There's nothing worse than being sick on your birthday. The Red Sox need to get better and make me feel better. Comment away!
Yuck: Sox-Rangers Gamer VI
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There's nothing worse than being sick on your birthday. The Red Sox need to get better and make me feel better. Comment away!
Next post: Fluidity
Previous post: Play Ball: The Last Word on NY’s New Ballparks
Happy birthday Paul! Your present will hopefully be a Sox win, as we don’t want to go down 2 games to the Yanks.
Happy birthday, Paul.
…
If we lose tonight, take heart. The last time the Red Sox was swept in a three-game set at Arlington was 2004.
Buchholz’ changeup is so pretty.
Buchholz is shaking Varitek off a lot. And on that note he walks Cruz.
0-2 count, and Bucky leaves a fastball right down the middle. Two men on.
Huge strikeout there. See what happens when you LISTEN to Varitek?
On the other hand, Ath, I cannot see the Red Sox winning the WS with Tek throwing them out at a 10 percent clip.
Buchholz gets out of trouble.
He probably was a little too steamed at losing the K to Cruz.
Ladies and gentlemen, Nick Fucking Green!
Nick Green!
Actually, Nick cleared Green. Est. HR distance 406 feet.
My wife has commandeered the TV for that God-awful dancing show on Fox. Ick.
HAHA Ortiz taps a ball over the first baseman for a single. Huge grin on Papi’s face.
Ahhh, the perks of not being married yet…
Hanging changeup, right at the top of the strikezone. Damnit.
When was the last time the Sox scored two runs in an inning? I bet it was several games ago, or at least it seems that way.
It was the last time we won SF, which was also the last time Buchholz pitched–on the 17th.
Eh, the hosts are obnoxious, but I rather enjoy that dancing show on Fox (as does the wifey).
We cannot get a big hit to save our lives. It was about 45 innings or so ago that the Red Sox scored two or more (Joy of Sox).
If we lose tonight, take heart. The last time the Red Sox was swept in a three-game set at Arlington was 2004.
I remember it well, IBM. I was at the third game, and it remains the only Sox game I’ve seen in person where they didn’t win.
Yeah, for some reason this feels like 2006. Our pitching is much better and deeper, but I feel like we’re one big injury away from 4th place in the AL East.
This team looks really awful. It totally feels like 2006 again, for sure.
I’d like to think it’s a slump, it’s a far smaller sample than the .615 winning percentage compiled prior to this skid, but emotions (and the visuals of watching the offense play like a dead-ball era team without speed) tend to dominate.
It feels more like 2007 for me. A legitimately good team going through a bad stretch. For one thing, the ’06 club was vastly outperforming their Pythag until The Collapse, and they had basically zero pitching.
It’s hard to sustain a teamwide slump when the pitchers have been as solid as they have been. But it doesn’t make this offensive offensive performance any easier to watch.
Did I really write, “was swept?”
Ack.
…
And what’s with Nippert’s pitch count? 60 pitches though 4 IP? WTF?
Interesting factoid, Paul. The last bunch of Sox games I’ve seen in person:
-Opening Day 2008, we won with Daisuke on the mound
-Three games in Tampa in 2007. We won the first two (in the 2nd game Lester pitched well but Paps blew a save to a Gomez homer, but we ended up winning in like the 13th inning), then lost the third game because Daisuke sucked
-Some game in Baltimore in early 2007. Wakefield pitching, and we won.
And here comes a deficit.
Unwatchable stuff at the moment. Hence, I will not watch. So unfun.
Jesus, two more singles to start the inning. He can’t keep stranding Texas runners like this.
I can’t handle the high schoolish screaming from the crowd. Between that and the obnoxious judge’s screaming, I can’t handle it.
…
Why the fuck did Drew throw to third?
Need to see some maturity and composure from Bucky here.
Why the fuck did Drew throw to third?
Oh shit, I didn’t realize Murphy took 2nd until you mentioned it. That’s f*cking lame.
Varitek to Buchholz: “Stop shaking me off and listen to my pitch calls, you stupid teenager”
Sadly, if this slump doesn’t end soon the Sox will have a boatload of work just to get back in the division race, with a wild card being a nailbiter.
It’s a tad chicken little-ish, but the Sox need to elevate their play more than just a little to have any shot at the playoffs. They can’t just improve on what they are doing, they have to really improve on what they are doing. This is a pitiful stretch of baseball.
For the love of Tom Cruise, are you really going to walk a .225 hitter? Are you?
Buchholz looks flustered out there.
Infield dribbler for an out, but now 2-1 Rangers. Good idea, but bad result.
TB 3, CWS 0, top 6.
…
MDC warming.
Good pitch on the 3-2, weak grounder. Too weak unfortunately, and the only play is at first. Still, a good escape. Need a K, I think.
This run, if it scores, is squarely on JD. By the way, anyone notice that JD’s average is quite Tek-like? And Bay and Ortiz are converging. Crazy.
Crazy bad.
Shit IBM, please don’t mention the TB score. I’m trying to pretend like it’s the good ‘ol days where it was a 2-man race in the AL East!
Oh f*ck, Andrus with the squeeze play. Pedroia with his thumb up his ass doesn’t cover 1st.
I have a bad feeling with Kinsler up now.
The Sox schooled. Heads firmly up asses.
Good night. I think I will try to wake up in late August with the hopes that the Sox are still within a couple of games, but it doesn’t seem like a realistic hope.
The Sox gained three games in three days against the Yankees just last week. I don’t think a two-game deficit is all that horrible.
Sigh. Squeeze play and everyone is safe. Yet again, three runs looks HUGE. And yet again, the Sox score first and are likely to lose the game.
HAH, crazy play: Buchholz throws to first, misses and hits the umpire in the leg. The runner would be on 3rd if it wasn’t stopped by the ump.
