The Red Sox have already had three 3-game losing streaks and a 6-game losing streak, 1/3 of the way into the season. Not sure this qualifies as anomalous or awful (Paul?), but it sure doesn’t inspire. We harped on the 2-10 start a lot early in the season, and while the Sox have played vastly improved baseball of late we are still experiencing the hangover of their god-awful start. The Sox, who have looked something more like world beaters for a long stretch now, are only 30-25, a truly mediocre record for a team with this talent.
Today the Sox try to avoid extending one of those three game streaks to four, and we aren’t optimistic. Yesterday’s regression for Aceves could easily happen to Tim Wakefield. The bats need to continue the late innings success from last night.
Comment about the afternoon action here.
101 replies on “Mid-Week Ball: Sox-Sox Gamer”
Not sure if this is kosher, but I completely didn’t realize this was a day game until two days ago so have 4 tickets I need to unload. $50 face value Right Field box 87 row MM aisle seats. Would be willing to do $150 for the bunch… Tickets in hand and could meet for the handoff.
hangover
i hear you sf…that awful stretch at the beginning will haunt them…we have a very different standings right now if all they do is split those first 10 games…they did have some good streaks during this hot stretch, and the yankees in the meantime are an enigma…they haven’t won more than 3 in a row, but they have a 3 game losing streak and a 6 game losing streak…since that 6 game losing streak, they’ve gone 10-4…i’m heading to the drugstore to get a case of antacid to get me through the rest of the season…do you want me to pick up some for you?…
You sound like a YF dude… :)
You sound like a YF dude… :)
krueg, you realize that you are the one who sounds nothing like a YF and more like an old-school SF, right?
With Paul and me I think there is a generational difference, I am the old one so still fall victim to the occasional bout of SF fatalism. Paul is much more of the oughts, his experience of Sox catastrophe is much less ingrained in him than it is in me. He is lucky that way.
Obviously kreug meant that you sound like a kreug.
Well, I am a YF in a Buffalo fan’s body so that’s my excuse…
What are you trying to say andrew???? ;)
A hit, a loud out, a loud foul ball, a K, and a popup. Typical Wakefield, whatever happens happens!
Papi continues his sound hitting, lining one to the gap in left for a double. He’s channeling Gonzo.
Crawford loops one to right and the Sox are in biz with 1/3 and nobody outs. Already four hits on the day in 1+ yet nothing to show. Let’s get some runs fellas.
Lowrie ground rule double, and the Sox are up 1-0. Crawford has to hold at third on the ground rule, costing the Sox a run (perhaps temporarily).
bot 2, 0 outs, Sox already have 5 hits but lead only 1-0.
Gavin Floyd getting beat around harder than the latest Breitbart lie.
Boston (like much of the northeast) is under a tornado watch this afternoon. Line of isolated storms from Maine to Virginia moving east.
Reddick fail. 10 pitch at-bat but he whiffs.
Impressive 10-pitch at-bat there by Reddick ends with a swinging K.
…
Salty follows with a 2-run single. 3-0. 1 out. Ells up.
Salty picks up Reddick and drives in the pair with a single.
SF, you’re a tough sell.
Ultimately a failure, yes, but Reddick’s 10-pitch at-bat was noteworthy, especially because he has a history of impatience at the plate.
Gonzo gets hosed, a liner hits off the pitcher and goes right to the third baseman, who nails Gonzo at first. That was a lost hit and a lost run. Sheesh.
Floyd kicksave (out goes 1-5) costs Red Sox a run, perhaps two given that Ells was on first with two outs.
Dale says he thinks the out was 1-5, liner off Floyd’s leg, deflected to Vizquel at third, where it was caught on the fly.
Two more balls laced by the Sox, but right at fielders.
Crawford goes down on a popup.
After winning AL POW, Carl is cold again.
I guess I can deal with a streaky Carl this year so long as he’s hot in the World Series.
A Wakefield HBP shouldn’t count.
Wake hits a rough patch, 3-1 Sox after 3.5 but it could have been worse.
The Sox need to increase their lead, for sure.
Paul is much more of the oughts, his experience of Sox catastrophe is much less ingrained in him than it is in me. He is lucky that way.
This is probably true. My Moment of Angst with the Red Sox came in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, which was wiped out just one year later. The Sox did plenty of losing when I was a kid, but they never did the classic “get this close and blow it” thing until I was in college.
MLB.tv failing for anyone else? Keep getting errors trying to connect. Grr.
Paul, call the mlb.com customer service number.
The Sox’ offense is getting quieter and quieter. 7 retired in a row now after all that early promise.
My Moment of Angst with the Red Sox came in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS
Just the fact that you used the singular “moment” is enough to prove my point! I had like 8.
Floyd now looking unhittable. Frack.
My MLBtv was excruciating, so I am now on my iPad MLB app, which is functional but massively pixelated.
Now the GAME, not just MLBtv, is excruciating. White Sox in tip-top shape here, 1/2 nobody out.
