Month: April 2015

Celtics Lose! Sox Win! I Watched the Celtics

Posted on April 22, 2015 in Random Stuff

7:32 – I sit down with a frozen pizza to watch the Celtics (recorded on DVR) and check on the Red Sox.

7:33 – The sound isn’t working.

7:34 – [Frustrated grappling with wires and remotes]

7:37 – Success! Kevin Love hits a wide open three. Greeeeat start.

7:41 – Lebron hits a three to take the lead. He’s such a douche. We provide very insightful analysis here.

7:42 – Scanning the Red Sox play-by-play…Ramirez stole his first base of the year…Holt starting at shortstop…okay, I didn’t miss anything.

7:44 – Kevin Love exits with two fouls less than five minutes in. He is very sweaty and whiny.

7:45 – Lebron really thought he was gonna get away with that backcourt violation. I can’t promise that I will not continue to talk about how much of an ass he is.

7:46 – A real iffy call on a loose ball by Bennett Salvatore takes Avery Bradley out of the game with two fouls.

7:47 – Marcus Smart with a dagger three from the corner off of an offensive rebound. THEEEE DAGGERRR.

7:47 – [Fastforwardfastforwardfastforward]

7:49 – The Sox appear to have a runner in scoring in position after an infield single by Ryan Hanigan (???) and a walk by Betts. I dunno man, I’m just following the Gamecast. You gotta make choices sometimes.

7:50 – Cavs just completed a run to tie the game. C’mon Isaiah…

7:50 – Tyler Zeller came to play. Great offensive board, the hook/floater thing is working tonight.

7:51 – The Celts have gotta be careful with all these ill-advised outlet passes. I think Kevin Love might be having a bad influence on the Celtics’ bigs.

7:53 – Sully hits a three!

7:54 – How are the Sox doing…(I am clearly not a great multi-tasker)…hey, we got a run off another error! Hanigan came around after a fielder’s choice on a throwing error by the Rays’ second baseman Ryan Brett. Oh, I get it, they must’ve biffed it trying to turn two. Aren’t you glad you’re coming here for your reliable Red Sox recaps?

7:55 – Sullinger tries to answer a Kyrie Irving highlight three-pointer with one of his own. You can guess how that went…but then he draws a charge on the other end! Maybe stick to more of that sort of action, Sully.

7:58 – [Fastforwardfastforwardfastforward]

7:59 – Celtics with a 26-25 lead at the end of the first quarter.

7:59 – Red Sox are still up 1-0 in actual real time in the bottom of the third.

8:05 – I finished my pizza. Yes, the whole thing. No, I’m not ashamed.

8:07 – Ramirez is now 2-2 after an infield single off of Chris Archer.

8:08 – Nothing gives me greater pleasure than when Lebron tries to do something fancy that only he can pull off and it doesn’t work. Ball just got kicked out of bounds on a pass out to the corner from the lane.

8:10 – Kelly Olynyk just absolutely runs over Kevin Love on a three-pointer. He is such a loveable oaf. As Righty says, “Like a puppy who can’t control his limbs.” Love probably isn’t even mad.

8:11 – Ball don’t lie. Love makes 2 of 3.

8:12 – I want Evan Turner’s mid-range game.

8:13 – Ramirez gets stranded at second after Nava and Victorino both strike out to end the inning.

8:14 – J.R. Smith gets a steal and a breakaway, but doesn’t do anything too fancy, probably because he was worried that a trailing Kelly Olynyk would trip and run into him and send him to the hospital.

8:16 – “Brad Stevens received 2 first-place votes…DOUBLE the amount that third-place finisher Jason Kidd got!” Hard-hitting analysis, Abby.

8:17 – Marcus Smart just got shook by J.R. Smith. Not great.

8:18 – And Brandon Bass says NO to Kevin Love.

8:18 – Sully with another three! Celts up 4.

8:20 – Some Cleveland courtside douchebag dad is standing and wearing a sweater and gesturing to the crowd behind him. He is terrible.

8:22 – Lebron gets Isaiah to switch onto him and Isaiah has to give the foul. Lebron hits his shots and the Cavs take the lead.

8:23 – Jared Sullinger in iso is not the answer.

