Baseball

[transjen]

Originally Posted by smc

Gee, Jen, I wrote something nice to help alleviate some of your sadness about the Phillies losing today to the Nationals, and you reward me with this miserable trip down memory lane?! What's next? Are you going to come up here and scratch my eyes out?

Sorry but i never brought in to the whole curse thing but think of the great achivements those years in 67 Yaz won the triple crown in batting in 75 the sieres is consided one of the greatest ever and Lynn won rookie of the year plus another rookie came up that year also a guy named Rice and in 86 a guy named Clemens struck out 21 Mariners in one game and you also had a hitting machine named Boggs

Philliefan Jen

[shadows]

I am not certain, but wasn't 1986 the year that Roger Clemens got himself ejected by mouthing off at the home plate umpire during a playoff game?

[Talvenada]

Tip O? The Cap, aka In My Opinion:

Braves? starting pitching


This is my first or basic part of this opinion, and there will be a numerical look to follow in another article. Conventional wisdom says their pitching is considered to be the best in the division, but I?m not totally convinced they are with the trade of Javier Vasquez. I?m not saying...

for more go to isportsweb.

[ErosArtist]

Originally Posted by Talvenada

Tip O’ The Cap, aka In My Opinion:

Braves’ starting pitching


This is my first or basic part of this opinion, and there will be a numerical look to follow in another article. Conventional wisdom says their pitching is considered to be the best in the division, but I’m not totally convinced they are with the trade of Javier Vasquez. I’m not saying...

for more go to isportsweb.

Agreed; they look good on the averages. Great as a team. But, as demonstrated last night, they can really struggle as individuals. Hanson had control issues early on. IMHO, tip o' the cap to Bobby for pulling him quickly.

And on that note, it's a tip o' the cap from me to each of you guys and girls, at least for a little while. Gotta be on the road, and accessing the great intraweb abyss is going to be an infrequent possibility.

Have fun!

[smc]

Originally Posted by transjen

Sorry but i never brought in to the whole curse thing but think of the great achivements those years in 67 Yaz won the triple crown in batting in 75 the sieres is consided one of the greatest ever and Lynn won rookie of the year plus another rookie came up that year also a guy named Rice and in 86 a guy named Clemens struck out 21 Mariners in one game and you also had a hitting machine named Boggs

Philliefan Jen

I never bought into the curse thing, either. But here in Red Sox Nation, it was practically an industry. And as such, it has meant that the success of the Red Sox since 2004 has been the equivalent of a major industry completely collapsing, with all that implies.

This trip down memory lane, Jen, is much sweeter, although Wade Boggs -- while a great hitter -- is a miserable excuse for a human being. Roger Clemens, too, come to think of it.

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

I am not certain, but wasn't 1986 the year that Roger Clemens got himself ejected by mouthing off at the home plate umpire during a playoff game?

No, that was 1990. It was the final game of the ALCS against Oakland, and Clemens was tossed in the second inning. He was also suspended for the first five games of the 1991 season and fined.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

No, that was 1990. It was the final game of the ALCS against Oakland, and Clemens was tossed in the second inning. He was also suspended for the first five games of the 1991 season and fined.

Thank you for the correction.

What did Boggs do that made him such an awful human being?

[shadows]

Wow! The Jays had their second come-from-behind victory yesterday. They are now 3-1 and are in first place(hey, I will take that while I can!).

Toronto ended up beating the Orioles 7-6. Brian Anderson of the Orioles left the game with a pulled abdominal muscle(sliding into second base during a stolen base attempt), which isn't good for the Baltimore team that is trying to rebuild just like the Jays.

Boston lost again. Wakefield pitched well for the Red Sox, going 7 innings and only allowing 2 earned runs. He allowed only 1 walk and had 6 strikeouts. Unfortunately the bullpen could not hold the lead and the Red Sox lost 4-3 to the Kansas City Royals.

On a positive note, the Yankees got clobbered by the Tampa Bay Rays(I still prefer the name Tampa Bay Devil-rays) 9-3! Good! Mark Teixeira went 0-4 again and has not gotten a hit yet. This is not a surprise as he has always been notoriously crappy in April(and sometimes May). I can only hope it ends up being a season-long slump and he takes A-Roid down with him!

