Red Sox Win World Series

Red Sox Win World Series


- DJ

September 2nd

Well, it's September 2nd, and the Red Sox are in first with a 5 game lead, let's hope that stays and we win the division and make the playoffs.

- DJ

Lets Go Red Sox

The Red Sox are 3 quarters finished with the season, and are in first place in the American League East Division. If the season had ended today, they would be in the playoffs, in the first divisional round. So, I'm here to check up on the Red Sox. Right now they hold a 2 game lead in the AL East, they have a pretty good chance of making the playoffs if they don't collapse, cough cough, September 2011... Anyways, if they keep playing good, we have a good chance of making the playoffs, and winning the division, which we need to do so we don't have to play in the one game wildcard game. The Tampa Bay Rays are second in the division, followed by the third place Orioles, then the fourth place Yankees, and the last place Blue Jays. The American League wild card race is heating up, with 6 teams fighting for a playoff spot. The National League Wild Card isn't that interesting or exciting because there is pretty much only 3 teams in contention for the Wild Card. The division leaders for the American League are the Red Sox, Tigers, and Rangers. The division leaders for the National League are the Braves, Pirates, and Dodgers, and, let's talk about the National League. The Braves have a 14 game lead in the NL East, and the Dodgers have been hot lately, going 42-8 in their last 50 games. The NL Central is more of a better division race to pay attention to.

So back to the Red Sox, they face the Yankees at Fenway Park today 8 PM, on ESPN, on Sunday Night Baseball. If they win today, they will win the series and if the Rays lose we could gain a 3 game lead in the division, hopefully we can. Well, with 37 games left, like I said, if they keep playing good, they will have a good chance of making the playoffs, and Boston will finally see playoff baseball again, since the last time in 2009, when they got swept in the first round. Well, I'll be back to post here and there, and when important things happen, like lets say, like Xander Bogarts gets called up, but anyways I'll also post on the last game of the season, and if the Red Sox make the playoffs, I'll continue to post in the playoffs. Well, good luck Red Sox!

- DJ

Site Is Closed

So sadly we all knew this day was coming and by we I mean me and Anthony. Dj has refused to post for the past 2 weeks so im officially closing this site until further notice. Bye.



-Abudi

Celtics Hire Butler Stevens As New Head Coach

The Celtics hire former BullDogs coach Butler Stevens as there new head coach. Stevens has a .772 career winning percentage but no NBA expirience. He led his NCAA team to two NCAA title games as well. Hopefully Stevens can coach the Celtics to success and we'll see if he can tolerate Rondo's behavior.

P.S. I know there hasn't been any Red Sox's post lately(Blame that on DJ) but i'll keep updating the sidebar to inform you.)


-Abudi

Big 3 Era Officially Over

The Celtics have traded Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets for Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Keith Bogans, and first round picks for the years 2014, 2016, and 2018. To me the Nets won this deal getting 2 future Hall of Famers and one of the best 3 point shooters and 6th man in the NBA. Paul Pierce is going to be the hardest to get over considering his whole career was with the Celtics. So the Rebuilding phase officially begins and will probably last for a while.

Anyway the draft was yesterday and the Celtics or should i say the Mavericks drafted Kelly Olynyk but they traded him to the Celtics. Olynyk finished his last season in college career averaging 17.8 PPG and 7.3 RPG. So welcome to the Celtics and "enjoy" the rebuilding phase.


-Abudi

Lackey's Excellence Leads Red Sox to win over Rockies 5-3

Lackey claps and reacts after striking out Rockies, Tyler Colvin in the in the 4th inning

John Lackey was brilliant tonight as he led the Red Sox to a 5-3 win over the Rockies, as we won both 2 games against them. Lackey struck out 12, as he tied a career high, and pitched 7 innings, giving up 8 hits, only 2 runs, and walking none. He would earn the win to go 5-5 and lower his season ERA to 2.99, just showing more and more of who he really is and should be. The Red Sox were able to put up 10 hits and 5 runs, as the star of the lineup was Victorino who went 3-4 with an RBI. Also, Pedroia went 2-4, Ortiz went 1-2 with an RBI and 2 walks, and Nava went 1-3 with 2 RBI's. Napoli also had an RBI. Tazawa came into the 8th, giving up a home run but the score would still be 5-3. Entering the 9th, it would be 5-3 as Koji Uehara would take the mound in a save opportunity, in his new closer role. He would give up no hits and strike out 2, earning his 2nd save of the season, once again, in his new primarily role, the closer.

