Game 109: Sox get blanked again

From last night to today I had one thought. We need Jason Bay. I know his numbers haven’t been great since the ASB but I am sure he could have hit one out in 15 innings! This afternoon didn’t make much difference besides that it might have given the rest of the offence a lift. Overall just pathetic!!! However still don’t miss Mannywood, Bay was a great replacement and a better team mate. Here is to him getting healthy soon!!!

Still hurt but presumably improving, Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay sat out for the fifth time in six games Saturday with the intention of playing as soon as Sunday night vs. the Yankees.

“I’m not going to put a timeline on it,” Bay said. “I politicked to get in there in [St. Petersburg], too, and then I ended up right back here. Hopefully I’m not more than a couple days away.”

But how sick do the Patriots look coming into the season. Just assuming that most people on this blog are all Boston team fans. Not giving up on the Soxs season just yet! But getting very excited about the new season!

and look what happens ;-[. actually, not that the umps really played a role when the offense was that asleep, but how bad was it anyway?
a)Kotchman did have his foot on the bag when the ball was in his glove-that run came around to score, when otherwise no runs would have that inning.
b)how crazy was the check-swing punch out of papi? was it even close to a swing?
c)ditto dusty’s “foul tip”?
d)how about the toss out of ram-ram? was he even warned? he has no control, and we are in a 2-0 game with a gassed pen-does it make any sense at all to throw at someone? what about melancon 2 games before?
e)clay was actually ok-he had 3 innings extended on crap (2 on bad plays by Youk in LF, one on the Kotchman bad call). He got repeatedly squeezed by a home plate ump who is famous for a bad zone and a zone that is different for rookies than vets. if you think i am just bitching (i am a bit) type “jim joyce ump” in google and see what comes up.

of course none of it matters. if you can’t plate a run in 24 innings, it is probably just sour grapes, but when things suck, that is when this kind of crap is the most annoying.

the Yankees probably bought themselves another title with two great pitchers and an outstanding first baseman – all locked up now for years. What did the Sox do? Got a few re-treads on the cheap. Well, you see the result. (At least they made a legit effort at getting Tex.)

The 2009 Red Sox: too many “Black Holes” in the lineup; only two quality starting pitchers and a manager who employs no on-field strategies. Worse, a GM who is considered a genius! J.D. Drew, Eric Gagne, Julio Lugo, John Smoltz, 6 different shortstops in five years, etc., etc? No, he has screwed up, big-time, and the Sox are paying for it. Curt Schilling was the best acquisition he made. Without him, we haven’t won a WS in 90 years.

They might be beloved players, but this is a business and guys like Oritz, Lowell and Varitek are long past their best days. Wake was great this year but never can never be counted on past June or July. Dice-K? Well, that’s a whole other story.

It’s time to move forward. You have Dusty and Youk locked up for years; do the same with Ells, Paps, Bard, Bay and maybe Lowrie. Spend some money and make better FA decisions with it because this team is not getting better. Nuff ’Ced

Hey Sox,
Stop talking and start hitting.

I realize lots of fans have panicked, and it’s no fun losing ground to the Yankees. But there’s lots of positive news.

1) The game-one blowout? That, at least, signaled the end of the Smoltz experiment. No surprise to see the guy get hammered, but hey, now he’s gone. Whoever takes his place will be an improvement, so things are looking up there.

2) The Beckett loss? Yeah, tough loss. But it’s not like the team wasn’t competitive. Lots of character, lots of heart shown all around. Especially from the ’pen.

3) The Buchholz loss? Uh, did you NOTICE how well Clay did under pressure? That’s an extremely positive sign, and outweighs the loss, in my book. (SoxAcumen is dead on about this.)

“If the Yanks win today you could reasonably say the divisional race is over.”

That’s what Yank analysts were saying when the Yankees were 0-for-whatever against the Sox. They said the season was over. They were wrong. So is this.

“With the Sox upcoming brutal svhedule , if they lose this game”

Wrong again. The Yankees’ schedule is FAR worse than the Sox’.

I like Lester over Petite today. It’s a long way from over. But here’s what the Sox need to do the rest of the way:

1) Replace Ortiz at DH. That ship has sailed.
2) Get Reddick out there in left, or to spell Drew and Ells. Do NOT put Youk out there again, unless it’s in Fenway (where he can handle it).