This weekend, and I guess in a way this whole week, will probably be looked back on as a missed opportunity to have a really good early season road trip.
As it turned out, the Sox went 3-3 on a tough 6 game trip to Oakland and Cleveland, but 2 of those 3 losses were by 2-1 scores, and those are the kinds of losses you kick yourself in the nuts for when it's September 28th and you are 6 games out of a playoff spot.
It's becoming clear to me that what the Sox' season is going to boil down to is whether or not the pitching they've been getting holds up. This team is not going to hit .220 for the whole season. If the Sox are still getting good pitching on a pretty much daily basis when the bats finally do come around, we'll have a chance to do some damage.
However, I keep getting the nagging feeling that once the bats heat up, that's when the pitching will go back in the shitter. I have scary visions of the Sox vascillating between the way they played in the first Cleveland series (no pitching, good hitting), and the second Cleveland series (no hitting, good pitching) that they went a combined 2-4 in.
So let's take a look at what happened:
FRIDAY
SOX 6, CLEVELAND 4
Well, at least the Sox didn't get shut down by Fausto Carmona. If that would have happened, it would be time for me to go to Home Depot and pick up some wood, and start building my own coffin. Things got a little hairy in the ninth inning of this game, when Cleveland kept hitting double play balls that the Sox couldn't turn into double plays. Bobby Jenks pitched thru it though and picked up the save. At this point, I was happy.
Game Scores- Vazquez SOX 47, Carmona CLE 27
SATURDAY
INDIANS 4, SOX 0
It wasn't so much that nobody was getting hits in this game, it was that nobody was getting them at the right time. The Sox had a weird scoring line of 0-8-1, and a lot of that was due to Darin Erstad and Joe Crede, who kept coming up with guys on base and went a combined 0 for 9. Erstad is hitting a vomitous .176 right now, and I think it's time to move it to Defcon 4 as far as the center field problem goes, because Erstad isn't getting it done, and the Sox would be better off with the Brian Anderson that used to pitch for the Royals playing center than with the Brian Anderson they have.
Game Scores- Danks SOX 49, Byrd CLE 65
SUNDAY
INDIANS 2, SOX 1
So fucking great have we now elevated CC Sabathia to Johan Santana status, where we just pretty much resign ourselves to losing whenever we face them (even though other teams, like the fucking DEVIL RAYS are somehow able to beat Santana)? We are running out of pitchers in our division who we have a chance to compete against. Meanwhile, as I'm sure you know by now, the Sox gave up 1 hit in this game and lost. They also made 3 errors and issued about 100 walks. You lose games like this when you're tired and unfocused, and that's how the Sox looked in this one.
Game Scores- Contreras SOX 59, Sabathia CLE 75
UP NEXT-
The Sox are off today, and welcome the Arrangers to US Cellular for a 3 game set beginning Tuesday night. Texas has given up 22 runs in their last 2 games against punchless Seattle in cavernous Safeco Field, so if the Sox can't score against this team, it's time for us all to take a nice toaster bath.
TUE
Robinson Tejeda (1-1 4.50, Avg GS 48.5, Last 26 v. TB)
v. Jon Garland (0-0, 3.65, Avg 53.0, Last 71 at OAK)
My Pick- SOX- This is the game in this series where I start smashing things if the Sox lose.
WED
Kevin Millwood (2-1, 3.71, Avg 48.7, Last 54 at SEA)
v. Mark Buehrle (0-0, 4.32, Avg 52.0, Last 56 at OAK)
My Pick- Rangers- Millwood has a 1.32 ERA in 5 career starts against the Sox, and God knows that the Sox never make adjustments against pitchers they have a hard time against. Good thing the Indians gave Jake Westbrook the big contract and not him. That Mark Shapiro is a genius.
THU
Vicente Padilla (0-3, 6.62, Avg 40.7, Last 42 at SEA)
v. Javier Vazquez (2-0, 1.50, Avg 60.0, Last 47 at CLE)
My Pick- SOX- If Ozzie can't find a way to beat his man-crush Padilla, who is off to a miserable start, then it's time for him to carioca back to Caracas.
