Tigers 7 Red Sox 3

Red Sox had a chance in this game early on with Scherzer being wild, but the thing about Scherzer is that he can turn it on pretty quick. Scherzer pitched into the seventh inning, Young hit a home run and the Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox 7-3 on Thursday night to avoid a four-game series sweep.

The Tigers are a good team, it's would be tough to take 4 straight games from them. Saying that, there are still some alarming things going on with the Red Sox. We can all sit back and ignore Beckett's velocity drop, but it's there, and it leaves him very open to getting rocked. He is throwing 88-92 MPH, that's not really good when you pitched 93-95 just a year ago. It's not like he is old, so I don't know what the deal is.

Beckett went 7 innings allowing a season high 10 hits 4 runs with 1 K. That's not a terrible line, but this used to be a guy that would K a lot of hitters and that's just not the case. Maybe he is becoming more of a "pitcher", but just like Bard I find this worrisome.

In the end, the Sox have been winning a lot lately, they are still just 3 games back for the AL East and just need to make sure they don't go on one of those epic losing streaks.

Tigers @ Red Sox Preview

Red Sox go for the sweep of the Tigers today as Beckett faces Max Scherzer. Since the whole ugly incident where Beckett got booed off of Fenway he's gone has gone 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA. He's pitched at least seven innings in each of those three outings. There is a part of me that worries if Beckett will just fall off again, but he has been pitching well so it's hard to criticize.

You think Beckett is tough to figure out try Max Scherzer. He could either get lit up for 5 runs over 3 innings, or pitch 7 innings with 15 Ks. He hasn't been good in his short career against the Sox as he is 0-2 with an 11.81 ERA (his highest against any opponent) in 4 starts.

David Ortiz, 7 for 12 with 2 homers 3 doubles and 5 RBIs in the series, is 6 for 8 with 2 homers off Scherzer. Adrian Gonzalez, who has two hits in 11 at-bats against Scherzer, is batting .300 (12 for 40) during a team-best 10-game hitting streak. Those two guys should be enough to get to Scherzer.

Red Sox win 8-4
Player of the Game: Ortiz
Game starts at 7:10pm

Red Sox 6, Tigers 4

The Red Sox have an abundance of corner infielders. Gonzalez, Middlebrooks, Ortiz, and Youkilis. All of them had big hits last night. Three of them hit homeruns. Gonzalez hit a ground rule double to give the Sox a 5-4 lead in the 7th. Middlebrooks and Ortiz each hit two run shots in the 4th. Youkilis hit an insurance solo homer in the 8th.

Since coming off the DL, Youkilis is 9 for 31 (.290) in 8 games. He's getting on base. He's hit 2 homeruns and knocked in 12 RBI. He only had 9 RBI in 18 games in April. I think it's safe to attribute some of his struggles in April to his injury.

With players like Pedroia and Ellsbury on the DL, it's tough to trade Youkilis away. And at the same time his trade value increases, his value to the Sox also increases.

Jon Lester gave the Sox a good start. It's amazing how well the team plays when the starting pitching does its job. He went 6.2, throwing 120 pitches. He was charged with 4 earned runs, but 1 of those was an inherited runner that Albers allowed to score. He allowed 10 hits, but he didn't walk anyone, and he got 7 strikeouts.

Lester is a key figure to the Sox' success. It's hard to imagine the Sox making the playoffs (let alone winning in the playoffs) if Lester isn't performing. He's been a rock in the rotation for a few years now. This year he's been shaky. He needs to put together a few good starts in a row and get into a rhythm. He doesn't have to be an Ace. He just has to be consistent.

I'll give a tip of the cap to Alfredo Aceves, who's pitched in 4 straight games. I'll show more restraint with my appraisal of his performance this season. He's blown 3 saves. One of those came in this 4 game stretch. He hasn't been bad. But let's stop declaring him things that he's not. Only 4 other relievers have blown more saves this season.

Then again, he has stepped up and adequately filled a role the Sox needed to fill. It's not his fault that Papelbon wasn't re-signed, that Bailey got hurt, and that the Sox didn't acquire a starter so they were forced to put Bard in the rotation.

I'm liking Daniel Nava more and more each game. He had an outfield assist in the 7th that proved critical. If he doesn't throw out Avila at second, the 7th inning might have seen Detroit take a lead, not just tie the game.

Marlon Byrd also made a spectacular diving catch.

Guys like Nava, Byrd, and Aceves are easy to root for. There's no doubt that they're giving 100%, and that they're hungry to win.