I noticed that we have an Atlanta Brave's fan here. Kudos to you! My sister also followed them for a few years, but has not watched them recently. Unfortunately, the Braves lost 5-4 in 13 innings to the San Francisco Giants. The Giants are now 4-0.

The Phillies humiliated the Houston Astros 8-0! Houston has been awful this year!

Are there any other baseball teams that are followed by anyone here?

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

Are there any other baseball teams that are followed by anyone here?

Yes, please provide thorough daily updates for the following:

Greenville Drive
Lowell Spinners
Pawtucket Red Sox
Portland Sea Dogs
Salem Red Sox

Thank you kindly, sir.

[ila]

Originally Posted by shadows

Are there any other baseball teams that are followed by anyone here?

Surprisingly I follow the Jays (the only Toronto team that I do cheer for). I do occasionally watch out for Minnesota, but I'm not a dedicated follower.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by ila

Surprisingly I follow the Jays (the only Toronto team that I do cheer for). I do occasionally watch out for Minnesota, but I'm not a dedicated follower.

Sweet! Another Jays fan. It will be nice to talk about them with a fellow fan.

They won again today, beating the Baltimore Orioles 3-0! Dana Eveland pitched great for the Jays, only allowing 5 hits in 7 1/3 innings. He allowed 2 walks and had 2 strikeouts. Not bad for basically picking him up from Oakland in February for cash.

Toronto is now 4-1 for the season. I will take it while it lasts.

Boston had a good game as well. They beat a very tough pitcher in Zack Greinke(the Cy Young winner for the AL last season)! Josh Beckett pitched well, allowing 3 runs in 7 innings of work. He allowed nine hits, 1 walk, and had 4 strikeouts. David Ortiz did not play in the game. Greinke now has a very lofty ERA of 3.55! Last season he was 16-8, had 242 strikeouts, only gave up 11 homeruns in 229.1 innings pitched, only gave up 51 walks, and had an ERA of 2.16. Now you know why I called 3.55 a lofty ERA. The Red Sox won 8-3.

The Yankees unfortunately creamed the Rays 10-0. At least CC Sabathia lost his no-hit bid. The Rays only ended up getting two hits in total. Ugly game for them. Teixeira finally hit the ball and ended up 3-4. I was hoping for another hitless game from him.

Atlanta beat San Francisco 7-2, handing the Giants their first loss of the season. Jason Heyward was 3-3 with a homerun and 2 RBIs.

Philadelphia beat Houston 9-6. Houston is now the only team without a win, sitting at 0-5 to start the season.

[smc]

Here's an interesting baseball "factoid" from yesterday's games:

The Tigers became only the second team since 1986 to win a 9-inning game while stranding at least 18 runners. 18!! For Detroit, it's the most men left on base since 1920.

[shadows]

Damn it! The Jays had a 7-6 lead in the top of the 9th and Frasor blew it again! I like Frasor as a pitcher, but I don't think he has what it takes to be a closer.

And how many fking chances is Gaston going to give Overbay? Randy Ruiz showed last season that he can hit the ball, so why not stick him at first base for a game or two so Overbay can wake the up!

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

And how many fking chances is Gaston going to give Overbay? Randy Ruiz showed last season that he can hit the ball, so why not stick him at first base for a game or two so Overbay can wake the up!

Boo hoo! You think your team has problems like this? In a few months, the Jays will be so out of the pennant race that it won't matter if they dig up my grandmother and play her at first base.

My team, though, which will be in the hunt, has the David Ortiz problem and a good substitute DH on the bench. Look at Ortiz so far this season. Frightening.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

Boo hoo! You think your team has problems like this? In a few months, the Jays will be so out of the pennant race that it won't matter if they dig up my grandmother and play her at first base.

My team, though, which will be in the hunt, has the David Ortiz problem and a good substitute DH on the bench. Look at Ortiz so far this season. Frightening.

Boo hoo indeed! I want my beloved Jays to win as many games as possible before the inevitable collapse and playing Ruiz could help with that.

Ortiz could always go ballistic on the reporters again. That seemed to get him fired up so he could go 1-4 each of the next two games.