8:24 – Halftime! Cavs 51, Celtics 50. Come on defense…

8:24 – [Fastforwardfastforwardfastforward]

8:25 – We caught up! We finally get to see some live baseball. Hanigan is 2-2, gets a single with 1 out. Betts up next.

8:26 – Betts with a single on the ground through the left side. Moooooookiiiiieeeee.

8:27 – I need to shave. There’s no time for this kind of contemplation with basketball. In baseball, there’s much more time to think.

8:29 – Pedey looks very upset in the dugout.  We were checking the Celtics, what happened…he struck out on three pitches. Yeeeeeshhhh.

8:31 – Absolute horseradish call on Marcus Smart fouling Kyrie Irving on a three.

8:32 – Has Lebron ever not acted like his nose is falling off when he gets hit in the face? What an unbelievable pansy. I pure, straight hate him. I think I would spit at his feet if I ever met him. Very classy way to express disdain.

8:33 – Ortiz strikes out to strand Hanigan.

8:36 – Goddammit. James outlet alley to Love for the oop.

8:37 – Betts with a hop to catch a liner to center. I’m sorry, look, it’s not exactly a highlight but I’m working with whatever game action I’m catching here.

8:38 – Pedroia has a little trouble getting the ball out of his glove but manages to get it to Holt to turn two anyway.

8:38 – Brock Holt is the ultimate utility player. I am not biased.

8:40 – We have got to hit some freakin’ shots.

8:40 – Just realized we haven’t seen any Jonas Jerebko tonight. Sully misses a three. Ugh. We’re down 10. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

8:42 – Down 12.

8:42 – Alley-oop from Irving to James in transition. Down 14.

8:43 – Kelly misses a three.

8:44 – I do not feel good about this game right now. Can you tell?

8:44 – Sully gets two on a good offensive board.

8:46 – Turner working real hard on the offensive boards on his own shot. He has such a punchable face, but I’m beginning to love him a little bit. Whoa, it just all came out there.

8:47 – I spoke too soon! A Jonas Jerebko sighting!

8:49 –Isaiah makes the most ridiculous shots. I love him pretty unequivocally. This is getting very romantic.

8:50 – My dad calls. We’re talking about the Patriots schedule. There’s a game on my mom’s birthday this year!

8:56 – My mom is telling me about how people got arrested at her work. Crazy stuff!

8:57 – This story is actually pretty weird. I’m engaged.

8:57 –There’s no way that Pablo got this guy at second. He’s for sure safe.

9:04 – Isaiah is the freaking man.

9:05 – Wade’s been doing great so far but he’s in trouble. Bases loaded, two outs.

9:08 – Scal is such a tremendous dork.

9:09 – Isaiah nutmegged Love! Mmmm, smells like Christmas.

9:11 – Mozgov hits Turner pretty hard going up. Turner only makes 1 of 2 though.

9:12 – Ball don’t lie.

9:12 – Ogando came in to get the Sox out of the jam, so the Rays are still scoreless.

9:15 – Ugh, Cavs’ lead back to seven.

9:16 – Pedroia grounds out to third to end the inning. He’s 0-4 tonight. Probably wearing his angry hat.

9:19 – Offensive foul on Love being a clumsy fella.

9:20 – Isaiah with the reverse layup on the baseline drive. I am nervous and upset.

9:22 – Four point game. 3:20 left.

9:22 – Bradley fouls Irving on a baseline fadeaway with no time left on the shot clock. It was a brick, obviously. Makes both. Down 6.

9:23 – Isaiah gives it to Turner. Turner bricks it off the backboard.

9:23 – Lebron in the post…too easy. Down 8. Two-thirty left.

9:24 – Isaiah’s going to the line after a hard drive. We’re almost in desperation mode. Arrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.

9:26 – We need like three stops and to score every time. COME ON YOU DEVIL LOG.

9:26 – Smith, Thompson, James, Shumpert, Irving. Bradley, Thomas, Crowder, Zeller, Smart.

9:28 – 3 seconds on the Cavs. 1 stop.

9:28 – Zeller stripped on a good feed from Thomas. James with the block.

9:29 – Lebron with a brick, Thompson with the offensive rebound. 1:22 left.

9:29 – James all the way to the basket. Thomas up the floor as fast as he can, dribbles it out of bounds. Down 8. 1 minute left. This feels like slow death. Smart gives the desperation foul.

