HankHillRedsox's Boston Celtics fan blog

Dice-K made his second start since coming off the DL, and he pitched good, but not great. Dice went 5 innings, threw 102 pitches, allowed 9 hits leading to 3 earned runs and he had 6 strikeouts!!  So it wasn't a great start for 5 innings, but not bad for his 2nd start since being hurt and if he had some run support, he might have got the win. Last night was a really slow game, the Sox only had 6 hits all game, Lowell and Ellsbury both had 2, Bay hit another homer(#13 Wow!) and Pedroia had the last hit and that was all the offense the Red Sox could produce tonight!!If we are going to win close games we need to have more hits leading to more opportunities. The Sox had a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 3rd and that's when Minnisota struck for 3 runs, with a walk, a single and back to back doubles giving the Twins a 3-1 lead and that's all they needed for the win.  Everyone in the Twins starting lineup had a hit except for the 8th and 9th hitters, and it will always be hard if you give the other team so many chances!! The other thing that's killing me is-- David Ortiz, 0-3 again and he just looks off. I watched the pre-game and Orbig Papi was drilling Home runs, so I am guessing his slump is in his head. The Sox really need him back to his old self and everyone in Sox Nation hopes this doesn't last much longer. Well the good news is Dice is back and the Red Sox are still in first place even with the ups and downs Sox Nation has seen. So we lose to Slowey who is now 7-1, he only allowed 2 runs all night.  Nathan came in behind him and got the save(his 8th) and the Twins beat the Sox 4-2.  The series finale is this afternoon at 1:00EST and hopefully we can leave with the win and a tied series!!!!  Let's Go Sox!

Continue reading "Red Sox Close, but No Cigar or Win!!"

Lester started out this season 2-0 with under a I.00 ERA. Since then, he is now 3-5 losing his last 4 in a row including last night. I think he is healthy because in these last losses he pitched a great first 4 innings with at least a strikeout an inning. But all four games when it gets to the fifth inning it's like the other team can now read him (or he is not the same pitcher?) and know what's coming and they end up beating the Sox. Last night was the same old thing: the Red Sox ended this game with more hits (9-7) and had a lead for Lester heading into the 5th, 1-0. Then Lester fell apart again allowing 4 hits, 2 walks, a huge homerun for Morneau, and 5 earned runs --all in that 5th inning.  I don't really get it. Lester is a strong pitcher and the other batters must just be getting used to his fastball or something, because that's a deadly inning.Last night the 5 runs would be all the Twins would need.  The Twins win this one 5-2 and you have to give the Twins and pitcher Blackburn credit as he pitched a strong 7 innings, 1 earned run and 7 strikeouts. He did allow 8 hits, but the Sox could only capitalize once (they capitalized big time, though, with the only men they really had on base). The Red Sox also did try a new lineup, which I don't think really worked, but they had Ellsbury then Pedroia as usual, then Drew,Youkilis, Bay, then Big Papi batting in the 6 spot, weird, then Variteck, Bailey (in for Lowell who had the day off), then Lugo. I personally think Bay should be 4 and Drew or Lowell at the five, but just as long as we are hitting we will be OK and in last night's loss, even with the switched lineup, we still out hit them -- just not hits at the right time and that's baseball. So we go again tomorrow against these same Twins and it will be Dice-K (coming off the injury last week and pitched well in comeback vs Yankees but still 0-2) versus Slowey (6-1). This is Dice's second start since DL so this should be a good battle you don't want to miss!! Go Sox; gametime 8:10!!

Continue reading "Red Sox and Lester: Same Old Same Old"

Last night Denver came out on a mission knowing this could be the biggest game in their team's history. Denver has never been to the finals and having game 1 and 3 in their grasp and handing it over to LA by bad plays at the end of the games gave the Lakers a 2-1 series lead going into this game. 

