Orioles Updates.

I was poking around trying to find out something about the Orioles call-ups when I came across the bit of news that David Pauley, or rather David Pauley's girlfriend, had a baby. She's a sickly little mite so hopefully everything goes well for her in the future. And it's probably a good thing that Pauley didn't get a call-up this September.

As for who they did bring up, they went with pitchers Alberto Castillo, Matt Albers, and Dennis Sarfate (all of whom we've seen before) and outfielder Jeff Fiorentino. We last saw Fiorentino playing for the As in Tokyo spring 2008--he had a pinch hit single off Bryan Corey--in the second game. He was a September call-up for the Os in 2006, as well.

Also, the Yankees seem to have gone on a spree wherein they break the opposing team's best player. Yesterday, Sabathia took out Carlos Pena *tilde implied* for at least the season with a fastball to the hand and in their last swing through Baltimore, they busted Adam Jones' ankle. Caution is advised.

I May Need to Stop Going to the Movies.

Including today, I've gone to the movies four times since the baseball season began; on three of those days the Sox lost their game and I'm fairly certain that they didn't lose on the other occasion only because they didn't have a game to play. [Aside: Orphan isn't too bad. It's not fabulous but it is creepy. And the makeup at the end is very impressive.]



I'm not entirely ready to jump on the John Smoltz is done train. (It may just be because I tend to be very contrary.) They think he's fine and I don't suppose I'm in any place to disagree with them. I suppose any of the team's other pitchers would have had a good chance of getting the loss it the offense only managed to get two runs for them. Blah.

How'd You Like Them Apples?

Because I liked them just fine; crispy and sweet like a cameo or a gala.

Admittedly, I spent much of the game muttering to myself that it was pathetic that the first series they dropped in a long time was going to be to the Orioles. To freaking Baltimore. But in the end they had a little magic of their own. And as I was in the process of telling Rocco Baldelli that he needed to shave his moustache because it looks ridiculous (my efforts to stop talking to the television have been ineffective) he tied the game. (So...I suppose that he can keep it, if he really wants to. It's not as bad as the beard but that's not saying much.) And then Lugo came through and there was great joy.

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit.

Having calmed down to the point where I'm less annoyed with this past performance, I've come to the realization that it's better for the bullpen to fall apart against the Orioles than (sorry Os) against some team that really matters (NY or Tampa being the biggest culprits.) It still sucks but to a slightly lesser degree.

*Blink*

What the hell was that? Seriously. Nine to one *scratch that* ten to one lead, it looks like everyone is just going through the motions to get to tomorrow's game. And then the bullpen just falls apart. Georgie K. gets thrown out at the plate. And then it gets worse. I hope that you're sufficiently embarrassed boyos because that was embarrasing. I'm pretty sure that Theo's fabulous bullpen isn't supposed to do that. Ten runs in two innings? Really? I had been feeling a bit bad for Hill (being a local boy and all) but I guess he didn't need it. Beckett will have to be aces tomorrow, that's all there is to it.

Apple Core.

It's been awhile since we've seen the Orioles; April 17-20 during the eleven game winning streak. But the Os of April are not the Os of late June/early July. This team has given Adam Eaton and Jamie Walker the axe. They've lost Cesar Izturis, Dennis Safarte, and Lou Montanez *tilde implied* to injuries. They've sent Radhames Liz (who was great fun: one third of an inning on April 20, allowing six runs) and Chad Moeller to the minors. They've gotten Melvin Mora back and traded Ryan Freel (Masterson plunked him in the head) to the Cubs. And they've also added Matt Weiters, Nolan Reimold, and a couple of pitchers along the way.

One of their new pitchers, Jason Berken, pitches for Baltimore tonight. Berken throws a low-nineties fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a low-eighties change up. He's not overpowering and relies on good control. That said, he's averaging two walks a start and going only a little over five innings a start. He's quite hittable with pretty even splits (.290 for lefties, .288 for righties).

Mass. native Rich Hill gets the start on Tuesday. Hill throws an upper eighties fastball, a slow curve ball, and a lower-eighties change-up. He does get strike outs but he gives up too many walks. Left-handed batters do have a difficult time hitting him, though. Hitters also tend to have an easier time against him the second time through the order.

Brad Bergensen gets the start on Wednesday. He's another one of their new pitchers and one of the more promising. He throws a high-eighties fastball, a slider, a curveball, and a change-up. He's not a strike out pitcher but he does get a lot of groundballs. He's got good control; he doesn't give up too many walks. And he'll get pretty deep into the game. Left-handed batters have an easier time against him.

Robert Andino has been playing a decent shortstop since Izturis went down following an appendectomy. Matt Weiters is getting a lot of the playing time at catcher. Offensively, he hasn't shown a lot of power, he doesn't walk very often, and he strikes out too much. Nolan Reimold has become their everyday left-fielder. Reimold has plenty of power and walks quite a bit but he's not super fast and his fielding is a little sloppy.