9:31 – It’s over. Watching the Sox is helping me cope. Ortiz flies out to left.

9:32 – Nava fouls out to Longoria, nice play, made the catch in the stands.

9:33 – They’re just dribbling it out. This stiiiiiiinks.

9:33 – Traveling on Kyrie! DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK.

9:34 – Down 8 with 8 seconds left!

9:34 – Game over. Celts lose, Celts lose.

9:35 – Take me away, Don. Tell me about Hewlett-Packard’s products and how I can get them at unbelievable rates from W.B. Mason. Help me to forget.

9:36 – Tazawa in. Two pitches, two outs.

9:44 – Just realized I have to go out to the Pour House to meet somebody. I’m still in my gym clothes. And I want to go to bed. Ughhhhhhh. Going to get changed. By the way, there’s a runner on third with one out.

9:46 – Hanigan strikes out.

9:49 – Mookie flies out to left, going to the bottom of the ninth. I’m now wearing jeans.

9:51 – Hey Comcast commercial – why would the lifeguard be sitting out in the rain under her umbrella? She’d probably be inside. Get a clue.

9:52 – Are we getting Koji? We’re getting Koji.

9:52 – First pitch is a hard-hit single to left off an easily handled fastball.

9:53 – Longoria’s up now.

9:54 – I don’t think I’ve ever noticed the “Koji” written in cursive on his glove.

9:54 – Righty: “Is Rocco Baldelli their first base coach?” Yes he is. What a bummer.

9:55 – Good splitter gets Longoria to ground into the double play, Sandoval to Pedroia to Nava.

9:56 – 2 outs now. Desmond Jennings is up. First pitch is up and in. Splitter low for ball two.

9:57 – Jennings grounds the third pitch foul to the left. The Rays decide to play Blitzkrieg Bop in the background. Next pitch, ground ball to third base, tough play for Sandoval, throw’s not his best, but Nava makes a tremendous scoop to end the game. Okay, now I have to go out on a Tuesday night. Here’s hoping I’m back by midnight.

P.S. I’m just gonna leave this highlight reel of Brock Holt plays from last night here.

Patriots’ Day: Sox Win in Rain-Shortened Affair

Posted on April 21, 2015 in Game Recap

Patriots’ Day is always one of the best days of the year in Boston, and while the weather didn’t cooperate for the spectators, I’m sure a lot of the Marathon runners were happy that it was cool and wet. As one participant pointed out, it was huge step up from the sub-30 temperatures and snow that defined their training leading up to the race.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 5-1 lead and would go on to win by a score of 7-1 in seven soggy innings. I don’t think anyone involved was too upset when this one was called.

Masterson pitched pretty well, going 5 innings, surrendering 1 run on 3 hits, walking 3 and striking out 6. He looked very hittable at times. All the Orioles hits went for extra bases, but he was able to limit the damage with timely strikeouts.

On offense the Sox were once again the benefactors of some sloppy defense. The Birds committed three errors, two of which were on run-scoring plays, with the other leading to a run on the next play. One of the errors was committed by Gold Glover Manny Machado. It seems like the Red Sox have gotten unusually lucky in this department so far. If I wasn’t so late posting this blog, I’d look up how many errors have been committed against them, as compared to the rest of the league. I think they have to be near the top. This will most likely even out over the course of the season; if this team is going to be a serious contender, the bats need to come alive. Just look at these batting averages:

Boston AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Betts, CF 4 2 1 0 0 0 3 .196
Pedroia, 2B 3 1 2 1 0 1 1 .280
Ortiz, D, DH 2 0 0 1 1 0 4 .220
Ramirez, H, LF 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
Craig, LF 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 .133
Napoli, 1B 2 0 0 1 2 0 2 .136
Victorino, RF 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 .133
Holt, B, 3B 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 .462
Bogaerts, SS 2 1 0 0 1 0 3 .319
Hanigan, C 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 .160
Totals 22 7 5 4 6 3 16 .239

Pretty gross, especially since this is supposed to be the strength of the 2015 squad. That also doesn’t look like the box score of a team that scored seven runs (except for the run column saying that they scored seven runs).

Ryan Hanigan had a good day, reaching base safely in all three plate appearances, singling and getting hit twice, once on the kneecap. Dude has really gotten beat up this season, taking a couple foul balls directly to the hand while catching, and now getting hit twice in the same game.