Lackey's outing was just great fanning 12 batters, and it gave a sense of relief for Boston, as he is suddenly a new better pitcher than he was in his first 2 years with the Red Sox. Wanna know something else good about Lackey? He threw a pitch that reached out to 95 MPH, something he never used to show back in his first 2 seasons with the Red Sox, but he was always dealing with an arm injury then.

Now back to the Clay Buchholz situation, as he is leaving Boston in many questions. On Wednesday, Buchholz's bullpen session was cut short after 18 pitches when he had felt discomfort again in his neck muscle. Later that day, Buchholz was scheduled for an MRI, or medical scan, and more will be told to us once Farrell finds out what is wrong. Right now, there is no time return, but most likely, he is going to be out until after the All Star Break. Now some may be getting worried because the All Star break is somewhat far away and isn't until July 16th, but it may be best for him to just sit it out and get all the rest/time he needs because it would be much better to have our ace in the second half of the season when we really need him down along the road, once the playoff race becomes tighter. So Buchholz may be out until after the All Star break but hopefully that is the best for him as we will hopefully be able to see him pitch along the road later this season.

Anyways, with that being said, the Red Sox will face the red hot Blue Jays who may be 5th in the competitive division, but are 8-2 in their last 10 games and only 6.5 games back of first place now. The 4 game series will be in Boston, and will start tomorrow at 7:10 PM and end on Sunday, and then the Red Sox will face the Padres in a 3 game series at home to end this 9 game home stand.

- DJ

Aaron Hernandez Charged With Murder

Once star tight end for the Patriots, Hernandez is now facing jail time after being arrested

After an ongoing investigation of a murder case of Odin Lloyd, Patriots star tight end Aaron Hernandez was finally charged with murder of Lloyd, who was friend. The two had a dispute on the way to a night club and that is when Hernandez was said to have murdered him.

At the time of Hernandez's arrest, the Patriots immediately released him from the team. For those of you who don't know, which I'm sure most people know by now, Hernandez was questioned for murder in the case of Odin Lloyd and an investigation had been going on for the last week. Hernandez had destroyed his cell phone and other electronics and handed them to the police, which were said to be evidence. After enough evidence in the investigation, the police and authority had found enough information to arrest Hernandez. Later that day, he was scheduled to have a court case and once he did, they had found Hernandez guilty of the murder and 5 other gun related charges.

Last summer the Patriots had signed Hernandez to a five year $40 million contract, but, oh, what a waste of money that is now. So 2 tight ends currently gone, referring to Gronk, if he is not ready for the season. Hernandez really messed up this time, he made a shame of the Patriots organization and he threw away his promising football career, to jail time. Hey, but Hernandez is going in jail a tight end, and coming out a wide receiver. With all jokes aside, rather than that one, Hernandez has really just made situations worst for the Patriots and he has made a fool of himself.

Well, this is it. Hernandez is going to jail, Gronk is healing from surgery, and the Patriots are looking very thin at receivers this year, who just last year, had one of the best offenses in the league. No worries yet, as football isn't going to start for a while, and hopefully they'll solve their problems eventually. Anyways, so Hernandez was charged with murder, and will be going to jail for a while. That's what he gets.