The Sox are now 13-13 at home. They'll look to sweep the Tigers tonight. Beckett faces Max Scherzer. The Sox tagged him for 7 runs in 2.2 innings back in April (then lost 13-12). He's settled down since then, and has had a decent May. But the Sox should still win this apparent mismatch.

-The Captain

Tigers @ Red Sox Preview

I am shocked that the Red Sox won last night. I really am, I thought they had no shot. Good for them, and good for Bobby V who I think has done a terrific job lately with so many guys in and out of the lineup and the management of that bullpen.

Tonight we get Lester vs Smyly. I am really getting sick of trying to figure out Lester. We just never know what we are going to get from him. It seems like he brings his stuff everytime out, but if one thing goes wrong (bad call/error) he gets pissed and that's the end of any chance of him pitching well. That's terrible for a guy who should be the leader of this staff. Lester is 3-4 with a 4.72 ERA and is coming off a disastrous outing, giving up three homers in four innings in a 7-4 loss to Tampa Bay. Lester gave up all 7 runs in that game. Lester is 0-2 with a 4.62 ERA in four career starts versus the Tigers, but was good against them during opening day letting up just 1 run over 7 innings.

Drew Smyly has been one of the most surprising pitchers in the AL this year. He is 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA, but teams may be starting to figure him out. He has let up 4 runs in each of his last 4 starts without ever making it to the 6th inning.

This game is a tough one to pick. Like I said I never know what we are going to get from Lester, and the Red Sox usually have some trouble against lefties. It makes me even more concerned that they haven't even faced this kid yet. Still, I got to pick the Red Sox.

Red Sox win 7-4
Player of the Game: Aviles
Game starts at 7:10pm

Red Sox 6, Tigers 3

Normally, I would say that the Red Sox surpassing the .500 mark for the first time in a season after Memorial Day is hardly worth celebrating. However, I really like how the Sox did it.

They weren't supposed to do it last night. All the explanations and excuses were lined up in advance. Verlander was on the mound for Detroit. The Sox' #5 starter Bard was facing him. It seemed a foregone conclusion that the Sox would lose. But they didn't.

If you're going to wait until May 29th to go over .500, you'd better make it special. Or at least interesting. And the Sox did that. They got to Verlander, one of the top pitchers in the game. Bard had a very Bardlike game, but Valentine was able to retrieve him before any major damage was done. The bullpen did a solid job finishing the game. And Aceves didn't allow a homerun.

The Sox got 10 hits off Verlander, including 3 doubles. They also got 4 hits with runners in scoring position. Verlander's ERA increased 0.40 thanks to the 5 runs he allowed in 6 innings last night. It increased 18.6% from 2.15 to 2.55. If that happened to Beckett's ERA, it'd go up 0.77 points.

Daniel Nava's 3 run double in the 4th was the biggest hit of the season. There were 2 outs, the bases loaded, a full count, and the game would turn on the next pitch. Verlander would either escape the jam and the Tigers would eventually score on Bard and have a good chance to win. Or, Nava would get a hit, give Bard a cushion, and put the Sox in the driver's seat.

After that, the Sox didn't mess up and lose control of the game. The bullpen did its job. Ortiz had an RBI double in the 5th and a solo homerun in the 7th to pad the lead. Detroit's not a very good offensive team (9th in the AL in runs scored), and the Sox took advantage of that.

Ortiz has returned to his role as the heart of the Red Sox lineup. He leads the team in the following categories: runs, doubles, homeruns, total bases, walks, batting average, OBP, SLG, OPS.

Now that this hurdle has been overcome, the next step is to keep up some of these good habits we've seen lately. We've seen very few bad starts from the pitchers, the bullpen has stabilized, the offense is getting clutch hits in game-turning situations. That's a winning formula. It starts with the starting pitching, and the rest falls into place.

The Orioles, Rays, and Yankees all lost last night. The Sox are only 3.5 games out in the division, and 1.5 out of the 2nd Wild Card. The opportunity is there.

Jon Lester pitches for the Sox tonight. Drew Smyly is on the mound for Detroit. Smyly was good in April. He's been bad in May. He has a 6.75 ERA in his last 3 starts.

-The Captain

Tigers @ Red Sox Preview

The Red Sox always seem to get to the point of being about to get over .500 line and then lose. Tonight, most likely will be no different. Not only do the Red Sox have to go against the best pitcher in all of baseball, but they will most likely be doing so without the help of Dustin Pedroia, who jammed his thumb yesterday.