Next Up: the Baltimore Orioles.

Having just taken two out of three from Texas, the Orioles are sitting pretty one game off the lead in the AL East. Looking at the scores (W10-9, W7-5, L6-19) you might think that the games were of the slug fest variety and while the Rangers hit their home runs, the Orioles only had one during the game in which they scored ten runs. What they did do was hit well with runners in scoring position--in that first game they had seven RBI singles. They also got hit up for three errors in the last two games. I tend to think that because Texas does not play baseball well it rubs off on their opponent and every one gets sloppy. I suppose if there was any hangover effect from playing the Rangers, the Orioles would have been re-hydrated by yesterday's off day.

Melvin Mora has hit the DL with a quadriceps injury, and Rich Hill and Alfredo Simon are out with an elbow problems. Mora and Simon were replaced by Matt Albers and Radhames Liz. Ty Wigginton has become the third baseman in Sad Sack's absence. [Nickname explanation: Melvin Mora always looks like he's about to start bawling. I know you play for Baltimore but it can't be that bad. Can it?] The loss of Mora is a blow to the team.

Pitching tonight for Baltimore will be Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie has gotten off to a good start this year. He's won both of his starts this season--one against New York on April 6 and one against Tampa on April 11. He went six innings each time, allowing three runs to New York and blanking Tampa. He has had issues with walks in the past but after walking three Yankees he didn't walk a Ray. He splits about evenly between lefties and righties, at about a 1-4. David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia have both had pretty good success against Guthrie in the past. Jason Bay, although he's only had three at bats against him, is two for three with a home run.

Saturday's pitcher for the Orioles is Adam Eaton. Eaton played for the Phillies last year and walked forty-four batters in nineteen starts (that's a BB/9 of 3.7, compared to Wakey's 3.0) He's made one start this year (against Tampa) in which he gave up four runs on eight hits with two walks and six strike outs. Lefties have traditionally hit him well. JD Drew is two for four with three walks and a strike out. Mike Lowell, on the other hand, has been completely mystified by Mr. Eaton--he's zero for ten, although he does have two RBI.

Koji Uehara is the Orioles' first foray into Japanese baseball players. And he's scheduled to start on Sunday. Uehara is pronounced U-eh-har-uh, that is: You (as in Youkilis), eh (as in Jason B'eh)--with a liaison between those two sounds--and hara (as if you were an actor in a movie set in Boston so you put on an exaggerated accent and were dropping your 'r's all over the place.) Uehara throws a low-nineties fastball, a fork ball, a shuuto, and a cut fastball. He had good control in Japan but is maybe having trouble with the American baseball because he's already walked five in two starts. He is generally around the plate and so does give up home runs. Against the Yankees, he lasted five innings and gave up one run on five hits, with one walk and no strike outs. Against Texas, he again lasted five innings but this time gave up seven runs on seven hits (including two home runs.) He walked four but struck out three.

Mark Hendrickson is likely to get the start on Patriot's Day. Hendrickson is a big lefty who played for Florida last season. He seems like a decent option for the back end of a rotation. But he does fall behind batters and he gets flustered when things don't go his way. He got the win against Tampa on April 10, giving up one run (a home run) on six hits, with two walks and two strike outs. Against Texas on April 15, he did not fair as well. He allowed two earned runs (nine total runs) on seven hits in three and two-thirds of an inning. He walked four, struck out two, and gave up a home run.

Their centerfielder, Adam Jones, may reach Torii Hunter levels of annoyance for me: he's good, if you ignore the strike outs. Nick Markakis, Luke Scott, Brian Roberts, and Aubrey Huff are all off to good starts as well. They've plugged Cesar Izturis into the hole at short stop. They have Felix Pie playing left field, which hasn't worked out all that well. And their bullpen is still somewhat problematic.

Moment 5.5: A High Five for the Ages.

A personally relevant joke: There are three kinds of people in the world: Those who can count and those who can't.

May 14. Boston at Baltimore.



It was certainly a fabulous play. Fourth inning. Runners at first and second, one out. A long drive to left field off the bat of Kevin Millar. Seemingly gone or, at least, off the wall. Instead, the ball is intercepted in an over-the-shoulder catch by Manny, relayed to Pedroia, tossed to Youkilis and Aubrey Huff is doubled up.



But the gem of the play was the brief time before Manny returned the ball to the infield. He was carried up the seven foot wall by a force known only to Manny Ramirez, reached out, and high-fived a fan. And then returned to the dugout absolutely delighted with himself.



This was Manny at his Manny-est and deserving of spot 5.5.