- DJ

Not Our Year

(There was no way I was showing Chicago skating around the Garden with the cup)

Shock. Heartbreak. Embarrassment some might say. These are all words to describe Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Bruins were trying to win to extend the series to a deciding Game 7 while the Blackhawks were looking to end it all. You would think that Boston would be the more desperate team, and well, they showed it in the first period. They dominated play throughout and they would go up 1-0 on a goal by Chris Kelly. Paille shot one towards the net that was probably going over it, Seguin grabbed it and dropped it to the ice, then made a great pass in front of the net to Kelly who one-timed it home. In the 2nd Period, Jonathan Toews grabbed a puck and flew up the boards and got to the net when he shot it 5-hole on Tuukka Rask to tie the game at 1. Then, with about 8 minutes to go in the third period, David Krejci setup behind the Chicago net and passed it to Milan Lucic who was right in front. He shot it, but it rolled off his stick a little, and that change in direction might have surprised Corey Crawford, and it found the back of the net to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. Game 7 looked possible. Then, with 1:16 remaining in the game, and with Chicago's goalie pulled, Toews skated up the ice and threw a pass over to Bryan Bickell out in front, who tapped it in on the open side to tie the game at 2. Now everybody was thinking overtime, where the Bruins could have still won. Then, 17 seconds later, Chicago shocked everyone. Johnny Oduya shot in a puck from the point, it got deflected by something (I haven't watched the replay, really, I don't care what it hit) and went in by Tuukka Rask, who didn't have a chance on it. The Blackhawks had a 3-2 lead with less than a minute remaining, and....that one hurt. It brought the energy right out of the building and left the Bruins in disbelief. They only had 58 seconds to try and score, and it didn't happen. The Blackhawks are Stanley Cup Champions, Patrick Kane won the Con Smythe Trophy, and a game that looked promising at the beginning ended in the worst possible way for the Bruins.

Well, that's that then. Even though I'm disappointed, the Bruins shouldn't think they let everyone down. They still made it to the Finals and came within two games of winning it, I would call that a successful season, especially since everyone was ready for a first round exit in Game 7 against Toronto. Also, we have learned that Patrice Bergeron broke a rib in game 5 and also tore rib cartilage and he played through it. He also separated his shoulder in game 6. Too bad he didn't get rewarded for that.

See you in October.

~Anthony

Good Bye Doc Rivers

The Celtics have traded there head coach Doc Rivers to the L.A. Clippers for a 2015 1st round draft pick. The Clippers obviously won this deal as they got one of the best coaches in the NBA today. The main reason Doc wanted to leave people say is because of Rajon Rondo who reportedly Doc wanted to fight after Rondo dropped the F-bomb at Doc. Now the Celtics are without a head coach and Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnetts future is still up in the air. This my friends is only the begining of whats sure to be a roller coaster offseason for the Celtics.


P.S. The Bruins lost 3-1 yesterday but Anthony's cant post so i'll just tell ya know.


-Abudi

Red Sox Lose To Tigers 7-5

The Red Sox lost to the Tigers 7-5 Sunday. This game was sort of weird, as we were able to put up 4 runs against Verlander, Doubrant's outing was shaky, as he only lasted 5 innings, and his pitch count was up once again. When Doubrant had left his outing, the bullpen was good for one inning, until Bailey had come in, in what was yet another struggling game for him, as he gave up 2 hits and a run. Then, Miller who was doing very good lately, struggled for his second straight outing, blowing the lead giving up 1 hit, making an error, and hitting a batter. The 3 runs were not charged to him but the error was made by him. Also during that inning Daniel Nava had made a disputed catch in which he caught the ball, but dropped it and the umpire said that he did not have control of the ball. The Red Sox would score one in the ninth, and then with 2 outs, Detroit outfielder Torii Hunter would make a nice catch to end the game and rob Drew of a hit and another potential RBI/Run. Our offense actually got 12 hits. Ellsbury went 2-4 with an RBI, Pedroia went 3-4, Ortiz went 3-5, and Iglesias who has been hot lately, sadly went 0-3 but reached base on being hit by a pitch.

With that being said, the Blue Jays have won 11 straight, and sit at 4th place in the division with a 38-36 record, ahead of the 5th place Rays, and behind the 3rd place Yankees. What is good for us is that the Orioles and Yankees both lost so we remain our 2 game lead over the Orioles for first place. The Red Sox will have an off day tomorrow, Monday, and then will verse the Rockies in a 2 game series at home, and then will verse the red hot Blue Jays in a 4 game series at home. Hopefully we do in this home stand!