Allen Craig had a solid RBI single up the middle and drew a walk. It was encouraging to see him square one up, especially since he was playing because Hanley Ramirez had to leave the game in the 3rd inning due to sickness. Hopefully it’s a 24 hour bug or something, but Craig, Nava, and Holt are all more than capable to fill in in the mean time.

Notes:

-I didn’t get to watch any of this one with the sound on so I unfortunately have no Don and Jerry highlights to report. But I imagine there were a few. Maybe something about how Don would have to wear a diaper to run the Marathon because he couldn’t go 5 hours without peeing?

–Pedroia has been pretty consistent so far in the young season. He collected two hits on Monday, including his 3rd double of the year. He’s already struck out 10 times, which is unusually high for the little guy. Something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

-Someone once said that Lavarnway sounds like it should be a stop on the Green Line. I can’t remember where I first heard this, but it is the truest sentence I have ever heard. Lefty thinks this could be it, but I’m pretty sure Olbermann stole this from the comment section of an article that I read around the same time.

We may never know the answer to this question.

 

A Losing Streak? Oh Nooooo

Posted on April 20, 2015 in Game Recap

This is really the first lazy Sunday I’ve had watching the Sox this year. We had Porcello on the mound for the 1:35 start and…I haven’t been Rick’s biggest fan so far. I’m not a fan of the contract, I’m not that impressed with his stuff. There’s still obviously time for me to be wrong, but he seems pretty average. Today didn’t help his case.

After a slick play by Brock Holt (playing second base for a resting Dustin Pedroia), who charged a slow roller and made a quick transition to his throwing hand to get the out at first, Porcello gave up a single to Jimmy Paredes (Jimmy Walls!) and a massive home run over the Monster by Adam Jones.

The sinker comes in high (as pointed out by sports genius Liam Bevans) and flat and oh-so-hittable, and there was pretty much no chance that Jones wasn’t putting it over the fence.

In the bottom half, Brock Holt led off instead of Mookie (possibly to avoid a lefty-lefty combo with Ortiz, as Jerry said, but more likely just because Brock is hitting better) and got on board with a single up the middle. After a fly out by Mookie, Papi drew a walk, but only after an appeal down to third base umpire Jerry Meals on the first apparent ball four (called strike two). Papi was halfway down to first and not impressed with the call, pretty actively showing up Meals on his way back to the batter’s box. THIS WILL BE IMPORTANT LATER.

The next pitch was the first one that Hanley saw on the day, and he made it count, sending it to left field for a home run to take a one-run lead just as quickly as the Sox had fallen behind. The O’s pitcher, Miguel Gonzalez, struggled a bit more in the inning, walking both Sandoval and Victorino, but eventually got out of the 1st by striking out an overeager Xander Bogaerts.

Porcello started the next inning strong, if a bit cautiously, striking out both Travis Snider and Manny Machado. But on the third pitch to Ryan Flaherty (in for the injured Jonathan Schoop), he left another sinker up in the zone and Flaherty drove it all the way to that little green triangle below the flagpole for another home run.

After a mildly settled period for Porcello in the 3rd and beginning of the 4th, the wheels started to come off in earnest. At one point, out of nine consecutive batters faced, seven got either a single or a walk off of Porcello (this sequence also included a possible double play and eventual fielder’s choice that Holt, much as I love the guy, couldn’t get the ball out of his hand in time to start). Two runs scored in the 5th because of the preponderance of baserunners. And the wheels were officially replaced with cinder blocks when Porcello led off the 6th with this sequence: hit by pitch, single, single (bases loaded), bases-clearing double by Adam Jones. Another meatball. I was actively pissed off at this point. I’m pretty sure I yelled, “Get him the hell out of there!” at the TV. That’ll show him.

Just before this, in the bottom of the 5th, Ortiz was tossed for arguing balls and strikes yet again, and again with third base umpire Jerry Meals, who gave Ortiz strike two for going around. Words were said. Fists were shaken. Hands were put on hips. And finally, the home plate empire tossed Big Papi and got away from the big man as quickly and with as much dignity as he could muster. Daniel Nava came in to finish the at-bat from Ortiz’s 1-2 count and quickly grounded out.

