The early half of today’s doubleheader doesn’t need much more hype. We all know it features the major league debut of one Clay Buchholz (he of the two "H"s, not the two "C"s). It will also feature, potentially, a Wily Mo-less Sox team, as we all await word on the fate of the strikeout machine. Here’s to Clay making it five or six, keeping the Sox either ahead or withing a run or so, anything like that would be a huge accomplishment. We pre-dated our amnesty from our temporary hiatus in the comments earlier this week, so we’ll be tuning in, if not commenting frequently.
Go Sox!
P.S. The hiatus has been damn good for the mood, if anyone was wondering.
< P.S. The hiatus has been damn good for the mood, if anyone was wondering.>
I’m putting the over/under at the 4th inning for SF’s mood swing. :-)
5 innings, 3 runs? I’m not after miracles, just something to keep the Sox in the game.
im predicting the best game ever pitched in the history of the game..either 27 Ks or a perfect game on 27 pitches.
Definitely 27 K’s, Ric- that would put Clay at 81 pitches for the game.
I’m with Devine. Just a good, steady outing, and hope the bats bring enough to win the game. Luckily, the Angels are pitching Santana, who’s been horrible this year, and was just brought up from AAA for this game.
Been really looking forward to seeing Clay pitch for some time. Hope we can start mashing the ball again against a very mediocre pitching staff (IMO), also minus that *&?! K-Rod too.
Isn’t it Santana that has been so terrible on the road too?
im sorry- to clarify, i meant a 27k game or a game in which he justs throws 27 pitches and gets 27 outs on one pitch each ;)
Ya, that Santana game looks like a give me.. =/
Apparently Lackey is now pitching the day game. For some reason, Sciosia switched pitchers.
It’s a puzzling move to me. It practically screams to your team “screw it, let’s go for a split.”
Guess who just hacked the internet connection at work so he can watch streaming media!
Now I just have to hope nobody comes into the PC Lab while I’m yelling at the ump.
Wait, Clay is pitching against Lackey?
Thanks for ruining my day, Sciosia.
Here’s hoping the Baseball Gods put the hoo-doo on Mike Sciosia for ruining a great pitching matchup. They will surely be displeased.
What’s up with Pena?
The picture of Clay at RedSox.com is scary-looking. Didn’t they have anything more flattering?
I’m in the minority here, but I just can’t get too hyped up about these rookie debuts. On the one hand, the rookie has an advantage in that he hasn’t been seen before by the hitters; on the other, you’ve got rookie nerves. That should balance out, but really it’s kind of an artificial situation, and not much of a test of how someone is going to do in the long haul.
Look at the Angels’ Ervin Santana — he seemed like a sure thing not so long ago.
All that said, I’m obviously rooting for the Sox to take both games.
From ESPN.com:
“(Ervin) Santana went 0-4 with an 11.74 ERA in his last four starts for the Angels before he was sent down to the minors on July 18. He’s 1-9 with an 8.79 ERA in 11 outings on the road this year.”
//Here’s hoping the Baseball Gods put the hoo-doo on Mike Sciosia for ruining a great pitching matchup. They will surely be displeased.//
Amen to that. Waiting for Lackey vs Beckett had me all hot an bothered for the last few days.
Gotta say, that’s a pretty wise move by Sciosia switching starts. Anaheim has to expect they have the edge now.
Figgins has been so damn hot lately.
Here we go, Clay. Show us something.
This first out will be a huge one.
Walked on 4 pitches. Kinda unsurprising. Just settle down.
Calm down, big guy. Don’t groove one to Orlando here.
Figgons will be taking off here and taking advantage of Clay’s nerves..
Whoa…that 1-1 to Cabrera definitely indicates some nerves, I think.
Okay, there’s your first major league out. See? You get outs here the same way as in the minors.
Todd- I don’t think it’s a smart move by Sciosia. He’s essentially throwing away the night game, and he has no idea how Buchholz will do in the first game. Plus, he had his ace change his routine.
He’s increased his chances of getting a split, but there’s still a decent opportunity for the Sox to get a sweep.
oh my god.
Ugh. Drew should be shot in the toe for muffing that one.
