VA Sox Fan

Pitching matchups for the Rays series Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff September 10, 2013 11:43 AM Tuesday: RHP Clay Buchholz (9-0, 1.71) vs. LHP David Price (8-7, 3.51), 7:10 p.m., NESN, MLB Network. Wednesday: RHP Ryan Dempster (8-9, 4.79) vs. RHP Alex Cobb (8-3, 2.99), 7:10 p.m., NESN, ESPN. Thursday: RHP Jake Peavy (3-1, 3.55; 11-5, 4.01 overall) vs. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (11-8, 5.04), 7:10 p.m., NESN, MLB Network. -------------------- No open GT to post this in. Thank God they are all Nationally televised since I probably won't have the choice of the NESN feed. Rays announcer's blow!

your prior post just didn't make any sense.

To me 1978 was much harder because we hadn't won in so long and what a hell of a come back!!!. Sept 2011 sucked ass big time though. And 2003 ALCS made me cry.

Oh yeah. And faaaaack you Jacko!!!

Okay! Cool!

LMAO y'all!!!! :D

Source?

Well there are. Plenty.Don't wish time away. Not every thing is about you and your birthday. I want the Red Sox to go deep in the play offs and perhaps more and my birthday isn't until November. Crazy huh?

A lot of us did prior to 2004 and 2007. I hope that's not the case any more. I know I don't always assume the worst. But after 2011/2012, it's understandable.

There are plenty of well rounded/smart 14 year olds in this country and around the world. I see where you were going there. Nice play!

ok.....

I figured there would be some concerns about sitting Vic and Naps yesterday. IMO, we had already won the series and we have some tough games coming up this week. So let them get their rest for the upcoming stretch. I wanted the sweep too but still trying to think about the next 17 games! Only 9 at home.

Not sure which post of mine you're referring to but thanks.

No politics, please!

Djokovic was #1 in the world until tonight's loss. And was for 2 years. How is he an underdog?

Nice WIN NADAL!!!! Major #13!!!!!

They won't be able to use on balls vs strikes and that's always a hot button for a lot of fans.

Middlebrooks, Napoli are AL Players of the Week Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff September 9, 2013 04:58 PM Red Sox infielders Will Middlebrooks and Mike Napoli were named Co-Players of the Week in the American League. Middlebrooks was 13 of 28 with a double, four home runs, nine RBIs, and eight runs in seven games. He led all major league hitters with 26 total bases. Middlebrooks, who turned 25 Monday, has hit .368 with a 1.055 OPS in 26 games since being recalled from Triple A Pawtucket Aug. 10. His batting average has climbed from .192 to .245. Napoli was 10 for 21 with four doubles, four home runs, and nine RBIs. His 1.143 slugging percentage led the majors. This marks the second time this season Red Sox teammates were Co-Players of the Week. Napoli and righthander Andrew Bailey shared the award for the week ending April 21.

Down the stretch come the Red Sox Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff September 9, 2013 11:48 AM TAMPA, Fla. — The Red Sox (87-58) have a 7.5 game lead on the Tampa Bay Rays (78-64) in the American League East. The third-place Baltimore Orioles (76-66) are 9.5 games out. According to Cool Standings the Red Sox have a 99-percent chance of winning the division. But until the Red Sox are soaking their beards in champagne, perhaps it would be worth examining the pennant race. After all, Cool Standings said the Sox had a 93.1 percent chance of making the playoffs after 145 games in 2011. Theme song for the Sox right now? "Ninety-Nine And A Half (Won't Do)." The Wilson Pickett version is quite excellent. The schedule: The Sox have 17 games left. After three games at Tampa Bay, they have a nine-game homestand against the Yankees, Orioles and Blue Jays. Then they end the season with two games at Colorado and three at Baltimore. The opposition: Tampa Bay has a brutal schedule. The Rays are off today after a 3-7 West Coast trip. After three games against the Red Sox they go back on the road for three games at Minnesota before returning home for four games against Texas and three against Baltimore. Then they finish on the road against the Yankees and Blue Jays. The advantage: Starting Tuesday the Red Sox have 17 games in 20 days. Starting Tuesday the Rays have 20 games in 20 days. The issue: The loss of Jacoby Ellsbury will certainly affect the Sox. He's one of the best players in the game; their lineup is not the same without him. But his absence shouldn't lead to a collapse and all indications are that he should return before the end of the season. The Sox have Jackie Bradley on the roster and Quentin Berry should be able to steal a base when needed. Worth noting: The Sox are 10-4 this season in games Ellsbury hasn't started. Given Ellsbury's pending free agency, might the Sox play Bradley every day to see what they have in him? The incentive: If the Sox win the division, they'll have four days off before their first playoff game, which would almost certainly be at home. Four days off would help battered players like Ellsbury, Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli and Jarrod Saltalamacchia feel significantly better. Prediction: The Sox go 10-7 down the stretch and finish with 97 wins. That would win the division going away.

Really don't think that's worth f***ing with the mojo that was in place.

Let's hope that's the case here. I didn't recall that happening before.

Making a GT when there is no game? Real bad mojo.

Exactly. I'm so tired of the constant s***ing on Farrell. I haven't said s*** for weeks. He's not perfect by any means. But STFU already. Focus on the Rays series. PLEASE!

Y'all need to quit s***ing on Farrell. He's made mistakes but look where we are! For f***'s sake try to quit bitching and moaning about anything. Did ANY of you expect to have this type of season?

Sox: Ellsbury has fracture but should return Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff September 8, 2013 05:29 PM NEW YORK — Jacoby Ellsbury has been diagnosed with a compression fracture in his right foot. But according to Red Sox manager John Farrell, the team’s leadoff hitter and center fielder should be back before the end of the regular season. “We feel like he’ll return this year,” Farrell said Sunday after a 4-3 loss against the Yankees. “We’re hopeful the regular season.” A specialist, Dr. Thomas Clanton, examined Buchholz at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo., on Sunday. He confirmed the original diagnosis of a fracture in the navicular bone. Ellsbury will wear a boot to take weight off his foot for at least five days. “After that we’ll see how he responds to treatment and how he’s feeling himself,” Farrell said. Ellsbury is hitting .299 with eight home runs, 52 RBIs and a major-league leading 52 stolen bases. His leads the Sox with 89 runs. The injury happened Aug. 28 when Ellsbury fouled a ball off his foot. He came out of the game an inning later but returned to the lineup the next day and played seven of the next eight games. Ellsbury aggravated the injury when he stole second base in the 10th inning on Thursday night. Dustin Pedroia a more severe type of the same injury in 2010 and required surgery. “We’ll have to pick up the slack. He’s a big part of our lineup and our team,” Pedroia said. Pedroia has spoken to Ellsbury about the injury and counseled him to be patient. “It’s something you don’t mess with. You have to make sure you take care of it and you’re able to play and run and not be sore the next day,” Pedroia said. That Ellsbury was able to play after the initial fracture suggests the injury is something he could recover quickly from. But he was out for an extended period in 2010 because of fractured ribs and again in 2012 because of a separated shoulder.