Buchholz is losing his composure.
Buchholz focusing too much on first. Shades of last year?
Some (tiny, tiny, TINY) part of me is contemplating that Theo should sell high-ish on Bay, right now. It’s a tiny, minority part of me, the “let’s think crazy outside the box” part of me. Won’t ever, EVER happen, nor do I endorse it, but I wonder what he’d bring from another contender.
Bay to the Dodgers for Matt Kemp and some pitching. Make it happen, Theo!
Great play by Youk. Two down. Strikeout here to Michael Young, I’m calling it now, even though he’s ahead 1-0.
If Young reaches, Bucky’s done.
Nope, he’s gunna walk Young instead. Hamilton up, and Buchholz really looks like he’s lost it. His face says it all.
Thanks for the quick out, Hammy.
Random talking-out-of-my-ass prediction: we’re going to score 3 this inning.
Tell me if this doesn’t fit in with my baseball night: I just got back a roll of pix of one of my 7-year-old son’s baseball games this year. His fly is down in half of the roll. Best shot on the roll – barn door wide open.
Jesus.
Revision to the prediction: the Sox will score 3 in one inning sometime tonight
IBM: that’s hilarious!
Byrd has the ball AND the bat both flying at him. He avoids the bat, but the ball hits him right in the pebbles, so he’s out. Not a lot he could have done there.
Five stolen bases in this game.
Jesus.
why does varitek even bother throwing the ball on a steal.
I know why we’ve been losing: I haven’t used my lucky Papi bobblehead doll. I usually bring him out when we need a rally and I haven’t done it since like April.
Again, some bag of shit pitcher confounds us.
Is it just the luck of the draw that we’ve seen some extraordinary pitching from some unlikely nobodies, is our offensive game plan predictable or are we doing a poor job of sticking to the plan?
I’m going with the third option. There is no reason for this bag of poo to be handcuffing us like this.
We’re not taking pitches, not working the count, not being selective.
another great at bat for drew. please trade him theo.
Drew < bag of poo
Drew for Albert Pujols straight up. Make it happen Theo!
now introducing frank zappa as the pitching coach for the texas rangers.
Embarrassing AB by Kotsay.
how many at at bats other than pedroia and youk havent been embarrasing since the break?
Well…the Cardinals gave us something for nothing (Lugo). Maybe they’ll give us something outstanding for something…period.
more like we traded nothing for nothing. i think the lugo for duncan trade is a wash.
I think by definition ANYTHING is better than Lugo.
ok ill give ya that one.
White Sox go ahead of TB in the 7th.
nice, the 6th stolen base of the night!
Amazing to me that Duncan was among the Cards’ team leaders in a couple of categories.
…
Palehose take the lead on Big Lame James and Ray, 4-3.
…
Texas with 6th stolen base in the game.
Aardsman with his 23rd save tonight for Seattle. Who saw THAT coming?
30 minutes ago I said: “Revision to the prediction: the Sox will score 3 in one inning sometime tonight”
Sure enough, the White Sox just scored 3 in the 7th.
Ian Kinsler strikes out, then starts walking IN FRONT of the plate, which (for a split second) blocked Varitek’s throw to 2nd. That should have been an interference call.
Ha ha, you swung, Young (you pile of dung).
I can see your POV, nysf. He’s not likely to help the team ever, but hey, it’s more than I expected for Lugo.
Ath, Larry Barnett just called to say that was NOT interference.
All right, come on, you bag of c*cks, let’s see some f*cking baserunners.
Chris Duncan = Chris Carter
More like that.
Tek singles, setting up the GIDP.
i didnt expect lugo to go for another player, i was expecting more of lugo for a bucket of used bp balls.
“bag of c*cks”
what an odd visual.
holy shit! ellsbury actually got on base.
WTF was Green looking for?
Ellsbury out by a mile, called safe. We’ll take it.
Correction, replay shows him barely safe because the ball bounced.
Ellsbury tried pretty hard to GIDP there (minus the running, of course).
Ells MUST be running here. Get this fucking pitcher guessing.
Shit.
Goddamit. This is unreal.
White Sox through the TB 8th.
White Sox don’t score in their half. One-run lead in the 9th.
at least ellsbury can still catch, thats a positive.
Papi again fails to move his BA ahead of Drew’s.
Disgusting swings by Bay. He under .250 yet?
What a shitty half-inning.
Longoria batting with 2 down, runners at corners in Chicago.
Ozzie goes with Thornton over Jenks.
Rays lose.
Longoria fails.
Not quite (.252).
When did Paps last pitch with the Red Sox behind?
Crushed by Kinsler…but Ellsbury catches it on the track. And it’s on to the no-doubt depressing 9th.
Well…he hit it hard. I hate that they play the MLB “go to commercial” music at the Texas stadium after some outs.
Good news, everyone! We are not the Kansas City Royals!
(Though, the last five games, you could have fooled me).
LLLLL
Swept.
1 hitter above .300 (Pedroia), 3 others above .280 (Youk, Ellsbury, Lowell). Then it drops to .252 or less for the everyday players.
Day off, get back home, hope it gets better.
And condolences, Paul. Happy birthday anyway!
Sign of the times: this thread turned into a White Sox thread.
And Paul: the Sox will be behind by well more than the two you mention if this keeps up, for even another three or four days. The Sox better get it together or they are truly staring at a 4-6 game deficit with only 65 to play. That’s a daunting task for any team, but worse for one with two very strong teams in their division. This season hangs on the next week or two, and if the Sox don’t seriously up their play it will be about looking towards 2010.
How the hell is Youk hitting under .300? Geez, remember when he was hitting like .385 and was a shoe-in for the MVP?
Things sure have changed. Our entire team is quietly slumping.
quietly?