To Alex Cora, With Thanks.

Chim chiminey

Chim chiminey

Chim chim cher-ee!

A sweep is as lucky,

As lucky can be.

Chim chiminey

Chim chiminey

Chim chim cher-oo!

Good luck will rub off when

I shake 'ands with you

(Or blow me a kiss

And that's lucky too!)

Now as the ladder of life

'As been strung,

You may think a sweep's

On the bottommost rung,

Though I spends me time

In the ashes and smoke,

In this 'ole wide world

There's no 'appier bloke.

Up where the smoke is

All billered and curled,

'Tween pavement and stars

Is the chimney sweep world,

When the's 'ardly no day

Nor 'ardly no night,

There's things 'alf in shadow

And 'alf way in light.

On the roof tops of London

Coo, what a sight!

I choose me bristles with pride

Yes, I do.

A broom for the shaft.

And a broom for the flume.

Though I'm covered with soot

From me 'ead to me toes,

A sweep knows 'e's welcome

Wherever 'e goes.

Chim chiminey

Chim chiminey

Chim chim cher-ee!

When you're with a sweep

You're in glad company.

No where is there

A more 'appier crew

Than them wot sings

"Chim chim cher-ee

Chim cher-oo!"

On the chim chiminey

Chim chim cher-ee

Chim cher-oo!

Bang-A-Rang!

It was certainly a good night for Red Sox players called Jason. Jason Bay and Jason Varitek both hit solo home runs in the second inning. Jason Bay also hit a two-run home run in the eighth.

So woot for a win (especially after the head-scratchingly bad performance yesterday)! My admiration for Jon Lester (which tends to fade between his starts) is back at full strength. And kudos to David Ortiz for knocking in Pedroia with a double and then using his stealth speed to score on a fielder's choice.

Next Up: the Baltimore Orioles.

Brian Burres is up first for the Baltimore Orioles. Burres has faced the Sox once before this season. He threw four innings on June first and gave up seven runs on twelve hits (including two home runs-one of them was Manny's five hundred and first.) He walked one and struck out two. They were hitting him at a .571 clip. Overall, Burres does give up a lot of hits but not a lot of home runs. Lefties tend to have a field day against his sinking fastball, slider, and change up.

The Orioles starter for Saturday is Radhames Liz. Liz's fastball can reach the high nineties. He also throws a curve ball, a slider, and a change up. He's subject to bouts of wildness and he walks too many batters for comfort. He does get a good number of swings-and-misses, though.

On Sunday, the Orioles plan to start Daniel Cabrera. In three starts against Boston this season he's got a 1-0 record. He's given up eleven runs, twenty-three hits, and four home runs. He's walked six and hit two. He's given them two complete games so far this season and it's likely (given the state of Baltimore's bullpen) that they'll try to get the most they can out of him.

The new face on the Orioles offense is Brandon Fahey. He was called up when Alex Cintron went on the DL with a strained hamstring. In fifty at-bats he's got twelve hits (including five doubles and a triple), six RBI, a walk, and eight strike outs. He has made two errors defensively. Melvin Mora has gotten the errors under control at third to make him a slightly above average third-baseman. When I was thinking about what to write about the Orioles the other day, they were in an interesting spot. They had won forty-four games up to that point. They had lost forty-four games up to that point. They had scored four hundred and fourteen runs. They had allowed four hundred and fourteen runs. They've since dropped two games and ruined the symmetry but I liked it at the time.

Guthrie v. Lester (Game 69).

Jon Lester continues to impress. He went seven innings tonight and threw one hundred and one pitches. He pretty much plowed through the Oriole's lineup for the first five innings. He never faced more than four batters in those innings (well, except for when Millar fouled a pitch off his knee--My own wonky knee was extremely empathetic watching the replay. So, there's nothing but good thoughts for limited damage coming from this corner of the interweb--and had to leave the game, so it doesn't really count) and scattered only a handful of hits (two singles and a double) and a walk during that time.

He did run into a piece of trouble in the sixth inning. He gave up a double to the first batter but then got the next two out on a bunt bid gone wrong and a ground out to short. To the fourth batter of the inning he gave up a double that brought in a run. To the fifth batter of the inning he gave up a double that brought in a run. The next batter got a single but the last batter fouled out to first to get him out of there. In total, he gave up two runs on seven hits. His work in the seventh inning was much improved over the sixth. He struck out the first batter (his third of the night), the second batter grounded out, and the third batter popped out to short.

Manny Del pitched the eighth inning and did an excellent job. He struck out the first two batters-one swinging and one looking. The next batter reached on an error charged to Lugo but the last batter flied out to left. No damage done.

Mike Timlin pitched the ninth inning. He had a 1-2-3 inning and did a very good job of it. He got the first batter to ground out, the second to strike out (with three pitches), and the third to pop out to second. It was definitely good to see.