…wow. Not even Wily Mo would have dropped that soft line drive.
he didn’t need that, JD. He’s nervous enough for christ’s sake.
Drew is now my least-favorite Red Sox. Jesus.
And then there’s this guy…how’s the reception for Matthews? (Can’t hear it, only see it here.)
So far a little bit of everything – Buchholz starts wild, can’t find the zone, walks Figgins. Then he gets Cabrera to pop on a nice fastball with movement, then gets Vlad to line softly to Drew, who drops the ball (actually lets it glance off his glove) putting runners at 2/3 with one down instead of a man on first with two out. Anderson taps weakly to first, scoring Figgins, now two outs.
Buchholz looks about 12 years old.
And a K! Decent inning from Buchholz, should have been through it unscathed – JD owes him one.
Gary “I love Yankees fans” Matthews Jr. strikes out. I love Clay already.
The hardest part is over, kid. It’s all downhill from here.
Got him swinging. Good inning, all told. Would have been very good (with just the lead-off walk) if not for Drew making it “interesting”.
Come on guys, give the boy some support. Don’t make him pitch in a loss-situation the entire game.
Buchholz may never forgive JD for that one.
Nice to know the kid (who is, what, three years younger than me–so I can totally call him kid) didn’t fold under the pressure of 2 RISP with 1 out.
Youk continuing to struggle big-time, looking lost up there. I wonder what’s going on – is he just regressing, or is he establishing himself as just a first-half player? He needs to put up better numbers in the coming weeks, frankly – he’s too important.
Youk needs to start laying down some sac-bunts. He’s slumping too much NOT to move the runner over.
Pedroia standing at second with none out – how far will he get?
Papi!
YEEEEEESSSSSSS!!! Papi!!!!
YES! YES!
Two-run homer removes the need for two-out clutch hitting. Phew.
Hey Ayuh, I think you were right with regards to the baseball gods being angered.
We’re a triple away from hitting for the cycle this inning! Come on Drew, pay Clay back for your “I’m daydreaming of Jessica Biel when I should be catching a routine fly ball” play.
Drew gets some respect back with that one.
…holy crap I just predicted the future
This is truly beautiful.
Well, guess I was dead wrong about Lackey today, thankfully. Let’s hear it for the Angels throwing BOTH games away.
4-1 after Lowell’s soft single to left.
The offense just showed how they feel about Clay. About time a deserving pitcher got some support.
Lowell singles, Lackey getting talked-to.
Well, Drew and Buchholz are all square now.
4-1 lead for the Sox. One out in the first, Lowell on first. Super start for the “O” so far.
Hey now! I step away for a minute and looky here.
Awfully kind of the guys to pick Clay up after that weird first inning.
Lackey is something like 12-3 in night games. Not sure why Scoscia made the switch. Lackey also has a 7.46 career ERA (and rising) at Fenway, so maybe it doesn’t matter.
Let’s hear it for the Angels throwing BOTH games away.
Come on, it’s the first inning of the first game. No silly jinx-worthy comments like this allowed. Take it back, now!
Hey now! I step away for a minute and looky here.
Awfully kind of the guys to pick Clay up after that weird first inning.
And Drew redeems his error as well with a triple, 4-1 Sox.
I take it back for him.
Sure would be great to chase Lackey early. That would teach Scoscia a lesson about maneuvering for a split… Gotta play to win.
I can’t help noting (I’m not one for jinx superstition) that a win in the first game creates the opportunity for Beckett to become the sole 16-game winner in the A.L.
sox hitting like they want beckett to win the cy, 35 pitches so far for lackey.
Everybody hits! Even Belli… with a double. 5-1 Sox, two outs, Lackey at 35 pitches already.
omg, you’re right.. I take it back. I take it back. I get a little excited when the offense starts rolling.
Now Cora joins the party with a double, 6-1 Sox. Amazing offensive pile-on here. (Who do they think they are, the Yankees?)
Let’s hope Buchholz is using this time to clear his head of any remaining jitters, rather than getting cold on the bench…
Wow.
Everyone’s getting in on the act… Did Beli hurt himself coming around third? FWIW..who is the emergency catcher? Lowell?