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

Boo hoo indeed! I want my beloved Jays to win as many games as possible before the inevitable collapse and playing Ruiz could help with that.

Ortiz could always go ballistic on the reporters again. That seemed to get him fired up so he could go 1-4 each of the next two games.

Who wants to bet that Ortiz sets a Major League record for leaving men on base in a single game before Francona benches him?

In this picture, Big Papi is saying, "Please, Manny, come back so that your asinine shenanigans and bad clubhouse behavior can mask my weaknesses at the plate. Please. Pretty please."

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

Who wants to bet that Ortiz sets a Major League record for leaving men on base in a single game before Francona benches him?

In this picture, Big Papi is saying, "Please, Manny, come back so that your asinine shenanigans and bad clubhouse behavior can mask my weaknesses at the plate. Please. Pretty please."

What Big Papi needs to do, and probably won't do, is to compensate for the shift that the opposing teams use against him. Unless he does that, he will continually hit the ball right to one of their players. It's not like he can leg out an infield hit or anything, right?

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

What Big Papi needs to do, and probably won't do, is to compensate for the shift that the opposing teams use against him. Unless he does that, he will continually hit the ball right to one of their players. It's not like he can leg out an infield hit or anything, right?

He strikes out 3 and 4 times per game, so the only legging out he'll need to do is to get back to the dugout.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

He strikes out 3 and 4 times per game, so the only legging out he'll need to do is to get back to the dugout.

At least he has the bat to lean on when he gets short of breath on the way back to the dugout.

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

At least he has the bat to lean on when he gets short of breath on the way back to the dugout.

Hey, I've been at Fenway Park when Ortiz actually stole second base (and just to preempt this as a possible retort, I mean "steal" as in run from first to second while the pitcher is throwing to the catcher). The issue isn't whether he can run. The issue is getting the chance to run, including to first base. You have to hit or be hit, not strike out.

Try to keep up, man.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

Hey, I've been at Fenway Park when Ortiz actually stole second base (and just to preempt this as a possible retort, I mean "steal" as in run from first to second while the pitcher is throwing to the catcher). The issue isn't whether he can run. The issue is getting the chance to run, including to first base. You have to hit or be hit, not strike out.

Try to keep up, man.

You can still reach first base if you strike out.

[ila]

Originally Posted by shadows

Damn it! The Jays had a 7-6 lead in the top of the 9th and Frasor blew it again! I like Frasor as a pitcher, but I don't think he has what it takes to be a closer.

And how many fking chances is Gaston going to give Overbay? Randy Ruiz showed last season that he can hit the ball, so why not stick him at first base for a game or two so Overbay can wake the up!

The Jays will have to be banned from playing at home this year. It was a fantastic start to the season until they played their home opener.

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

You can still reach first base if you strike out.

True, you can, but how many times have you actually seen it happen?

[shadows]

Originally Posted by ila

The Jays will have to be banned from playing at home this year. It was a fantastic start to the season until they played their home opener.

Well, they played well tonight. Ricky Romero was mowing the White Sox players like so much chafe! He had a career high 12 strikeouts and was going for a no-hitter! Alas, Rios(of all people!!!!) hit a 2-run homer in the top of the 8th to ruin it. Romero ended up going 8 innings and giving up only that one hit.

Toronto won the game 4-2 to improve to 6-2. Not too shabby.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

True, you can, but how many times have you actually seen it happen?

With Big Papi? Never.

Maybe he could do it if there was a pizza waved at him from the first base coach.

[transjen]

Originally Posted by shadows

Damn it! The Jays had a 7-6 lead in the top of the 9th and Frasor blew it again! I like Frasor as a pitcher, but I don't think he has what it takes to be a closer.

And how many fking chances is Gaston going to give Overbay? Randy Ruiz showed last season that he can hit the ball, so why not stick him at first base for a game or two so Overbay can wake the up!

I know how you feel awhile back when Larry Bowa was managing the Phillies they would be up in the ninth inning with a 3 run lead and Bowa would call for a smuck named Mesa and the Phillies would lose by 2

Philliefan Jen

[shadows]

Originally Posted by transjen

I know how you feel awhile back when Larry Bowa was managing the Phillies they would be up in the ninth inning with a 3 run lead and Bowa would call for a smuck named Mesa and the Phillies would lose by 2

Philliefan Jen

I remember watching and/or reading about the "highlights" from those games. Not pretty.