- DJ

Red Sox Hold A Hit Fest As They Clobber Tigers, 10-6

Victorino drives in 2 runs in the fourth inning

The Red Sox beat the Tigers 10-6 and collected 17 hits total in the game, Friday night. Another shaky outing from Lester as he went 5.2 innings giving up 9 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, and struck out 2. He also gave up 2 home runs, one being Miguel Cabrera, if that matters. He would luckily earn the win as the offense was there to save him, but another reason why wins and losses are a decisive stat. Our offense was great, and it all started from the first inning when Victorino homered his 3rd of the season and he was just on fire tonight, I'll get to that later. The Sox would score 9 more runs through the rest of the game. Here's the stats for offense, Ellsbury went 2-5 with 2 RBI's, Victorino went 4-5 with 5 RBI's, Pedroia went 2-5 1 RBI, Napoli went 2-5, Drew went 3-5, and Iglesias went 3-5 with a triple, once again proving himself to the Red Sox this year. Victorino had a monstrous night collecting 4 hits, and it was a great game for our offense. Our bullpen was OK, except for Miller who gave up a hit, a run, and a walk, but did strike out 1. This was in the 9th inning, in a non save situation, but no worries for him yet.

So the Red Sox picked up the win and got a 2 game lead over the second place Orioles. One team that has been on a tear and roll lately has been the Blue Jays who are currently 36-36, 7 games back of first place and are on a 9 game winning streak. Hopefully they go back to losing... Anyways, Allen Webster who has made 2 career starts in the MLB, both coming this season, his last one being very bad, will pitch tomorrow for the Red Sox as he will be taking Buchholz missed start and he will hopefully look to regain himself and pitch much better.

- DJ

Red Sox Lose As Bailey Blows Save, Leaves Red Sox Questioning Now

So it's been a while since I last posted but I'm back on track, as school has just ended for me and I will be able to post much more. Anyways, last night's Red Sox game was a good one................ until the 9th inning, when Bailey came in. The Red Sox had come into the 8th inning, all tied, 2-2. Then, Ortiz would hit a single to score the go ahead run and send Victorino home to make it 3-2. Uehara would come into the bottom of the 8th and secure the lead. Then, it came to the bottom of the 9th and it was all up to Bailey to secure the win and close out the game. First batter he faces, takes a walk, 1 on first, nobody out. Next batter he faces, hits a home run to left field and would give the Tigers a 4-3 walk off win, and Bailey had his 4th blown save of the season. Positive notes? Ortiz went 2-4 with 2 RBI's and his team leading 15th home run. Another great outing from Lackey went 7 innings giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and struck out 5, looking like the old Lackey that everyone expected when we had first got him.

Now as for the closer role, the Red Sox have decisions to make. Well, manager John Farrell has already said Bailey is out of the closer job after that game, but the question is, who will take over? Well there could be a number of people, starting with Andrew Miller. Actually, Miller was seen warming up in the 9th inning last night in the bullpen but did not go out. The reason he could be picked is because he has been dominant lately going lights out on the batters he has faced, and has drastically improved from the start of the season, after a slow start. His strikeout rate is amazing, and he has 43 strikeouts in only 26 innings, something that must not be ignored. His ERA has also slowly went back down to the 2's, owning a 2.77 ERA. He just has improved a lot better lately, and the fact that we saw him warming up, shows that they may give him a try.

Two other options would be, former short period closer, Junichi Tazawa, who was the closer when Bailey was injured, but did not record a save, or Koji Uehara, who has also been lights out lately. While Tazawa hasn't been his 2012 form self, he still has done good posting up a 4-2 record with a 2.51 ERA, and giving up only 3 WALKS, and striking out 38. Uehara has also been another option because of his 2010 season when he posted 13 saves and has just been really good this season owning a 2.10 ERA, and having a 42/7 K/BB ratio.