The Baseball Gods HAVE spoken!
Oh dear…is Mirabelli okay? Clearly limping his way home when he came around to score.
Well, that was a quick game.
Oh now, Lar, we do have a rook on the mound, and that may be all we can do against Lackey. It ain’t over by any stretch.
DPed ends the carnage.
Lackey at a whopping 46 pitches after one inning.
(I could see Hinske backup catching. Or imagine WMP back there. He could just block the ball with his body, forget the glove.)
I’m not trying to reverse jinx, but apparently the same Angels team that plays (and own) the Yanks aren’t the same Angels team that plays the Sox!
The Sox always seem to have problems in Anaheim, but we do seem to do well against the Angels in Fenway.
Tek in the game now.
Globe reports that Pena isn’t in the Sox’ clubhouse, didn’t show. I don’t think he’ll be donning the chest protector any time soon.
Funny – I have the day off, was hoping to see Buchholz pitch, but now the kids (who were napping) are going to wake up, and the Sox spent all of nap-time at the plate! I might only get to see a few outs of Buchholz’ work. No complaining about the reasons for that, though!
lackey’s era went from 3.07 to 3.39. beckett has to be happy.
wily mo traded to the nationals apparently.
For those watching…How has Clay looked?
Zam (the good one) signs for 90 mil, 5 years.
Santana’s contract is going to be insane.
wily mo is going to DC for $$$ and a PTBNL.
http://tinyurl.com/ys5uvn
Didn’t see this yet so here it is…
Wily Mo Pena was traded to the Washington Nationals for cash considerations and a player to be named later (After the season when the player wouldnt need to clear trade waivers)
Well YFIB I shoulda refreshed before i posted that huh :p
Mirabelli is out of the game…. gonna be a long day for Tek
no harm, no foul.
DP. Out of the inning is Buchholz.
6 runs on 7 hits… that’s the efficient hitting I’ve been missing all year.
Dougie limping after scoring, hopefully it’s nothing bad. We don’t want to wear out ‘Tek for the night game, ESPECIALLY since we don’t need ‘Teks extra offense in this blowout.
Rob,
Clay is still showing some nervousness (he’s been pretty innacurate with his fastball) but he’s working through it. He’s got some pretty wicked stuff, and his curveball is downright sick.
Amalie Benjamin says that the Mirabelli injury would effect the Ellsbury callup…. because theres no way Tek can catch both games.
With Pawtucket in Ottawa it could be a squeeze to get someone here from AAA in time. Dusty Brown and John Otness are on the AA roster in Portland and a trip down to Fenway certainly could be made in time.
I love that Angel bullpen is up and warming in the bottom of the second.
Uh oh, intentional beaning of Manny despite the 0-2 count. Lackey didn’t like something Manny yelled out after he fouled off the 2nd pitch.
Let it be known that this is the day where I have officially given up on the division race.
I am not allowed to celebrate in case the Yankees win.
I wonder if Tek could play both ends, and Mirabelli be healed up enough to give him a rest tomorrow.
thanks Atheose…normal North Carolina blackout.
Oh and Brad, you must not be watching because, actually, the Angels bullpen STILL isn’t throwing.
The Red Sox have open spots on the 40 man so if the Mirabelli injury is serious enoiugh they can DL him and call up a catcher without having to designate someone so Ellsbury could still come up too.
Bring up Ellsbury or Kielty?
The radio guys said that the bullpen was up. I’m not watching, I’m listening.
Ellsbury is suppose to take Buchholz spot after this game then be sent down after tonites game or tomorrows game and Kielty would be called up.
I think they HAVE to bring up Kielty or lose him.
damn..stranded the all those runners.
you guys should jump over and read the LoHud comments on this game and the Jimmy Fund. It’s pathetic, and makes me glad we have a site like this one.
Kind of a shame, that inning, could have buried them to the point where there’s no coming back. Still, at least there were more pitches. 65 on the day for Lackey after 2.
Who’s gonna catch the nightcap?