The rest of the game was characterized by solid bullpen work by both teams. Starting in the sixth inning, the Red Sox batted 1-14 the rest of the way. The only baserunner was Pablo Sandoval, who got on with a two-out double in the 8th. Really, not much happened.

And okay, I was mostly watching the Celtics because a. it’s the playoffs b. I’m a bigger Celtics fan anyway? Gigi Datome needs to be brought in to shoot the lights out. But anyway, I had the Sox game streaming online on a computer, don’t worry. Totally engrossed in it. All in all, hopefully a start that Porcello can build from. But I can’t say I’m crazy optimistic. Clay has just gotta put his ace game together. I’m sure he will, and we’ll have three starting pitchers on All-Star team. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST.

Sox Drop One to the O’s, but Don and Jerry Are in Mid-Season Form

Posted on April 19, 2015 in Game Recap

Gary!

The Red Sox fell 4-1 to the Orioles in a low-scoring and slow-moving game on Saturday afternoon in the Fens. Clay Buchholz squared off against the O’s de facto ace Chris Tillman. Both pitched well enough, but neither was particularly sharp, resulting in a lot of three-ball counts (but only three walks between the two starters) and neither man making it past the 6th inning.

The old cliché would say that Buchholz “scattered” 11 hits (yes, eleven) over 6 innings, since he only yielded two runs, but that’s not what happened. Eight of the eleven came in the 4th and 5th innings. Clay gave up five hits to the first six batters of the 4th, surrendering two runs before striking out De Aza and Pearce to leave the bases loaded. In the 5th he gave up three straight singles to load the bases, got Manny Machado to ground into a 3-2-3 twin killing, walked Caleb Joseph to reload the bases, then struck out Ryan Flaherty to end the frame. I could use another cliché and tell you that Buchholz “worked out of trouble” in the aforementioned innings; this is accurate but I feel like it doesn’t do the situation justice. This was more like a 5-year-old doing his best Basquiat impression on the dining room wall, getting caught, getting a half-hearted admonition from a disinterested parent, then turning around and finishing his masterpiece just seven minutes later.

I was really encouraged by this performance by Buchholz. While he was sharp at times, he clearly didn’t have his best stuff today. He was able to battle through anyway and turned in a quality start, walking only 1 and striking out 7. This is a huge step forward from the disaster in the Bronx last week.

Offensive highlights:

There were really only two.

1) Brock Holt – Batting leadoff and playing centerfield, Holt went 3 for 4 with a stolen base, raising his average to .579.

2) David Ortiz – Went 3 for 3 with a double and a walk, scoring the only run of the evening for the Sox. His first hit was off the Monster but De Aza played it perfectly, throwing Papi out trying to reach second.

Napoli strung together a couple good ABs, lining out after nine pitches in the 4th, then singling hard up the middle in the 6th. This is more of a silver lining than a highlight.

Tillman has had the Sox’ number over the years. He had a career ERA of 2.69 against Boston coming into this game, and that number is obviously smaller now.

Notes:

–Pedey had a rough day, leaving a handful of runners on. In the 3rd he grounded out on a soft dribbler to Machado with runners on the corners to end the inning. However, Machado may be one of only three or four guys in league who make that play.

-Gary Striewski has really grown on me, he’s good at balancing being personable and professional. I still miss ex-flames Jenny Dell and Heidi Watney though.Jenny DellFullSizeRender

-The real Red Sox highlight in this one was Jerry Remy explaining the sea breeze to Don Orsillo. Orsillo thought the reason the breeze was cold was because it originated in Canada. This eventually led to Don and Jerry being very smudge about the fact that they have their broadcast booth closed, while everyone else was exposed to the cold breeze.

-Adam Jones is really dialed in, getting hits on a fastball, a curveball, and a cutter. He’s hitting close to .500 in his last six games.

-One of the hits Buchholz gave up was a fly ball that Hanley dropped in left. It was ruled a hit because he was right up against the Monster, and and his glove might’ve hit the wall before the ball got there, but it was a really catchable ball that bounced off the heel of his glove. It loaded the bases with 0 outs. The similarities to Manny continue.

-This was the second straight outing Robbie Ross Jr. has given up a 2-run homer. Ross served up a center-cut fastball on a 3-1 count to Crush Davis, who smacked it over the Monster.