I remember the Miguel Batista era....talk about putrid! The guy always had the "deer in the headlights" look on his face whenever he went out there for a save attempt. I thought he was either going to keel over dead from a heart attack or crap his drawers!

[dauls]

Originally Posted by smc

Hey, I've been at Fenway Park when Ortiz actually stole second base (and just to preempt this as a possible retort, I mean "steal" as in run from first to second while the pitcher is throwing to the catcher). The issue isn't whether he can run. The issue is getting the chance to run, including to first base. You have to hit or be hit, not strike out.

Try to keep up, man.

All this talk of Big Papi and stolen bases.

I don't believe it, but his stats say he has stolen base TEN times in MLB, the last time was during a 5-2 Red Sox win over the Athletics on Sunday, 3rd August 2008 at Fenway Park. And here's the proof:

Joking aside:
Big Papi came to the plate in the Bottom of the 5th, the Red Sox held a 4-2 lead (2 Outs).
Ortiz Walked on 6-pitches.
On the first pitch to Mike Lowell, Ortiz STOLE 2nd base (P: Santiago Casilla, C: Rob Bowen).
But 6-pitches later Lowell struckout stranding (the exhausted) Ortiz on 2nd.

[smc]

Originally Posted by dauls

All this talk of Big Papi and stolen bases.

I don't believe it, but his stats say he has stolen base TEN times in MLB, the last time was during a 5-2 Red Sox win over the Athletics on Sunday, 3rd August 2008 at Fenway Park.

That's the game I was at. I remember it well, because I ran into a friend outside the ballpark who I hadn't seen since we were 8 years old!

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

With Big Papi? Never.

Maybe he could do it if there was a pizza waved at him from the first base coach.

What's with all the innuendo about Ortiz being a fatty? He's big, but not fat. His problem is that he has no bat speed, not his body shape.

[smc]

^ And, by the way, Ortiz nearly stole second base in this afternoon's game. He was just barely tagged out on the head as he went by the Twins infielder. (Of course, he's also struck out twice so far, and left more men on base.)

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

What's with all the innuendo about Ortiz being a fatty? He's big, but not fat. His problem is that he has no bat speed, not his body shape.

No innuendo at all. It's a joke. I am making light of his name, which so happens to be called Big Papi. Sheesh.

I should add that I actually like Big Papi. I truly hope that he can find a way out of his slump.

[shadows]

Maybe the Blue Jays fans need to stop booing Alex Rios. Every time they do, he ends up burning the Jays. You would think they would learn the first 2 times he did it.

Morrow stunk to high heaven again. Overbay was useless yet again, with his sweet 0-4 night! A nice grounding into a double play to go along with his fearsome .088 batting average.

However, the ugliest thing about the game was the attendance. It was only 10610. That is freaking pathetic! Do the fans want it to be another Expos situation and the team moving somewhere else due to the fans not showing up? Disgusting! Start supporting your team or you won't have a team.

[shadows]

Here are the other scores from the teams that we actually care about(and with the Yankees, despise).

1. Boston beat Minnesota 6-3. Lackey pitched a pretty good game for the Red Sox. He issued 4 walks but he kept the damage to a minimum. He gave up 2 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. His ERA is now 1.42.

I really wish that the Jays were able to keep Marco Scutaro. He is a good leadoff hitter as he is showing with the Red Sox. He was 2-5 with an RBI(his second) and has a .320 batting average. I realize that it is just the start of the season, but he was excellent for the Jays before he got his bell rung in the field last season. I am just thankful that he didn't sign with the Yankees.

Another note. Jonathan Papelbon wasn't super sharp in the game, as he issued 2 walks(something that he rarely did last season). I think that this was just an early blip and he will be lights-out like he has been the past 4 seasons.