Oh, okay Brad. Right after you typed that the bullpen was up Remmy said “No one warming up yet in the bullpen. The Angels need Lackey to eat up innings in this double-header.” Wasn’t trying to insult ya ;-)
Still 6-1, despite bases loaded. No need to make Papi try to score though, so no biggie.
Kielty has had the option to leave since Monday…. im sure they talked to him and told him, we want Ellsbury for friday nite and saturday cause were facing righties after saturdays game the spot is yours.
Gah, a five run lead is great, but it could have been/should have been more. Squander there – not sure why Hale held Ortiz (he looked like he would have been safe by a mile), other than to protect his health. Seemed overly prudent.
And the under wins at the 2nd inning!
Nice. Another DP. 2 down, nobody on for Buchholz.
Huh? No mood swing, just curious about the Ortiz non-send and mildly annoyed at stranding them loaded. That doesn’t qualify as a mood swing, hardly!
Especially important with Vlad up…
The Whiffy Mo era has ended.
http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/247362
Anderson K’s. Buchholz looking pretty good.
Don’t be so pessimistic, SF. 6 runs on 9 hits (with 0 walks) is pretty damn good for a final box score, let alone after only 2 innings.
51 pitches through 3; 30 strikes. Not the most efficient, but pretty nice considering the 1st went longer than it needed to. I’d rather be at my local sox bar than at work, but i’ll take the game so far…
The best part about the huge first inning against Lackey? It pushes his ERA up to 3.35, which is now higher than Beckett’s 3.24. Beckett is now the clear-cut favorite for Cy Young.
Brad…Lohud is so out of control today it is not funny. I have watched that blog before and Abe gets on them usually when things are getting out of hand. Not sure why he hasn’t jumped in today.
Gary Matthews Jr. strikes out AGAIN. Definitely liking this kid, especially now that he’s settled down after having some first-inning jitters.
Also, this is the first inning where the lead-off man did not reach base.
I think the Cy Young (so far) should go to Bedard, though that could obviously change inside of the next two weeks, let alone the rest of the season.
Hey Rob, what Lohud thread are you talking about? I can’t find it.
Yes Devine… I think Bedard is the favorite by a very slim margin right now…
I made a spreadsheet to compare states of the top 12 cy candidates and ranked each in 14 differenct categories. a 1 if they lead the group all the way to 12 if they were the worst in the stat group… i then averaged it out and Bedard was first with an average of 4.214286 and Beckett was second with a 4.571429 Lackey was 6th with a 5.857143 tied with Santana.
Sweet! Going well for Buchholz through 4.
That’s awesome, TJ. That’s the kind of thing I do with a spare hour or two, so I can totally appreciate making that spreadsheet.
Ah, Youk gets a hit. I’ve been feeling so down on him recently that I’m glad to see it (I too have been wondering if he’s going to just be a first-half player).
Wow, that LoHud thread is a train wreck, though to be honest the wreck was initiated by one single poster, it’s clearly not the work of a community. We should be careful not to imply that the lot of the commenters over there share the sentiments of the troll who started the downhill skid of that thread.
http://yankees.lohudblogs.com/2007/08/17/today-in-the-journal-news-119/
That’s the thread Atheose.
I agree SF, it is one poster who is also trolling under aliases to start crap. Damn shame.
Thanks Rob.
Drew is on fire, 3-3. Definitely making up for his error.
I’m upset that I have to share our supply of Oxygen with guys like that troll.
Brad, he is an air thief. To even make comments like that is a shame.
SF..is that you who posted under YanksSox?
SF..is that you who posted under YanksSox?
I’ve wondered that myself before when reading through the threads over there….
Reminds me of “nick from Washington Heights…ha
Angels have something going. Now 7-3 with 1 out, runners at the corners.
A liner turns into a DP, thankfully, and ends the inning.
4 singles in a row, but then the bleeding stopped by Youk.
I almost never post at LoHud, but when I do I post as “SF”, like here, and link to our site.
So no, it wasn’t me. What did the person say?
Well, I imagine that’s it for Buchholz (isn’t there an 80 pitch pitchcount?). A middling debut, from my standpoint. Flashes of brilliance, but inefficiency (10 baserunners in 5 innings, three DPs) and erratic control make it into a solid, if unspectacular, start. Good to have the lead, hopefully the pen can hold on and let Josh do his thing tonight.