So after I wrote this I had found out Uehara has been named the new closer. So even though they have named Uehara the new closer, those people could be other options if Uehara struggles in the 9th. Really they all have potential to become a closer, but they need to handle the stressful situations in the 9th inning, and regain all their confidence. As for Bailey, it is unclear what the Sox will do with him for now, but they might experiment and put him in a different bullpen role, for different innings. Well, with that being said, struggling Jon Lester will be looking to pitch better tonight against the Tigers.

- DJ

Who Needs Defense

(Jonathan Toews was one of many to get a goal in last nights crazy 6-5 OT win for the Blackhawks)

Although they didn't come out with this win, which obviously is the most important thing, the Bruins were part of what I think was the most exciting game of the Stanley Cup Finals. We knew the Blackhawks were an offensive team, but last night was just wild. The two teams combined for 11 goals, 5 were scored in the second period. I'll just get right down to how they were scored because this will pretty much take up my whole post.

This crazy night didn't start so well for the Bruins. They were on the power play, and Brandon Saad started up the ice to break free, and he ended up having Handzus with him on the other side for a 2-on-1 and he didn't miss. He shot it right by Rask to give the Blackhawks a shorthanded goal and the lead 1-0. The Bruins would tie it up on the power play when Ference made a nice play to keep the net in the zone, and the puck for going to Saad, but he ended up falling down. It turned out to be costly ad Rich Peverly would get the puck and score over the glove side of Corey Crawford, which is something that happens a lot if you haven't noticed by now. In the second period now, Rozsival put a puck on net and it went in after Jonathan Toews made a great tip. He tipeed it to bounce right underneath the pad of Rask, and he had no chance, and the Hawks had the lead 2-1. This next goal was probably the one that I blame Rask on the most, Bryan Bickell threw a wrist shot on goal, Rask made the save but gave up a huge rebound and it got right to Patrick Kane, who scored on a backhanded shot to make it 3-1. The Bruins would make it 3-2 when Milan Lucic was out in front and made a quick forehand-to-backhand move and shot it in, you guessed it, glove side on Crawford. Less than a minute later though, the Blackhawks would get their 2 goal lead back. There would be a 2-on-1 for the Blackhawks, Frolik would pass it cross ice to Kruger, who quickly skated in front of Rask to the other side and tried to jam it in the net. Rask would make the first save with his pad, but he didn't get lucky with the rebound and Kruger stayed with it easily. By then Rask was way out of position, and Kruger basically had an open net to make it 4-2. Then, on the power play again for the Bruins, who are actually getting better, Chara fired a shot from the point, it was a high shot and missed the net, but it bounced off the glass and came back towards the net. It bounced off the top of it and landed right in front on Crawford, who had no idea where it was. Bergeron, however, knew exactly where it was and was able to lift it over Crawford to make it 4-3. So we finally are in the third period now. Jaromir Jagr is showing that he is more important on starting plays than actually finishing. He won two puck battles and eventually got a pass out to Bergeron out in front who one times it for his second of the game to make it all tied at 4. Patrick Sharp got a goal later on the power play when he picked up a loose puck to make it 5-4. It would be tied at 5 when Johnny Boychuk just shot a monster slap shot than Crawford had no chance on with a partial screen. Surprisingly, nobody would score in the final 5 minutes or so, and we were headed to OT. About 10 minutes into the Overtime, Seabrook would shoot a wrist shot that went far side on Rask to win the game for the Blackhawks. And send the TD Garden crowd home disappointed on what really was a great hockey game. But, I'm sure next game will be back to 3 goals altogether between the two teams, so it was nice while it lasted.

All joking aside, this obviously was not Rask's best game. But, Crawford did not better. I have way more confidence in Rask being able to bounce back than I do Crawford though. The reason is, the Bruins have definitely found Crawford's weakness, and that's the glove side. There have been so many goals scored on that and it's a real problem. Crawford could try to work on it, but I don't think this is something that can be fixed right in the middle of the Finals and will probably take longer to fix it. I'm sticking with my prediction. To get a win at home the Bruins had to lose so I'm right on track. C'mon let's win 2 straight games! It can be done!