The Sox scored their first run in the second inning. With one out, Youkilis hit a single to center and moved to second on a ground out by Coco. He then came around to score on a single by Lugo.

The score didn't change again until the fifth inning. Ellsbury started things off with a single to right. After Pedoria flied out, Drew doubled to center. With runners on second and third, the Orioles (unlike Joe Girardi) decided to walk Manny to load the bases. Mike Lowell was having none of it, though. He took the second pitch he saw and deposited it in the monster seats for his tenth home run of the year, his eighth career grand slam, and his second grand slam of the season.

By the seventh inning, the Orioles had gotten themselves back in the game-they were only down by three. Manny started off the inning with a walk. Lowell struck out swinging but Youkilis hit a two-run home run to put the Orioles back in a five-run deficit.

In the eighth inning, JD Drew must have realized that a) he hadn't yet hit a home run in this game, and b) both Youkils and Lowell had been sitting on nine home runs and if he didn't hit another one soon they would pull ahead of him in totals. So with two outs and Pedroia on first after drawing a walk, Drew hit his tenth home run of the year to keep pace with Youkilis and Lowell, and to put the game even further out of reach of the Orioles.

Lugo did make another error tonight (number 13 for the season) but he played really well. Offensively: Besides the RBI single, he also had a double in the fifth. Defensively: He made some really nice plays tonight. He was moving around like he new exactly what he was doing; he fielded seven ground balls and a pop up cleanly. Also, it may just have been the frequency with which he was accumulating them earlier in the season but it seems like it's been awhile since there was an E4 on the board.

Olson v. Colon (Game 68)

Alright, El Barto! I've got to say that when I was trying to figure out pitching match-ups and which team was more likely to get the win through July (What can I say? I'm a plan-ahead type person.) I was, subconsciously, giving the win to Beckett and the loss to Bartolo every time they came up-until I realized it and felt bad that I was giving Colon so many losses-but I might have to rethink that strategy.

He went six innings tonight and threw only ninety-three pitches. He struck out seven, walked only one, gave up five hits but allowed only one run (on a home run), on the way to his one hundred and fiftieth career win. And he was a trooper-he took a line drive off the wrist of his pitching hand in the fourth inning but kept on pitching. It was a really nice rebound performance.

David Aardsma came out for the seventh inning and did pretty well. He was greatly aided by another really good catch by Drew and he did give up a double but his performance was book-ended with swinging strike outs. And as is always important to note when Aardsma pitches: no walks! (Although, he did twice go to a full count.)

Javier Lopez came out to pitch the eighth inning and faced three batters. He got the first one to strike out swinging. The second batter (a lefty) got a walk on five pitches. Luckily for him, the next batter grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Timlin came out for the ninth inning and didn't have it tonight. He gave up a double to the first batter and then gave up another to Millar to bring in another Orioles run (I guess that Millar's been getting too much heat from Baltimore to give his old buddy Timlin another break.) The next batter grounded out to second and the fourth batter of the inning lined out to first. The inning could have been over on the next play but Pedroia just couldn't handle it; the runner reached first on the error and Millar scored. The next batter singled and that was it for Timlin.

Papelbon was brought in for the last out of the ninth. With runners on first and second, the batter fouled off three pitches and took a low one for a ball before he grounded out to first to end the game.

Garrett Olson took an inning to settle down and the Sox took advantage of that. In the first inning, Ellsbury singled to start things off. Pedroia popped out for the first out. With Drew up to bat, Ellsbury took off for second after the third pitch but he must have mis-read the pitcher because the next thing thrown wasn't a pitch but a pick-off attempt. Luckily for Ellsbury, it got away from Millar and Ellsbury scooted over to third. With the pitcher's attention back on Drew, he swung and missed at a pitch before doubling to right and batting in Ellsbury. Manny grounded out to second for the second out and Drew moved over to third. Lowell was up next and drew a walk on four pitches-the last of which was in the dirt and rolled away from the catcher, allowing Drew to score. Youkilis got himself a walk. With Lowell on second and Youkilis on first, Varitek hit a home run to left to clear the bases and to put the Sox up 0-5. Coco lined out to end the inning.

They weren't able to do anything more to Olson until the sixth inning. Lowell opened things up with a home run to left. Youkilis would then double but was not be able to advance any further.

Both Varitek (in the third) and Lugo (in the fourth) grounded into double plays today but it's still an improvement over yesterday.

Cabrera v. Beckett (Game 67)

Blerg. Blerg, I say. Blerg for a crappy bullpen performance. Blerg for double plays.

That's not to say that Beckett pitched well tonight at all. He didn't. He threw one hundred and twelve pitches but only made it through only six innings. He did only walk one but he only got three strike outs. He gave up four runs on eight hits.