Bard is on the hill for the Red Sox. His main problem is his control, he had 4 walks last game, and for the season has more walks (29) then strikeouts (28). The other alarming thing with Bard is his dramatic drop in velocity. When Bard was in the bullpen he could pitch anywhere from 97-100, now he pitches more like 90-92. That is a pretty big drop. You expect some of it, because he needs to spread his stuff over more innings, but that is much more than I thought it would be.

I wish I could say today is the day the Red Sox finally make it over the .500 mark, but there are just too many thing going against them tonight, and I don't see this game being very close.

Tigers win 7-1
Player of the Game: Verlander
Game starts at 7:10pm

Red Sox Reach .500... Again

The Red Sox can't seem to pass the .500 mark. They're 0-5 the game after they reach .500.

The Rays finally took a series from the Sox. The Rays' pitchers quieted the Sox' bats. The Sox only scored 10 runs in their weekend series. And while Saltalamacchia won Saturday's game with a walk-off win, Alfredo Aceves returned the favor to Tampa Bay by blowing a save. His 3rd blown save of the season.

Jonathan Papelbon has yet to blow a save this season.

People have been praising the Red Sox bullpen. But such praise is merely selective memory. In the last 20 games, the bullpen has been decent. The 20 games before that, not so much. Looking at the guys that are out there, none of them are guys I'd classify as tough-situation-relievers. When the game is on the line, how confident are you when Padilla or Albers comes jogging in from the bullpen? Be honest.

The Sox scored some runs off Doug Fister yesterday, and that's not easy to do. They got 11 hits off him, including 3 doubles and a homerun. It was Saltalamacchia's ninth. He has 5 more homeruns than Adrian Gonzalez, in 69 fewer at-bats, and for $19.6 million less salary. He's been a nice and surprising offensive contributor.

The Sox got another very respectable start from Doubront. Prince Felix went 6, allowing 2 runs off 4 hits and a walk. He struck out 6. He's 5-2 on the season, which means he's the winningest pitcher in the rotation. He's the only Sox starter with an ERA under 4. Again, a nice and surprising contributor.

I enjoy rooting for the Felix Doubronts and Jarrod Saltalamacchias on this team. They try. They care. They're playing to the maximum of their potential. And they're the reason this team is .500 and within shouting distance of a playoff spot.

As I said at the start of this post, the Sox are 0-5 when they've had a chance to be over .500. Technically, I suppose it's 0-6 since they lost their first game (when they were 0-0). I'm not overly optimistic that they'll improve on that mark, as Verlander is on the mound for Detroit. Bard is pitching for the Sox.

-The Captain

Delmon Young Suspended 7 Games

Tigers outfielder Delmon Young has been suspended by Major League Baseball for seven days without pay, retroactive to April 27. Young can be reinstated from the restricted list before the Tigers' game on May 4.

Young was arrested Friday morning on charges of misdemeanor aggravated harassment in New York. He has also been accused of yelling anti-Semitic epithets. There are also reports that Young was "highly intoxicated."

"Those associated with our game should meet the responsibilities and standards that stem from our game's stature as a social institution," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "An incident like this cannot and will not be tolerated. I understand that Mr. Young is regretful, and it is my expectation that he will learn from this unfortunate episode (Sportsline).”

I have to admit I thought he would get more then this. You can't go around just yelling anti-Semitic rants. It will be interesting to see how he and the Tigers handle this after his return. My guess is that the media will be all over him about his views on any Jewish issues that arise. Hopefully he is smart enough to just say no comment and hope this whole thing blows over.

Delmon Young has all the talent in the world, but still really hasn't done that much with it. He is still just 26, but now that I know he is not just an underachiever, but an anti-Semitic douchebag, I just can't standup for him anymore.

Saying that....

There has been one rumor that is very interesting...

"Ken Davidoff of the New York Post suggests the Tigers could release Delmon Young to make a statement about the conduct they expect from their players without hurting their team in the standings."

I really don't believe it, but IF it was to be true would the Red Sox not make a lot of sense. Sure maybe not the greatest PR move, but with Crawford out for at least 3 months and Ellsubury down till June or so, wouldn't Young make a lot of sense? His bat could be very dangerous at Fenway. Once again, I really don't see the Tigers cutting up, but I guess it's something to keep an eye on.

VMart Back This Season?

The Tigers say Victor Martinez does not need reconstructive surgery for his ACL. This is actually big news as it was thought he was going to need a 2nd surgery on his knee. Now, this doesn't definitely mean he can make it back at some point this season, but for the first time since his injury there is hope he might actually make his way back. If he was to make it back it wouldn't be until September, and even that isn't all that likely, but the thought would have to have Tigers' fan giddy. Their team looks so good right now and adding VMart to that lineup would only help.