Big trouble for Wake.
Blown chance at big early damage looking ominous as Wakes’ wheels falling off.
My first Sox moment of angst was the Ed Armbrister game.
Double play ball that Pedroia doesn’t transfer well, and Gonzo can’t pick it. Free out for Chicago. Uncharacteristically bad plays from both Pedey and Gonzo, but no error on either of course.
One down, 1/3.
My first Sox moment of angst was the Ed Armbrister game.
Mine too, though I was only 7.
Wow, umpire calls Pierre safe on the rundown and Pedroia is livid.
I was 10.
Lowrie looking Jeter-esque on defense there.
Looks like the ump might have gotten it right. Remy seems convinced the ump had it wrong, but I am not sure. But the real issue is not the call, but the fact that Pedroia tried to tag the guy in the back and the ump was mostly in FRONT of the runner, so how would he even know?
Red Sox get screwed on the shoulda-been caught stealing, and it costs them a run.
Super play from Lowrie but the missed tag by Pedroia costs them a run.
Bottom line is the rundown wasn’t well-executed, even if Pedey barely touched the runner. They can’t leave it to that kind of margin call by the ump. It wasn’t a good piece of baseball from the Sox. Pierre should have been dead to rights.
I am not convinced the Sox got screwed, though. The replays were really inconclusive to me.
To be fair Pierre played that rundown perfectly. Waited until the last possible moment and zoomed by Pedroia.
And now Salty misplays a foul pop, the game tied on a double down the line.
Clusterfuck.
To be fair Pierre played that rundown perfectly.
The Sox need to be able to get guys in rundowns out. It’s baseball 101 and the failure is pretty pathetic to me. It’s a gift out, so fucking take it.
Pierre’s jersey clearly moves when Pedroia tags him, and Pierre reacts as if he’s been tagged. The Sox could have probably executed that rundown better though.
My first memory of the Red Sox is crying because they were swept in the 1990 ALCS, so there’s that. But then they were terrible until 1995, and were swept out of that series too. I remember 1999 being angsty because the Sox couldn’t catch a break in a series that was a lot closer than a 4-1 tally would indicate.
Dale and Joe saying with certainty that ump missed the call.
His jersey moved but he also was twisting away from the tag, I could not discern it moved because of a tag or his body motion.
Again, too close to really know from the replay. Add in that the ump wasn’t in good position and the Sox didn’t play it well enough and clear enough to really argue. This one is on the Sox frankly, not the ump.
A couple of runs here and all is forgiven.
SCORE DAMMIT.
Strong storm now in W Mass moving east. Perhaps that’s what the Red Sox need.
Accuweather.com Tweet: Doppler-indicated tornado in NW Mass. Radar: http://ow.ly/57Uyx … north of Pittsfield.
This is pathetic.
Not if the Sox keep giving Floyd 10-pitch innings. Pedroia’s seen four pitches in three at bats? Ridiculous.
I hope Tito is quick to move to Hill/Albers/Bard/Paps. The Sox need a win so no f*cking around.
Youk out softly to second after Gonzo works a walk.
This game is going in the wrong direction.
Home run. Go get him Tito before it’s a 2 or 3 run deficit.
Why am I letting this game ruin my day?
Of course, no indication that Francona cares, as nobody is warming and now a double. WHY WASN’T SOMEONE READY TO COME IN???
Now Hill and Albers are up.
Zombie managing. Just like the other night with Lester.
SF wants to win every game.
You could kind of see this coming. Wakefield was losing it in the fifth and should have by all rights gotten out of it. Then he gets tagged in the sixth. Still, 6 IP, 4 ER is nothing to complain about from your 4th/5th starter. The botched rundown, whoever’s to blame, really hurts now.
David homers to left. 4-4.
SF wants to win every game.
Well, yeah. But I don’t expect they will come close to that. However, I do want them to win games where they have 3-0 leads and are tagging a pitcher. And I want the manager to see when his starter starts flagging.
I am not asking for that much, IBM.
Papi SAVES!
Papi!! I totally called that home run. Ortiz looked like he was on every pitch Floyd threw in that at bat.
Ok, into a brief meeting.
I wish we could post images in gamers, as I have a great view from my office of the incoming cold front, we look out over the East River towards the west/northwest unencumbered, with a full view of Manhattan. The storm ought to be interesting as it approaches. It is darkening.
For better or for worse, Tito has never had a history of a quick hook with his starters. He’s always said he’s not going to burn his bullpen to win a game in April/May/June.
Tornado warning now in western Maine. That would be really cool to see from Mount Washington.
Josh Reddick blinks a lot at the plate. It makes my eyes water just looking at him.
By the way, if you haven’t figured it out, I’m a weather geek.
Me too, IBM. I just paid $10 for an app for my iPad called “Radarscope”, pretty cool.
Albers looks shitty too. So maybe Tito knew what was coming.
This is high leverage – good spot for Bard for a K. He ain’t ready though, I don’t think. And Tito wouldn’t do that unless it was the playoffs.
