BornToRun]

Good start.

[MANNYHOF24]

Clay and Lester look amazing so far this season

[BornToRun]

Longo has an awkward looking stance

[BornToRun]

Sit. Down.

[MANNYHOF24]

Umpire is giving the corners early, good sign for Clay

[Station 13]

Nice inning Clay.

[jung]

Might have been the best 1st inning by either Lester or Buch so far this year.

[BornToRun]

I really like Nava batting 5th

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Feels good to finally watch a game. Lets get this win please.

[Station 13]

f***, two hard hit ball and nothing to show for it.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

f***, two hard hit ball and nothing to show for it.

 

It's a good sign though. Hopefully we get to him the next time the order comes around.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

My boy Dustin!

[Palodios]

Red Sox hitting quality line drives, too bad the first two were right at players.

[Station 13]

I miss having a real clean up hitter. I really do.

[jung]

If there was a benefit to hitting fly balls higher than the usual. we would have the league leader in Mr. Napoli.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Get him!!! Good s*** Clay

[Station 13]

nasty pitch there.

[jung]

Here we go again...another inconsistent ump behind the plate...apparently a graduate of the school of Dr Barrett.

[BornToRun]

That was sexy.

 

And as far as Nap goes, I'm sure he'll get it together. It's still really early and if he doesn't, well then we can be glad that 3/39 turned into 1/5.