But last night Denver knew they needed this win at home and came out on fire and after the Lakers got a 1-0 lead, that would be the only lead they would ever have all night. Denver held a 6-10 point lead through the first half with C. Billups(24 points) and C. Anthony (15) doing their things and got big performances by K. Martin (13points, 15rebounds), NeNe(14 points, 13 rebounds), C. Anderson "the Bird Man" (off bench 6 points, 14 rebounds) and JR Smith (also off bench 24 points, 2 reb), my player of the game!!!!!!! The lead would just get bigger and the bench play plus the play of the starters just took LA out of the game.  Denver had great rebounding (out rebounding LA by 18) and fought for this from the start, especially the defense on all the Lakers and Kobe!!! Since Kobe can be a game changer, Defense is what you need and Denver was able to do that and shut him down.

Continue reading "Western Conference Finals: Denver Shows LA they are No Joke"

Brad Penny came out strong yesterday with his fastball and curve and pitched a solid 5 and 1/2 innings allowing 6 hits and 3 earned runs but 7 strikeouts!!! They took him out when two men were on in the 6th but Ramierez, who has been great out of the bullpen, came out and shut them down for an inning and a half with a strikeout. The Red Sox bats, especially Pedrioa (3-5, 2runs), Bay (2-5,2RBI), and Lowell (4-5, 2RBI), were on point again, and the Sox sat Papi today!!  Everyone else stepped up as they have been all season, then Okajimia came in for an inning of shut-out ball and a K!!  The score was 6-3 and then it was time to head in to the 9th and all the Sox, but Varitek and Lugo who were hitless, combined for 16 hits and with this 3 run lead, the Sox brought in Papelbon who, as we all know, blew his last save opportunity. But he is the man so SoxNation has to believe he is going to come out with those "I'm ending this game" eyes. So then came his first pitch and it was a strike that looked so good that I was sure this was over but then I saw Mauer (who has been on fire since returning from his injury in 81 at bats -- he is hitting .450 and 11 homeruns more than he had last year) in the on deck circle and I started doing the math because now I was worried. The next thing you know: there's 1 out, a man at 1st base and Mauer is up, then he drills it, way gone, but it only made it 6-5!!!! At this point I'm thinking that Papel has to be mad, and he was, and even against Morneau and Cuddyer, game over, Sox win 6-5!!!!! B. Penny gets the win becoming an awesome 5-1 and Papelbon gets his scary 12th save. (He will be fine.)  This also puts the Red Sox in 1st place ahead of the NYY by a full game and Toronto by a game and 1/2 --  Sweet!!!  So tonight we play the 2nd of 4 with Minnesota, then we will head to Toronto. So tune in tonight, Sox, for Lester at Twins and Blackburn at 8:10. Lets Go Sox!!!!!

Continue reading "Penny Shines on Memorial Day: Red Sox in First Place"

Last night the Mets got 1 unearned run in the first inning and the Red Sox came right back in the bottom of the inning scoring 2. So 2-1 Sox and the score would stay like that for the rest of the game, or I had hoped. Beckett pitched amazing going 8 innings, 5 strike outs and allowing only 5 hits, enough for what should have been a win!!! Meanwhile Pelfrey pitched well for the Mets, but the Sox had the lead all game after that 2-1 start and should have won this one.  Papelbon came out in the 9th to close this one out and give Beckett the win he deserved, but not this time. Gary Shefield would lead off the top of the 9th inning by getting walked by Pap, then he struck out the next 2 batters so then there were 2 outs in the 9th and 2 strikes now on the Mets catcher Santos when he hit it. Papelbon left it up in the zone and as it happened, the hit looked deep. I jumped off the couch yelling nooooooo and it just made it over the Green Monster, giving the Mets a 3-2 lead and the win. This game was in our hands but Papel -- who is the man -- is only human.  Everyone is allowed to make a mistake here and there, but hopefully that's his first and last.

Continue reading "Papelbon Blows his First Game of the Year"

The Red Sox lost to the Mets last night. The good news is that it looks like Dice-K is back! Last night was only the third time this season that Dice-K pitched; the last time he pitched was in early April when he gave up five runs in one inning and then was on the DL. He showed good movement in his pitches, he had 5 strong innings, 80 pitches thrown, only 5 hits allowed and 4 strikeouts, and if it wasn't for Lugo not completing a double play (which he should have, he just did not put enough into the throw), he would have only allowed 2 earned runs. Instead, the Mets plated 4 and who knows what would have happened if Lugo makes the double play.  