2. LA Angels beat the Yankees 5-3. A-Roid was 0-3 with 3 strikeouts, which is always nice to see.

3. Philadelphia beat Washington 14-7. Boy, the Nationals like getting early leads and then giving them right back! This was an ugly game for both starters:

Philly Starter Kyle Kendrick: 1.2 IP, 6 hits, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, 3 walks, and only 1 strikeout. He was up to 52 pitches when he got yanked. His ERA ballooned up to 17.47.

Washington Starter Craig Stammen: 1.1 IP, 7 hits, 7 runs, 7 earned runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts. He was up to 53 pitches when his game came to an end. His ERA jumped up to 15.63.

Phillie's offense is amazing, especially considering that Jimmy Rollins was placed on the 15 day DL with a right calf strain.

3. Chicago White Sox beat Toronto 11-1. As mentioned above, the Jays offense was stymied by a very good Josh Danks and the pitching was quite horrible as well. Morrow gave up 7 earned runs in 4 IP.

4. St. Louis beat Houston 2-1. I don't think anyone here follows either team, but I wanted to add this game so I could mention that with this loss the Houston Astros remain winless at 0-8 to start the season.

In a game that is still being played(currently bottom of the 8th), Atlanta holds a 6-1 lead over San Diego. Jason Heyward is 1-4 and got his 10th RBI(not too shabby!).

[transjen]

The Phillies played a great football game today as you can see by the score i have a feeling that when the Phillies play the Cubs this year it will be a 24-21 score
Philliefan Jen

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

No innuendo at all. It's a joke. I am making light of his name, which so happens to be called Big Papi. Sheesh.

I should add that I actually like Big Papi. I truly hope that he can find a way out of his slump.

Dear shadows,

Do I really need to use emoticons in every post to make sure you don't take me too seriously? I thought our relationship was beyond that.

Your buddy,

smc

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

Dear shadows,

Do I really need to use emoticons in every post to make sure you don't take me too seriously? I thought our relationship was beyond that.

Your buddy,

smc

We'll just chalk it up to my anger at the Blue Jays horrific effort last night.

[shadows]

A nice night for the Blue Jays tonight...well, except for Lyle Overpaid of course. The lump of crap was 0-5 with 4 strikeouts! What the heck does it take to sit this bum for a game? Heck, Francona did it with David Ortiz, so I think that Gaston can do it with whiffle-man. It is beyond frustrating! He now has a sweet .077 batting average. You might as well just stick a bat in the ground at home plate and see if the ball happens to hit the bat, for all the good that Overpaid is doing right now!

Onto the good news for the game. Toronto beat the White Sox 7-3. Eveland had his second straight good game and set a Blue Jays record at the same time. He started off his Blue Jays career with 11 1/3 scoreless innings, which beat the old record of 10 2/3 which was held by Mike Flanagan(way back in 1987!). Congrats Dana!

-------------------
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Not a good night at all for Boston. They got smacked around by the Twins, 8-0. David Ortiz was given the day off(Francona said it was due to Francisco Liriano being a tough lefty for Ortiz to face), but it appears that all the bats took the day off.

There is also some potential trouble for a couple of the Red Sox hitters. It looks like Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Crawford may have to go onto the 15 day DL. Crawford is getting tested for lower abdominal pain(possibly his appendix) and Ellsbury hurt his ribs when he crashed into teammate Adrian Beltre last Sunday.

-----------------------------
-----------------------------

Atlanta beat San Diego 6-2. Jason Heyward was 2-3 and got his 11th and 12th RBIs of the season. He is also now hitting .303. Atlanta imroves to 5-4 on the season with this victory.

-----------------------------
-----------------------------

In a rare turn of events, it was the Phillie's bullpen that coughed up the lead this time. Philly had a 4-1 lead until the top of the 8th inning. Washington scored 3 times in the 8th and 2 times in the 9th to go ahead for good. Philly got a run in the bottom of the 9th, but it was not enough. They lost the game 7-5.

-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------

Dang. The Yankees won 6-2. It always brings a frown to my face when that happens.

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

Not a good night at all for Boston. They got smacked around by the Twins, 8-0. David Ortiz was given the day off(Francona said it was due to Francisco Liriano being a tough lefty for Ortiz to face), but it appears that all the bats took the day off.