Okajima came out for the seventh inning and did an absolutely terrible job. He made it through only one third of an inning and only struck out the first batter he faced. He then walked a batter, gave up a double, and walked another batter to load the bases. He gave up a single that allowed two runs to score and tied the game.

They pulled him in favor of Delcarmen. Manny Del gave up a sacrifice fly to Millar that allowed the Orioles to take the lead before he got last batter of the inning to strike out swinging. He came back out for the eighth inning and got the first batter to ground out to first but then gave up a hit. Luckily for him, he got a fly out and a strike out to end the inning.

Hansen came out for the ninth inning and really struggled. He gave up a hit to the first batter, then got the next batter to ground into a fielder's choice-except when Cora flipped the ball to Pedroia he didn't aim well and everyone was safe. So with runners on first and third and still no outs, Hansen gave up another single to load the bases. Millar popped out to first for the first out. Then Payton grounded into a fielder's choice and Pedroia tried for the out at home but they couldn't make the play-one run in and the bases still loaded. The next batter singled to center-two more runs in. The misery was finally over when the last batter grounded into a double play.

Although they played some pretty defense early, the game was very sloppy offensively. Ellsbury started the game off with a single, Pedroia followed with a double, and Drew walked to load the bases. Manny then hit into a double play-on which Ellsbury would score. Lowell walked but Youkilis grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

In the second inning, Varitek singled and Coco walked. Then, Cora grounded into a double play and Ellsbury grounded out to end the inning.

In the third inning, Pedroia got a single and moved over to second on a wild pitch, Drew walked, and Manny got a single to load the bases. Lowell reached on a fielder's choice-in which they took the force out at second and Pedroia scored. Then, Youkilis grounded into a fielder's choice-in which they took the force out at second and Drew scored. Varitek struck out to end the inning.

In the fifth inning, Pedroia was hit by a pitch to start things off. Drew, continuing in his new role of big lefty on campus, followed him with a home run to right that gave the Sox the lead. And then Manny hit number 505 to left center. Lowell grounded out and both Youkilis and Varitek struck out to end the inning.

Coco started off the sixth inning with a single. Cora then grounded into another double play and Ellsbury grounded out to end that inning.

In the eighth inning, Lowell walked. Youkilis struck out. And Varitek grounded into yet another double play.

Not a well played game-I seem to recall them having the same issue with double plays the first time down in Camden Yards. There were a couple of good defensive plays, though. Youkilis made a nice grab on a line out to end the second inning. Coco made a leaping catch at the wall to end the fourth inning. Varitek had a very accurate throw to catch Markakis stealing in the fifth. And they managed to turn a double play in the sixth. I guess there's always tomorrow.

Wakefield v. Guthrie (Game 60)

What is it precisely that Tim Wakefield has to do to get a win? I'm sure he'd like to be reminded of what he has to do to get the batters to score runs for him, as well.

Wakefield went seven innings on one hundred and nine pitches. He walked more batters than he struck out (4-3) but he held the Orioles to two runs on five hits. It wasn't a perfect outing but it was good enough. He very likely could have had the win if the batters hadn't come down with another case of leavingrunnersonbaseitis.

Okajima came out for the eighth inning and just had a terrible time of it. He was having a great deal of trouble finding the strike zone-of the seven batters he faced, five of them saw first-pitch balls. He gave up three hits in a row to load the bases with no outs. Millar hit a sacrifice fly to bring in the tying run. The next batter got the second out by grounding into a fielder's choice to first-from the which they took the out at the plate. Okajima then reloaded the bases by walking the next batter. He then gave up a double that brought in three more Oriole runs. He was then pulled in favor of Lopez who who did a nice job of striking out the last batter on four pitches.

They had baserunners in every inning except the fifth but they only managed to move those runners across homeplate in the sixth, the seventh, and the eighth innings. In the sixth inning, Manny hit number 502 to right field for the first run. In the seventh inning, Cora drew a walk and then Cash hit a double to right that brought Cora in. And in the eighth inning, Youkilis walked, Manny hit a single and then they both moved up a base on a wild pitch. Then, Lowell got a basehit that brought in Youkilis for the last run they would score.

I suppose something good to take from the game would be that they made some good defensive plays. Coco made some very nice Coco-esque catches in center to give Wake a hand. And Cash had a very nice strike-him-out-throw-him-out play in the first inning to get out of a sticky situation.

Oh, well. It's not the end of the world.

Colon v. Burres (Game 59)

Bartolo Colon continues to quietly roll along, although not quite as smoothly as he had been doing. He went over six innings today, throwing one hundred and three pitches. He allowed three runs on seven hits (one of the runners he allowed to reach before he departed later came around to score.) He struck out five hitters and walked two. The Orioles were hitting him hard, though-he gave up two doubles and a homerun. He was allowed to come back out for the seventh inning but he looked absolutely disgusted with himself after he hit the first batter and walked the second. They banged the gong at that point and he was done.