The bad news is the Sox couldn't get much off of Santana and the Mets, and after his great performance, K-Rod came in and finished us off and they took game one of this three game series, 5-3!!  Santana is one of the strongest pitchers, not only in the National League but in all of baseball and he showed that last night. He went 7 innings, throwing a season high 118 pitches, allowing only 6 hits, getting 8 strike outs and only 2 earned runs and the win.

Continue reading "Lugo Comes Up Short-- Santana Out Pitches Dice-K"

The Red Sox finished their third game sweep of the Blue Jays last night moving us within a 1/2 game of first place. Lester came out and pitched great allowing 8 hits spread throughout 7 innings, only 1 earned run and 4 strike-outs!!! He looked really good in his last 2 starts and received his third win of the season with a 5-1 final!!!  Ramierez and Papelbon came in to finish them.  Ramierez allowed 2 hits and a walk, but got 2 strikeouts.  And Mr. Papelbon came out and does what he always does and shut them down to end this game. On the offensive end, Jason  Bay "watch" hit another home run, a 2 run shot (11th home run in a row with a man on base to break a Red Sox record) his 13th of the year; he is on fire and really play

Continue reading "Get the Brooms Out: Sox Sweep Toronto"

Last night Brad Penny started for the Sox against Toronto looking great, going 6.2 innings, 9 hits allowed, 2 earned runs and 2 strikeouts, getting his 4th win of the season making him 4-1. Sweet!!!  The bats came alive with Varitek hitting 2 home runs, Bay "watch"(continues his MVP season) 2-3 hit another homer, Lowell 2-4 hit a bomb and the biggest hit of the night which Boston has desperately needed and been waiting for was David "Big Papi" Ortiz's first homer of the year!

Hopefully this will turn Big Papi's year around and get him going, which is exactly what the Sox need.  So with 5 homers last night and great pitching, the Sox look like the team to beat in the Americian League and are now only  1 1/2 games behind Toronto for 1st place.  We can make it a 1/2 game with a win tonight with Lester (2-4) vs Ray (1-1) at Fenway at 7:10 in the last game of this 3 game series versus the Blue Jays.  Let's go Lester and the Sox.  

Continue reading "Red Sox Another Game Closer to First Place"

So the Sox came out at Fenway Park last night, on fire.  They looked like the team of 2007 with that same heart and determination.  This year it's going to be all about the pitching. Lester and Beckett had a just-okay start, but now they seem to be getting into their groove.  Wakefield and Penny have been getting their jobs done with a combined record of 7-3 and our youngsters Rameriez and Masterson have looked good.  Dice-K is scheduled to make his first start since pitching 1 inning and being on the Dl on Thursday this week against the hated NY Mets.  If Dice-K is healthy and Ortiz can come around and Youkolis is back is fine, this should be a great and entertaining baseball season.  I know it is early, but if we can take a couple from the Blue Jays, we will be in first or right in the hunt.

Continue reading "Boston Red Sox Looking Good, or Is It Too Early to Tell?"

With the Boston Celtics' loss in game 7 last night, and the disappointing Bruins' loss, upholding Boston as Titletown is now in the hands of the Red Sox. Right now, with the Sox playing well, all we need to see is continued solid play; should that change, then we call in the miracles.

The Sox are in second place behind Toronto, 3 games back with a record of 22-16 in this early season (5-5 in last 10).  Our young pitchers look good: J Lester (2-4), Masterson 2-2), Ramirez (4-1). J. Beckett (4-2) finally had a great start (so hopefully he's coming around to the Beckett we know), and Wakefield (4-2) and Penny (3-1) have been looking strong. Dice-k who has only pitched an inning this year is due back soon, and Youk, who has a strained back, is doing well and should also be back real soon.

Continue reading "Red Sox: It's All Up to You Now"