AL CENTRAL ROUNDUP
TWINS 7-5 (F- Lost v. TB 2-4, SA- Won v. TB 12-5, SU- Lost v. TB 4-6)
Wellity wellity wellity, look who can't win a home series against the Devil Ray....Not only that but 1/3 of the starting lineup is injured right now, although given that those 3 are Jeff Cirillo, Rondell White, and Nick Punto, that might not be a bad thing for the Twins.
Game Scores- F- Santana 62, Sat- Ponson 46, Sun- Bonser 45
This Week- 3 at SEA, 3 at KC
TIGERS 7-5 (F- Lost at TOR 1-2, Sat- Won at TOR 10-7, Sun- Lost at TOR 1-2)
A pair of 2-1 losses in one weekend? I think this team needs to move to Chicago. Gary Sheffield is now 5 for 41. That means one of two things, either his bat is ready to explode or he is ready to explode, and being that he is 38 and the roids are not flowing like wine in MLB anymore, I'm going to bet on the latter.
Game Scores- F- Bonderman 75, Sat- Durbin 23, Sun- Robertson 58
This Week- 3 v. KC, 3 v. SOX
INDIANS 6-3
I'm going to hold off on crowning their ass just yet. They've still managed to have Sabathia start 1/3 of the games they've played. Talk to me when they've trotted out Fausto Carmona a few more times.
This Week- 3 at NYY, 3 at TB
ROYALS 3-9 (F- Lost at BAL 1-8, Sat- Lost at BAL 4-6, Sun- PPD)
Thank God the Sox have been getting good pitching, because other than that they've been playing alot like the Royals. I'm sure the Royale will be playing much better when they finally play the Sox.
Game Scores- F- Duckworth 37, Sat- Perez 34
This Week- 3 at DET, 3 v. MIN
Predicted Standings This Time Next Week
Tigers 11-7
Twins 10-8
Indians 8-7
Sox 8-9
Royals 5-13
GAME SCORE CORNER
We had 3 new entries into our pantheon of Top 10 games this weekend, and they are in bold:
1. 89 Felix Hernandez SEA (at Bos 4/11)
2. 86 Felix Hernandez SEA (v. Oak 4/2)
3. 85 Kyle Lohse CIN (at Cubs 4/15)
4. 82 Ben Sheets MIL (v. Lad 4/2)
5. 81 Johan Santana MIN (at SOX 4/8)
Kip Wells STL (at Hou 4/8)
7. 79 John Maine NYM (at Stl 4/4)
8. 78 Roy Halladay TOR (v. Det 4/13)
9. 77 Rich Hill CUBS (at MIL 4/6)
Aaron Cook COL (at SD 4/8)
Josh Beckett BOS (v. SEA 4/10)
Tim Hudson ATL (v. WSH 4/10)
Curt Schilling BOS (v. LAA 4/14)
Top 10 Avg GS (Minimum 2 starts)
1. Felix Hernandez SEA 87.5
2. Rich Hill CUBS 74.5
3. Tim Hudson ATL 69.3
4. Ramon Ortiz MIN 68.5
5. Jake Peavy SD 67.3
6. Ted Lilly CUBS 66.7
7. Ian Snell PIT 66.0
8. Josh Beckett BOS 65.7
9. Rich Harden OAK 65.7
10. Brad Penny LAD 65.0
AL Central Avg GS Rankings
1. Tigers 53.4
2. Twins 52.5
3. Indians 51.9
4. Sox 51.2
5. Royals 47.9
MLB Top 5 Teams
1. Red Sox 59.4
2. A's 57.1
3. Cardinals 55.2
4. Braves 54.5
5. Cubs 54.0
MLB Bottom 5 Teams
30. Devil Rays 42.0
29. Rangers 42.5
28. Yankees 44.0
27. Nationals 45.5
26. Philles 46.0
Padres 46.0
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