Lopez was brought in to finish off the inning. He seemed to be having trouble throwing strikes but got lucky when the first batter he faced grounded into a double play (Lugo to Pedroia to Youkilis) but the first runner moved over to third. Millar got a single and an RBI as the runner on third came around to score. He then gave up another single before getting the last batter to fly out.

Hansen pitched the eighth inning and did a really good job of it. He needed only eight pitches to get his three outs. He got Jay Payton to strike out on three pitches. The second batter struck out after four pitches and the last batter took a chance, swung at the first pitch and grounded out to second.

The last pitcher of the game was Manny Del. He got a fly out from the first batter, a ground out from the second batter, he gave up a single to the third batter, but got Millar to pop out to Varitek to end the game.

The Red Sox offense showed up to this game in a big way. The Orioles pitching didn't have a 1-2-3 inning until the sixth inning (they also had 1-2-3 innings in the eighth and ninth.) Ellsbury started off the first inning by getting a single off the second pitch he saw (he was later caught stealing.) Youkilis also had a single in the inning but couldn't make anything of it because Manny flew out to center.

Lowell shot a double to right to open the second inning. Varitek got a basehit and moved Lowell over to third. Drew hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Lowell for the first Red Sox run. Bailey struck out for the second out (it very easily could have been a walk instead.) Lugo had a single but Ellsbury struck out to end the inning.

In the third inning, Pedroia and Youkilis both got singles to start things off. With Youkilis on first and Pedroia on third, Manny hit a double that brought in Pedroia for the second run. Lowell hit a sacrifice fly to move Manny to third and to bring in Youkilis for the third run. Varitek lined out but Drew hit a single that brought in Manny for the fourth run. Bailey walked but Lugo popped out to end the inning.

In the fourth inning, Ellsbury bunted his way onto first but was knocked out when Youkilis hit into a fielder's choice, after Pedroia flew out. Manny then hit number 501 to right to bring in runs five and six. Lowell got his own homerun for run seven.

The Sox didn't score again until the seventh inning. After Varitek grounded out, Drew hit a homerun to right to give the Sox eight runs. Coco ran for Bailey after he drew a walk. Lugo grounded out and Coco moved to second. Coco came around to score on a single by Ellsbury for the ninth run.

Lester v. Olson (Game 58)

That was a very exciting game (that turned out to also be a lot of fun.) Not only because of Manny's homerun (more on that later-thoughts need to be collected) but because they repeatedly gave up the lead only to snatch it right back in the next inning, because Pedroia and Ortiz went back-to-back, because Ellsbury legged himself out a triple and stole three bases, because David Aardsma went two whole innings without walking anyone, because Alex Cora and Dustin Pedroia combined for an important (and impressive) double play, and because Youkilis booked it home to beat out a double play.

Lester didn't pitch poorly but his performance wasn't particularly good either. He threw one hundred and three pitches over the course of five innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits, walked three, and struck out four. He seemed to have lost some of his first-pitch strike magic; of the twenty-four hitters he faced only twelve of them got a strike on the first pitch they saw.

David Aardsma came in for the sixth and seventh innings and did a really good job. He faced six batters and sat them all down. The closest he came to walking anyone was two balls to three of the batters. He played really good defense, as well-twice the batter grounded out to first and he covered nicely for Youkilis.

Okajima appeared for the eighth inning. He threw ten pitches to four batters. He gave up a hit but got a strike out, a ground out, and a force out.

Papelbon came out for the ninth inning and seemed to be having a terrible time finding the strike zone. He got the first batter to strike out on three pitches. Then he gave up a single, and walked the next batter on five pitches (some of those balls were nowhere near being strikes.) The last batter lined into a pretty double play-Cora caught the ball for the first out and flipped it to Pedroia for the second out.

The first two runs the Sox scored were on back-to-back homeruns by Pedroia and Ortiz in the third inning. In the sixth inning, Lowell was hit by a pitch, moved over to second on a balk, moved to third on a single by Youkilis, and then came around to score on a single by Varitek. Ellsbury started off the seventh inning with a triple to deep right and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ortiz. And then Manny hit number 500 to right center. In the eighth inning, Youkilis was hit by a pitch and then moved to third on a single by Youkilis. Crisp grounded into a double play and Youkilis booked it home.

Some of the not so good news: Ortiz did something to his wrist in the ninth inning and had to be pinch hit for. They also left a lot of runners on base-the Orioles didn't have a single 1-2-3 inning.