There is also some potential trouble for a couple of the Red Sox hitters. It looks like Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Crawford may have to go onto the 15 day DL. Crawford is getting tested for lower abdominal pain(possibly his appendix) and Ellsbury hurt his ribs when he crashed into teammate Adrian Beltre last Sunday.

I think Ortiz would have been sitting even if he wasn't having troubles this year. It was Lowell's turn to DH; his has been a strong righthanded bat against Liriano in the past.

Two corrections: I think it's a safer bet to say that Beltre crashed into Ellsbury, not the other way around. It was Jacoby's catch to make, and he called off Beltre. Oh, and by the way shadows, I'm guessing the Red Sox had a reasonably good night. Their game, however, was during the day.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

I think Ortiz would have been sitting even if he wasn't having troubles this year. It was Lowell's turn to DH; his has been a strong righthanded bat against Liriano in the past.

Two corrections: I think it's a safer bet to say that Beltre crashed into Ellsbury, not the other way around. It was Jacoby's catch to make, and he called off Beltre. Oh, and by the way shadows, I'm guessing the Red Sox had a reasonably good night. Their game, however, was during the day.

I'll try to do better next time.

So, the Red Sox and Rays had their game suspended in the 9th inning. David Ortiz is the batter, and wouldn't it be sweet after all the trash-talking that has been done to him if he hit a game-winning homerun?

The weather forecast looks to be quite crappy for the entire weekend. You guys might even get some flurries!

It was about 29-30 celcius Thursday, but it dropped to about 18C Friday. Darn it! I want the nice weather to stick around.

A lousy game by the Jays. Marcum did not have a great game, and Lyle Overpaid was a rocking 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. Hey Cito! Why the are you continually putting him in the 5th position?!?! He is hitting .070 now for crying out loud! The Jays rallied for 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th...and guess who ended the rally with a strikeout? Yep! Lype "Craphead" Overbay! He is my faaavourite player!

The Jays lost 7-5.

[smc]

Originally Posted by shadows

So, the Red Sox and Rays had their game suspended in the 9th inning. David Ortiz is the batter, and wouldn't it be sweet after all the trash-talking that has been done to him if he hit a game-winning homerun?

The weather forecast looks to be quite crappy for the entire weekend. You guys might even get some flurries!

MLB rules state that you must complete the first game of a series before the second game can begin, so the Sox and Rays are scheduled to pick up yesterday's game at 7:10 tonight, before game 2. But the rain isn't going anywhere! As for Ortiz hitting a game-winning homer, well ... not if there's an extra .00005 oz. of weight on his bat from the moisture in the air. (I really hope I'm wrong about him!)

Originally Posted by shadows

A lousy game by the Jays. Marcum did not have a great game, and Lyle Overpaid was a rocking 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. Hey Cito! Why the are you continually putting him in the 5th position?!?! He is hitting .070 now for crying out loud! The Jays rallied for 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th...and guess who ended the rally with a strikeout? Yep! Lype "Craphead" Overbay! He is my faaavourite player!

The Jays lost 7-5.

Overbay is channeling Ortiz. No, wait. Ortiz is channeling Overbay. No, wait. They're both channeling Mendoza and his famous line!

[dauls]

Win number three for Doc against the Marlins on Friday night.

The Phillies were leading 8-2 when Halladay left the game after the 8th.

In the 9th there was another wobble by the Phillies bullpen, but fortunately the Marlins only managed to score 4 runs and we held on for the win.

[smc]

Go ahead, my Forum friends. You know who you are. Pile it on. Help me answer the question: what in the hell is wrong with my beloved Red Sox?

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

Go ahead, my Forum friends. You know who you are. Pile it on. Help me answer the question: what in the hell is wrong with my beloved Red Sox?

No piling it on from me. The Jays are only 7-6 now, and with the loaf named Overpaid on the team, I certainly won't be doing any gloating.

[shadows]

Lyle Overpaid at work...

[shadows]

I'm surprised that no one posted in this thread since yesterday!

Toronto bounced back from a poor series against the Angels and whupped some Royal ass! The Jays won 8-1, and Brandon Morrow had his first stellar game of the young season(his first two were quite putrid to be honest). His pitching line was: 7.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 earned run, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts. He lowered his bloated ERA from 12.00 to 7.31(another start or two like this and his ERA will be back to respectable numbers).

