The Final Lineup

It's here, it's here! Game 162! The end to all suffering!

This is the last time we will see a lineup this bad! The last time we'll see Daisuke take the mound for the Red Sox! The last, the last, the last!

Never before have I been so happy to see this particular season go, and hopefully I never will again. Tonight we end a year of misery, begin an offseason with some reasonable promise, and look to a brighter and better future that has no Daisuke Matsuzaka or Bobby Valentine in it.

Knock on wood. Knock on oh so very much wood.

Boston Red Sox (69-92)

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Daniel Nava, L
4. Cody Ross, RF
5. James Loney, 1B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
7. Ryan Lavarnway, DH
8. Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
9. Jose Iglesias, SS

New York Yankees (94-67)

1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Ichiro Suzuki, LF
3. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
4. Robinson Cano, 2B
5. Nick Swisher, RF
6. Mark Teixeira, 1B
7. Curtis Granderson, CF
8. Raul Ibanez, DH
9. Russell Martin, C

Red Sox 3, Yankees 4: To The Bitter End

The 2012 Red Sox were the 2012 Red Sox to the bitter end, blowing a late lead to let the Yankees triumph.

Game 161

Tuesday Red Sox Lineups: Dustin Pedroia Breaks Finger, Bats Second

Say what you will about the wisdom of the decision. Say what you will about the negligence of those who should perhaps be making it. Say what you will about the season and how awful the team has been. Tonight, Dustin Pedroia will play second base and bat second despite having been told he has a broken finger.

In an all-but-pointless Game 161.

There's a lot to hate about this team. Dustin Pedroia contributes nothing to that tally. His year may not be as amazing as we've come to expect (though it's still plenty good), but only because he's already taken one for the team and played through injury before. On a club which has lost much of its identity over the last five years, he stands out with David Ortiz as an anchor.

Boston Red Sox (69-91)

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Daniel Nava, LF
4. Cody Ross, RF
5. James Loney, 1B
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
7. Ryan Lavarnway, DH
8. Pedro Ciriaco, 3B
9. Jose Iglesias, SS

New York Yankees (93-67)

1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Nick Swisher, RF
3. Alex Rodriguez, 3B
4. Mark Teixeira, 1B
5. Robinson Cano, 2B
6. Russell Martin, C
7. Curtis Granderson, CF
8. Eduardo Nunez, DH
9. Ichiro Suzuki, LF

Red Sox 2, Yankees 10: Failures

The Red Sox fell to the Yankees 10-2 Monday night in a game that actually mattered, reintroducing Red Sox fans to their old friends: disappointment, anger, and most of all pain.

Game 160

Monday Red Sox Lineups: The Horror

This being the series that we Red Sox fans would actually really like to win, it would've been nice to see all hands on deck for game 159.

Instead...instead we've gone lower. Lower than ever before. To a place no lineup should go in the major leagues. This is a lineup that could make Daisuke Matsuzaka look good!

No Pedroia--he may have broken his finger diving into second--no Ellsbury, no nothing. Cody Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are the only players in the lineup who started the season with the team. The rest is comprised of flotsam and minor league depth and broken dreams.

And, yes, it includes that least dynamic of duos at the bottom.

Boston Red Sox (69-90)

1. Pedro Ciriaco, 2B
2. Daniel Nava, LF
3. Cody Ross, RF
4. Mauro Gomez, 1B
5. Ryan Lavarnway, DH
6. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
7. Danny Valencia, 3B
8. Che-Hsuan Lin, CF
9. Jose Iglesias, SS

New York Yankees (92-67)

1. Derek Jeter, SS
2. Ichiro Suzuki, LF
3. Alex Rodriguez, DH
4. Robinson Cano, 2B
5. Mark Teixeira, 1B
6. Nick Swisher, RF
7. Curtis Granderson, CF
8. Russell Martin, C
9. Eric Chavez, 3B

Series Preview: New York Yankees

In Boston's final series of the year, they will have a hand in where New York places in the playoff race.