Beckett v. Cabrera (Game 57)

It may have required a trip deep into the murky depths of the Orioles bullpen but a win is a win (and to go thirteen rounds only to be KO'd would suck.) If there's a game tomorrow (NOAA has a dismal forecast for Baltimore), someone needs to stress to Lester that he's going to have to throw strikes. There isn't enough left in the Sox 'pen for him to start messing about walking people.

And while it wasn't a bad performance, I can't imagine that Beckett is very pleased with the way he pitched tonight. He threw one hundred and eighteen pitches over six innings. He was having a very hard time finding the strike zone and repeatedly fell behind the hitter. He faced twenty-six batters and rode the count full to nine of them. Miraculously, he struck out ten of them and only gave up four hits. He did allow two runs-one on a homerun. He also had a truly bizarre sixth inning. He got two strike outs (both swinging) and then walked the next three batters to load the bases. [Aside: I did think that the difference between the crowd's reaction when Beckett nearly hit Millar and when one of the relievers nearly hit one of the other Orioles (I don't remember who was involved-it's all a blur) was amusing. It sounded as if the whole crowd gasped for Millar and I may have yelled at the television: Don't hit Millar! And the later incidence? Not so much.] I'm not sure I've ever seen Beckett walk three batters in a row. He did get the last batter to strike out, though.

The bullpen, normally not a particularly strong point, did a nice job tonight. They went seven innings and didn't allow any runs. The first out was Okajima. He went two innings, gave up a hit and struck out one.

Manny Del emerged to pitch the ninth. He got two quick outs (on a fly-out and a strike out) before giving up a basehit (the runner would later steal second, narrowly avoiding being caught by Varitek.) He then walked a batter but came back to get the last out on a ground out to third and a nice throw by Lowell.

Javier Lopez was brought out next to face two lefties. It was a typical Lopez performance. He vacillates between being good and being not so good. Today, he gave up a hit to the first batter after falling behind three and one (not so good.) But he got the next batter to fly out to center and didn't allow the runner to advance (good.)

With righty Millar coming up, Lopez got the hook in favor of Hansen. Hansen ended up pitching an inning and a third. In Lopez' inning, he got Millar to ground out, intentionally walked the next batter, and got the last batter to strike out swinging. In his own inning, he got a ground out, a strike out, and a fly out.

Timlin came out for the twelfth inning. I'll admit that I cringed at the prospect and it didn't look like it was going to go to well. He got the first batter to strike out but then gave up a double to the second. They intentionally walked the next batter to get to Millar. I think Millar might have a soft spot for Timmeeh-in the last series, Millar popped out harmlessly to short for Timlin and tonight he grounded out to short but didn't make a super effort to beat out the throw. Then with two out and runners on second and third, Timlin again intentionally walked a batter. The last out of the inning came on a bases loaded fly out to left.

Papelbon, finally, finished the game off. He got a ground out and two strike outs.

I think I may have said (or maybe I just thought it) that the Orioles were not a particularly error-prone team. I mean, they weren't perfect but they weren't doing that badly before tonight. They did just have an epic game against the Yankees a couple of days ago; so maybe they were just tired. Regardless, it was the Orioles' errors that allowed the Sox to win the game.

They scored two runs off Daniel Cabrera in the first inning and things were looking up (although, not too far up-the last time they played Cabrera they scored three runs off him in the first inning only to have the lead blown by Okajima and Jay Payton.) Ellsbury started things off with a double. Pedroia sacrificed to move him over and then Ortiz got a single to bring Jacoby home. Manny doubled and Ortiz moved to third. And then Lowell had a sacrifice fly that knocked in Ortiz.

Then Cabrera mostly settled down and the Sox returned to the leaving-too-many-men-on-base-ways that plagued them the last time they were down there. They left eleven of them there tonight and only scored on two out of fifteen opportunities. There was a funky little attempt at a suicide squeeze play in the second inning. Coco had drawn a walk but the ball got away from the catcher so he hustled his way to second base. He then stole third. Cora then attempted the bunt but missed and Coco was caught.

Offensively, nothing particularly interesting happened again until the ninth inning. Coco was the second to bat and on a three-one count the umpire called him out on strikes. Coco turned around and gave him a look that said: What the hell are you talking about? He stepped back into the batter's box and had some words for the umpire. The umpire was not to pleased to be hearing it from Coco; but honestly, if the umpire doesn't know the count, then it's a sad state of affairs. Francona had to come out to settle things down and then Coco popped-out to short. Not exactly poetic justice, but it is what happened.