As much as I love to bash Lyle Overbay(and rightfully so!), I cannot fault his play today. He was 2-2 and had two walks as well. He average, while still poor, is finally over .100(.115 to be exact). Hopefully this is a sign of things to come and he will start to swing the bat well on a consistent basis.

Jose Bautista was 2-4 with two homeruns(2-run shot and a 3-run shot)! Nice!

Aaron hill should be back from the 15-day DL on Friday, and his return should inject an infusion of offense for the Jays!

[shadows]

In the only other game that involves a team that a member here follows, Tampa Bay beat Boston 8-2. I really cannot fathom what is wrong with Boston right now. I do think they'll pick it up offensively once they get the players back that are currently injured, and they have good pitchers that I am sure will pick their game up soon.

Tampa Bay is playing the best ball of any of the teams in MLB right now, so Boston cannot be blamed too much. Tampa has a 10-3 record and are currently first in the AL East.

[smc]

Sometimes all a slumping baseball team needs is a little spark, and it can come from the most unlikely place. Will that be the case for Boston going forward? It certainly happened last night against the Texas Rangers.

The Red Sox had no choice but to put two outfielders, Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron, on the Disabled List. Usually, Ellsbury is the team spark. He leads off, steals lots of bases, goes from 1st to 3rd routinely on steals, and goes 1st to home on singles. But he's out after a collision with Adrian Beltre last week.

So, the Red Sox, needing and outfielders, called up Josh Reddick from Pawtucket.

At the end of 5 innings, the Rangers were ahead 6-2. Tim Wakefield had been shaky. In the bottom of the 6th, though, Reddick hit a two-run double that put the team back in the game. It was in the bottom of the 8th, though, that the spark became a fire.

Darnell McDonald had also been called up from Pawtucket, though in a bit less definite way than Reddick (see below). An unlikely hero, and pinch-hitting for Reddick, he launched a homer into the Green Monster seats in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game. The Fenway Faithful, who have had little to cheer about of late, erupted!

McDonald stayed in the game, and he wasn't finished.

Jonathan Papelbon, who has also been shaky, came in to pitch the 9th, and held the Rangers. And then, in the bottom of the 9th, who would come to bat with men on base but Darnell McDonald. He nearly hit another homer, but instead his towering show fell short and scraped the left-field wall just out of reach of Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. It was all that was needed, and the winning run came home.

The Red Sox have their first walkoff victory of the year, and Darnell McDonald's name is being celebrated throughout Red Sox Nation. He's no spring chicken; he's been a minor leaguer for 12+ years, coming up to "the show" for 17 games in 2004 with Baltimore, 4 with the Twins in 2007, and 47 with Cincinnati last year. But for the Red Sox, he had only been asked to get to town, wait in a hotel, and see whether Jacoby Ellsbury was okay after batting practice. The answer was Jacoby on the DL and McDonald to the ballpark, "just in case."

The rest is history.

Perhaps the spark will stay?

[smc]

It's a good night to be a Boston sports fan! First, the Bruins win in the 2nd overtime, and just now, the Red Sox just won their second walk-off in a row. Tonight, it took 12 innings, and the hero was Kevin Youkilis. But we'll take wins however they come!

Oh, and by the way, Darnell McDonald (see post just above) started for the Sox in center field, and hit another homer.

[shadows]

Originally Posted by smc

It's a good night to be a Boston sports fan! First, the Bruins win in the 2nd overtime, and just now, the Red Sox just won their second walk-off in a row. Tonight, it took 12 innings, and the hero was Kevin Youkilis. But we'll take wins however they come!

Oh, and by the way, Darnell McDonald (see post just above) started for the Sox in center field, and hit another homer.

It looks like the tonic to cure their ails was a series against Texas.

I wish the Jays had taken some of that remedy! They actually came back to tie the game at 3 but Downs left a pitch right down the middle in the top of the 10th and the Jays ended up losing 4-3 in 10 innings. Dang.

I really wish the Yankees would stop winning. At least Tampa Bay is giving them a run for their money(1/2 game back of first).

I really miss Halladay and his 4-0 record and 0.82 ERA.