Is it supposed to rain tonight? Connecticut is looking pretty gloomy out right now…
Numerous comments about Sam being an ass.
God bless Coco!
Been a while since I’ve said that.
Didn’t really call him an ass, just the comments about the Jimmy Fund being for Cancer and not mental or physical handicapped people. There was an underlying insuation that Sam was an ass.
In all fairness, Sam is the only one. The other posters all told him that he was being a dick.
Constiglione says that Clay is coming back out for the sixth…I thought he was on a limit?
Tito should have someone ready – no reason to let this kid’s successful start end in anything other than a win chance.
Wow, Buchholz out for the 6th. Why is Tito doing this? The kid is on an 80-pitch limit, and he got knocked around horribly last inning. Like SF said, this kid shouldn’t get anything other than a W.
Tito leaving him in even after the ground-rule double? This is looking like a Grady Little moment.
Aybar bunts him over to 3rd, which is idiotic in a 3-run game. Your outs are precious, Scosia.
Leadoff double, then a close play at first for the out. I don’t get this non-pitching change. With Beckett going tonight, why not use a strong, rested bullpen to try to lock it up?
Very questionable move here from Francona, particularly with the rookie over his pitch limit.
Atheose, the overs have it. It took til the sixth inning for our zombie manager to work his magic.
Actually, I take that back. It wasn’t zombie managing, it was just questionable managing. I understand why Tito did what he did, but it seemed too capricious, considering tonight’s second game starter.
7-4, two outs now.
That should certainly do it. Maybe he wanted one less inning out of the bullpen for the doubleheader? Well…let’s hope that run in the 6th doesn’t make the difference.
Clay ends his day on a strikeout, but gave up another run. 3ER over 6 innings rather than 2ER over 5. It was completely unnecessary for Tito to test him like that.
And Buchholz gets a whiff to end the inning. Bullpen for three now, with a three run lead.
5th K for Buchholz. Angels got one more, meanign Clay has only given up 3 Earned Runs. Agaisnt the Angels? Thats pretty damn good.
m home, breifly, for my lunch break.. this will certainly make the last 2 hours of my shift better!
He only ended up with 91 pitches (according to Gameday). That’s only 11 pitches over what I had heard was an 80 pitch limit. I’m pretty sure he has hit/exceeded that number this season.
Dushku?
Whats the word on Doug?
WIll Tek catch both games? Will we have to not call up Ellsbury to get a catcher?
So…this chick funny/smart? Interested in baseball? What’s she shilling for? (Again, no audio over here.)
Good wood for Drew, but right at a fielder. Damn.
7 LOB through six. Wish this game were really out of reach, the thirteen hits through 6 innings seem like they should have made this game a total laugher. The bullpen needs to come through.
Oki out for the 7th. Does this mean Gagne will pitch the 8th?
*shudder*
Oki time.
Wait.. Oki in the 7th?
Paps in the 9th…
Does that mean.. what I think it means? I’m gonna go vomit
I’m fine with Gagne in the 8th.
Well, you know, not fine, a little nervous, but relatively confident.
Seriously if its Gagne I’m gonna destroy Terry. If Gagne blows it, then I’ll destroy him as well
*eyes devine, wild-eyed* Are you mad?
He’s a good pitcher, really good.
I demand proof! No.. not the past.. I want proof that he’s good today! He already robbed us TWICE
2 Ks and a great play by Cora and the Angels go 1-2-3
Please don’t make me eat crow, baseball gods. Please? How ’bout the Sox score 5 here and everyone parties?
Bootcheck still? Can we get thsi guy out of the game so the Angels have less bullpen?
Oki is money.
Gagne is funny money.
Wait.. this is Elza Dushku? Rrrrrrooooowr.
Eliza Dushku may be one of, if no the, hottest thing in existance. Lowell pops out.
Who is this Bootcheck guy and why wont he suck?
Anyone know how Gagne has done against the Angels this season when he was with Texas? I assume they played a bunch of games, being in the same division
how many warning track looking outs did bootcheck give up? sheesh.