The Sox were finally able to break through in the top of the thirteenth inning. After getting a second chance because the Orioles catcher dropped a foul ball, Ortiz grounded out to first for the first out of the inning. Manny reached on a throwing error and then took second while they were still trying to find the ball. Lowell got a basehit and Manny booked his way around to be the go-ahead run. Youkilis got a basehit and Lowell moved to second. Then the two of them paired up to double steal second and third. Varitek struck out for the second out of the inning. Coco was safe at first on the shortstop's throwing error. And then, while they were trying to retrieve the ball, Lowell came around to score, Youkilis came around to score, and Coco took second. Coco then took third on a wild pitch. Lugo drew a walk and then stole second. Ellsbury, unfortunately, struck out swinging to end the fun.

Next Up: the Baltimore Orioles.

The last time they played Baltimore things did not go swimmingly. In the first game, Beckett pitched poorly and in the second, the bullpen imploded on Lester. They were still trying to set the record for the highest numbers of men left on base in a season (they've since abandoned that goal in favor of obtaining the record for the fewest number of men to reach first base) the last time out. They also hit into a considerable amount of double plays. The one bright spot of that series was Manny's catch.

Daniel Cabrera goes tomorrow against Beckett. He throws a really good fastball and an excellent changeup, both with good movement. He had a reputation for wildness but he seems to have really worked at getting the number of walks he allows down this year. That said, he still has bouts of inconsistency-in his last start he walked six in five and two-thirds of an inning against Tampa. The Red Sox hit him well the last time around. They combined for a total of ten hits (including two homeruns, courtesy of Lowell and Varitek.)

Garret Olson makes the start against Lester on Saturday. Olson throws a fastball, a changup, and a curveball. He tends to not throw his changeup to left-handed hitters. He has exhibited both good command and good control. Walks have, supposedly, been a problem for him but I don't see it (although when he does walk people they are generally lefties.) He does a good job of keeping the ball down and getting groundball outs. He also has a high LOB percentage. He did get absolutely shelled by the Yankees two starts ago.

Brian Burres pitches on Sunday against Bartolo Colon. Colon really keeps lucking out on teams/pitchers he gets to face. Although it has a nice sinking action, Burres' fastball is nothing special (it rides in the high eighties.) He also throws a slider and a changeup. If his command is off, he's going to get in to trouble. He doesn't walk many batters and he doesn't strike out many batters but he does give up a good number of hits.

The last pitcher of the series will be Jeremy Guthrie. Guthrie has a deceptive fastball, a good slider, and a nice changeup. He keeps the ball down and induces a lot of groundball outs. Last time out he held the Red Sox to three runs on eight hits, giving up only two extra base hits (doubles for Ortiz and Manny.) He walked one and struck out seven.

Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts, and Luke Scott are probably the Orioles best hitters. Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff have been having decent seasons for themselves, as well. Brian Roberts has a team-leading thirteen steals on the season; he's also been caught stealing more times than most of the other batters on the team have successfully stolen a base. Melvin Mora should either not attempt to steal (he's been successful two out of the six times he's tried it) or he should pay closer attention to what's going on while he's on the basepath, so that he doesn't get picked off. The Orioles are not a particularly error-prone team (third baseman, Melvin Mora, has the most at seven.)

As a side note: Not that I would wish anyone hurt or anything, but if one of their pitchers should go down before a Red Sox series, then I hope that they make room for (and call up) Jon Leicester. The idea of a potential Jon Lester v. Jon Leicester pitching match up amuses me greatly.

Lester v. Cabrera (Game 43)

Flippin' heck that sucked. Lester had a pretty good outing, handed the game over to the bullpen with a one run lead, and they just didn't have it this afternoon.

Lester made it through six innings on eighty-six pitches. He gave up two runs on five hits but also struck out four. He made it to the fourth inning before he issued a walk (he also gave up a walk in the fifth inning) but neither of those walks proved to be troublesome for him. Both runs he gave up came in the sixth inning. He gave up a single, followed by a double. The next batter grounded out to short and a run came in. He, then, gave up another single that brought in the second Orioles run. He finished the inning strongly, though. He got the last two batters to strike out swinging.



Then came Lopez. Javier actually didn't pitch poorly. He got two quick outs to start the seventh inning but then gave up a hit. They took him out and replaced him with Hansen. Hansen gave up a hit and, then, walked a batter to load the bases. They pulled him and replaced him with Okajima. Okajima gave up a grand slam before getting the last out on a ground out to short. Okajima had a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth inning to end the game.



The offense started off strong again. Ellsbury opened the game with a single and then stole second. Pedroia followed it up with a single of his own (on which Ellsbury scored.)



And then came the double plays. Ortiz grounded into a double play in the first. Pedroia grounded into a double play in the third. Lowell grounded into one in the fourth. And then Youkilis grounded into one in the ninth. I suppose that's one way to stop leaving men on base but I'm fairly certain that it would be preferable to push them across the plate instead.



The other two Red Sox runs came off home runs. Varitek had a home run in the fifth inning and Lowell had one in the sixth.