Red Sox Making April Seem Like September

Vicente Padilla had the second best pitching performance for the Sox in Detroit. Need I say more?

No. But I will anyway.

A pair of horrible starts from Beckett and Buchholz, combined with inconsistent hitting, and one unbelievably shitty bullpen resulted in a Detroit Tigers sweep. Just like in September, the Sox are finding different ways to lose.

Alfredo Aceves gave up the winning hit in Thursday's loss. Yesterday he blew a 3 run lead. Mark Melancon also blew a save yesterday, and now he's 0-2. It's April 9th and the Sox have a reliever that's 0-2. That's sadly impressive.

One bright spot was Padilla's 4 scoreless innings. He might earn a chance to be in the rotation if he keeps up that good work.

I'm hearing some clamoring for Daniel Bard to be installed as closer. Maybe that will eventually happen, but right now the Sox need starting pitching. Because while the bullpen ultimately blew yesterday's game, a good start from Buchholz would have allowed the Sox to cruise to a blowout victory. Bullpens lose games. Starting pitchers win them.

And you know who should be the closer...

Jonathan Papelbon.

People in Boston were far too complacent and docile when the Sox didn't re-sign the best closer they've had in a long time. Everyone who wants Bard to close should also get angry at the Sox for not retaining Papelbon.

The Sox go up to Toronto to face the 2-1 Jays. Doubront faces 21 year old Henderson Alvarez.

-The Captain

3 Tigers, 2 Sox

This is game 1 of 2 that really pissed me off yesterday. Jon Lester did an admirable job in his 1st start of the season he went 7 innings gave up 6 hits, 1 run and K'd 4 on 107 pitches. But in a game when your going against Justin Verlander (8 innings, 2 hits, 7 ks) you need to be perfect.

Our Bullpen will need to work out some kinks as Vivente Padilla gave up a r in his .1 inning in the 8th and had to be bailed out by Franklin Morales for the rest of the inning.

In the top of the 9th our bats woke up against Jose Valverde who gave up 2 runs to tie the game at 2 thanks to an RBI by David Ortiz and Ryan Sweeney.

Then the bottom of the 9th inning happened, I was a little surprised Bobby V chose to throw in Mark Melancon over our "closer" Alfredo Aceves, but he did and it failed miserably. Melancon immediately gave up a couple of hits, Aceves hits a batter and then gives up a game winning single to Austin Jackson. Such a cock tease of an opening day.

Red Sox @ Tigers Preview

What a way to start the season. After a historically terrible end to last season the Red Sox get to travel to Detroit to face the best pitcher in baseball (Verlander), and maybe the best duo of hitters in the league (Cabrera/Fielder).

This will be the 2nd time that Lester is the Red Sox opening day starter. He is 0-2 with a 5.89 ERA, which looks very similar to that 5.40 ERA he had in September last year. Still, that was then and this is now. Lester was awesome in April last year. The big thing for Lester will be control. He needs to keep that pitch count down. Usually in the beginning of the year managers really watch pitch counts, so the Sox really don't need one of those outings where Lester pitches 100 pitches in 5 innings.

That could be tough against, in my opinion, the best lineup in the AL. There are a bunch of guys that can hit, and not just hit, but hit the long ball. Ok, so the Tigers have the advantage in pitching, and hitting, so what do the Sox have. Well, they should be much better defensively. The Tigers have converted Cabrera back to 3rd, and I am interest to see how that goes since he is about 50 pounds heavier then the last time he played there. Peralta has poor range too, so that left side could see a lot of balls get through.

Verlander is 3-2 against the Red Sox in his career with a 3.22 ERA. The good news is that the Sox do have a couple guys that have hit him well in the past. Ortiz has a .278 batting average against him and 2 HRs in 18 at bats, and Youk/Aviles both have a batting average of .300 against him.

Here are the lineups for today...

RED SOX LINEUP

Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Gonzalez, 1B
Ortiz, DH
Youkilis, 3B
Sweeney, RF
Ross, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Aviles, SS

Lester, SP

TIGERS LINEUP

Jackson, CF
Boesch, RF
Cabrera, 3B
Fielder, 1B
Young, LF
Raburn, DH
Peralta, SS
Avila, C
Santiago, 2B

Verlander, SP

I can't pick against the Red Sox the first game of the year, so....

Red Sox win 5-4
Player of the Game: Gonzalez
Game starts at 1:05pm