And can his name really be “Bootcheck”?
Do the Angels also have a reliever named “Hatrack”?
The other thing is that Oki just got the big hitters (including Vlad). If we’re gonna see Gagne, it’s probably better that it’s nearer the bottom of the order.
Ah, more Okajima. Maybe just the lefty? Maybe Gagne for the 9th?!!!
Anderson leads off with a single. DP, please?
Only Papelbon warming, it looks like.
Devine. Seriously. I’ll die.
Back to work I go. GO SOX!
Vic: Oki’s back out, but for what it’s worth, Gagne against the Angels has 4.0 IP with 2 hits, 2 BB, 3 Ks, and no runs this season.
Oki out for the 8th. Whew.
He gives up a single and then a long fly-out, but it’s all good. Just get us 2 more outs bud.
Two on, one out. Tying run up to the plate.
This two-inning Oki experiment is in grave danger of not working out.
Guess this means Gagne will be used to close the nightcap, if the situation warrants it
That’s a huge strike out there.
2 down. C’mon, Okajima!
Papelbon in with the tying run at the plate….
C’Mon Paps!
Paps for 4 outs.
Paps coming in for a 4-out appearance. Makes sense since it’s righty-on-righty, but the guy is only batting .195.
This is the most important out of the game…
…he gets it!
Two pitches is nice
I wonder what will happen if it’s a close game tonight? Figure they won’t use Papelbon again. Something like Timlin-Gagne for the 8th and 9th? Hopefully it goes like it would on paper, and it’s about 6-1 Sox in the 8th tonight.
Dingdingdingdingdingdingding! Pedroia! 8-4.
Dustin Sequoia!!!
Pedroia the Destroia.
Devine: call my crazy, but I’m worried about Beckett tonight. If Andy Sonnanstine cruise against the Sox, why not the Lesser Santana? And Beckett’s home/road splits are crazy — he’s got a 4.50 ERA at home and 1.65 ERA on the road.
Now, a 4.50 ERA should still be enough to get it done tonight, but you never know, especially if the Sox turn out to have turned in all their offense for the day in this game.
Manny-hating Yanks fans should be happy with that one.
it’s hard to sweep a double header, so of course tonight’s game is no gimme. but you have to at least like our chances. if you don’t know what is actually going to happen, Beckett v Santana isn’t too hard on the eyes for a Sox fan.
That’s cool, stuck working, I can see your fears. Did the Sox have any history with Sonnanstine? Do they with Santana the Pretender?
Before he got sent down, the Other Santana started one game against the Sox at Fenway, going 4 innings with 5 ERs. Never faced Boston last year. And that was Sonnanstine’s first time facing the Sox.
Vic makes a good point — unless Beckett throws a complete game, Gagne is virtually certain to appear in the second game.
From Boston.com:
“Catcher Kevin Cash is currently being flown from Ottawa (where the PawSox play tonight) to Boston. Cash has experience over four major league seasons, three with the Blue Jays, one with the Devil Rays. He has 472 major league at bats. That would mean Cash — if he gets to Boston in time — could start the second game of the doubleheader, with Jason Varitek having had to fill in today.”
Peace be with you, Figgins. You are not the first to fall victim…
I hate the idea of Cash with Beckett tonight. Hopefully, there will be a ton of shakeoffs..
That actually makes me feel a little better, stuck working. I mean, that they’ve hit Santana before and that Sonnanstine was one of those “Oh, we’ve never faced him, oh, we suddenly suck” things the Sox are prone to in recent years.
They play the games for a reason, blah blah blah.
Why not throw Kotteras into the fire and make it Rookie Debut Day?
Teh Red Sox are teh winnorzzzzz!!!!111!!!11!
Clay has his first major-league win!!
Yeah, I agree, Devine, although Brad’s point about Cash is a good one, too. Mostly, I’m just trying to work on not counting chickens, etc.
Anyway, I don’t want to be a nay-sayer. Let’s celebrate this one and the (temporary?) return of a 6 game lead.
Awesome day for Clay, that’s a great feeling. Happy for him!
SIX GAMES UP!! :D
One down, one to go…