What a disaster this game is. Albers is awful again.
I guess Albers is finding his median. Bummer.
Looking at getting swept at home by the frigging White Sox. I don’t have any good words for this. It’s a total reversion to the Sox’ early season form and totally demoralizing as a fan.
This would be, I think the 7th straight win at Fenway for the White Sox. Something like that.
And now Hill hurts his elbow and will leave the game.
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!!!
Hill just tweaked his elbow, looks ugly.
Uh oh. Wow. That sucks a lot.
So the Sox will have lost five of their pitchers (Wheeler, Jenks, Hill, Lackey, Matsuzaka) so far.
If anything happens to the big three this season is over.
I may have to go away for a couple of games, maybe weeks. The Sox are making me insane again, and I don’t like the feeling. This has not been a fun year at all, even with the good month of May. It’s been all over the place. All or nothing.
Bard does a great job getting out of the jam.
I’d guess Hill is out for the season. You just don’t see athletes register pain like that without something horrible having happened.
Gonzo first pitch swinging and that’s the seventh.
Bard’s looking nasty today. Hopefully, the Sox can get him a win.
Youk crushes one to the triangle, of course it is an out.
“The Sox are making me insane again, and I don’t like the feeling.”
No shit. Maddening.
It isn’t fair to keep putting this all on Papi. Someone else needs to help out here.
Papi hits a 140 foot popout to left. This game officially sucks.
Crawford grounds out.
So the ninth, assuming the Sox are still within one, will be the bottom of the order. Yay.
What a maddening team this is.
Paps instantly gives up a single back through the box.
Youk hits one 410 feet to the deepest part of the park for an out, Pierre bounces one 12 feet in front of the plate that squeezes through the middle for a hit.
I hate baseball sometimes.
This series is on Jon Lester, that’s how I look at it. If he isn’t the definition of suck then the Sox start with a bang and recapture some energy. As it is he sets them up for the 4/5 starters with a pathetic effort and too much pressure on the bottom of the rotation.
Fuck a duck.
Good night.
Ken Harrelson is an asshole.
Go Bruins.
Well, this game is officially over.
Good night Irene. Papelbon gives up a monster home run, and it is 7-4.
I have to say these last four games have sapped me of any optimism, the Sox look terrible again on just about every level. Maybe they just aren’t very good. The sample is getting ever-larger.
Paul, how many teams have made the playoffs with six 3-game losing streaks, 3 6-game losing streaks, and three 4-game losing streaks? How do we run this? This is what the Sox are on pace for right now after today’s games.
Haha, I have no idea. That represents 48 losses, which means the club would have to go 95-18 in the remaining 114 games. That’s an .833 winning percentage, which of course has never happened over such a long stretch. But then again, no one’s ever had a 48-game losing streak either, so it’s not really a good comparison.
If we take out all the Sox’ streaks of three or more games, they would have a 30-9 record (.769). That would give them a total record of 88-74 if the rest of the season played out exactly the same way. Which makes sense, of course. If the rest of the season played out exactly like the first third of it has, the Sox would have the same winning percentage they have now, and they would be on pace for 87 wins.
Wow, the Sox are just a few games from being a .500 ballclub 1/3 of the way through the season. With a 19-10 May to boot.
Awful. Just f*cking awful.
I blame Ken Harrelson.
OK, I just need something to bitch about.
We can joke all we want to about John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman, but try torturing yourself with a White Sox game on TV sometime.
The guy is the most brutal, cheerleading asshole in baseball.
Screams and yells for flyballs to be home runs, pleads for opposing players to screw up.
If Bud Selig really wants to do one thing to improve the game, he have the guy thrown into the middle of Lake Michigan.
After Konerko’s homer, he was yelling and cheering so loud that the Red Sox radio guys could hear him.
AND … he’s stolen Ned Martin’s one word exclamation: Mercy.
I hate Harrelson. I would rather bash my hand with a rock then listen to him. He is, by far, the worst announcer I have EVER heard.
I don’t envy that experience, IBM.
This is what sucks about living in Chicago.
Cubs AND White Sox TV AND radio announcers absolutely suck. Baseball is unfollowable in this town.
I thought Sox would be ebtter with Steve Stone in the TV booth, but Harrelson has pulled him down. Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson in the radio booth and almost as bad.
Len Kasper and Bob Brenley, the Cubs TV guys, personify BORING. Cubs radio is better now that Ron Santo is gone, but Pat Hughes and Keith Moreland are still rather dull.
But Harrelson, by far is THE WORST announcer I have ever heard.
Back to the game – I’m just pissed.
I don’t mind the losing nearly as much as I mind the bad baseball.
What a craptastic series.
Bad pitching, bad defending, bad hitting.
Frankly, bad managing, too.
Big Zed had better knock the SH!T out of someone tonight. And I want a few good hits from Lucic, too.
Oh, and a win. Those fnckers had better win.
…
Man, I need some banjo music.
Go Canucks.