#BruinsIn6

~Anthony

Bruins Shutout Blackhawks to Take Lead in Finals 2-1

(The new third line continued to produce, as Daniel Paille scored what would turn out to be the game winning goal.)

The Bruins were definitely more ready to play Game 3 than they were Game 2. Unlike Game 2, they were actually playing. In the first Stanley Cup Final game at TD Garden since 2011, things started off pretty even in the first period. That is, until Chicago went on the power play. The Bruins came close to scoring at least 3 shorthanded goals. The best chance came when Marchand took a long pass and entered the Chicago zone on a breakaway, but he would lose the puck off his stick when he tried to go to his backhand. He would show his frustration by smashing his stick off the boards in front of the Bruins bench and break it in two. In the second period, Chris Kelly got a puck along the boards and passed it to Daniel Paille, who stick-handled passed a defenseman and got a quick shot off that beat Corey Crawford glove side to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. Later in the second, Niklas Hjalmarsson would be called for tripping and give the Bruins a power play. Then, with 10 seconds left on the penalty, Dave Bolland would also get called for tripping, this one against Johnny Boychuk. So the Bruins had 10 seconds of 5-on-3 time, and they would have to do things quickly to try and score. And, that's what they did, although it didn't count as an official 5-on-3 goal, the man coming out of the box didn't get into the play yet, so it technically still was. Jaromir Jagr got it started when he through a gorgeous pass right through the crease to Patrice Bergeron who shot it into the empty net to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. And that was all Tuukka Rask needed as he got his first ever Stanley Cup Finals shutout and third playoff shutout overall, all this year. He stopped all 28 shots he saw. I think we are aiming towards Tuukka being the Con Smythe winner (If the Bruins win, of course). The Bruins are now two wins away from another Stanley Cup.

#BruinsIn6

~Anthony

Third Line Steps Up, Wins Game For B's in OT

(Daniel Paille scored the game-winning goal in OT to give him a 2 point night. He also had an assist on Chris Kelly's second period tying-goal.)

The United Center was once again rocking as Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals got underway. And, well, they had plenty to cheer about in the first period. Not so much for the Bruins, though. They were outplayed in every aspect of the game in the first period. Defense, offense, and yes, even goal. Crawford didn't give up a goal in the first and Rask did, not saying he did bad I'm just saying they were better in literally every way. And the goal wasn't Rask's fault either, it was scored when the Blackhawks took about 4 shots in rapid fire, and Rask stopped all of those but it bounced out to Patrick Sharp who was able to get it through the traffic and into the back of the net to give the Hawks the early lead. That was just one of many scoring chances in the first period as the Bruins were outshot 19-3. All in all, it was looking like a very long night for Boston and if not for Tuukka it could have easily been at least 3-0. But, to the Bruins credit, they didn't give up. They didn't focus on their effort in the first and just looked forward to the second. The really tightened up defensively, and although they were greatly outshot in the first, the Blackhawks only got 15 shots the rest of the game, including overtime. With the way the Bruins played in the first, Claude Julien was forced to shake up his lines to try and get anything going. And, well, it worked. He moved Seguin down to the fourth line to skate with Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille while Shawn Thornton moved up to the third line to take Seguin's place with Kaspris Daugavins and Rich Peverly. I don't know what Julien saw in the new fourth line combination, but it proved to be the difference in the game as that line would score both of Boston's two goals. The first one came in the second period when Paille grabbed a puck behind the net, he forced his way out front and threw a shot on goal. Crawford stopped that one but Kelly was right there for the rebound and he jammed it home to tie the game 1-1. After a scoreless third period we would head to overtime. Again. It is the fourth time in NHL history the first two games of the Finals have gone to OT. To find the last time it happened you have to go all the way back to....well, last season, when Los Angeles and New Jersey did it. It looked like it could be another long one with bad bounces for the Bruins after Jaromir Jagr, who has been snake-bitten all postseason, rang the post about 2 minutes into overtime. Once again, so close for Jagr and you could see him yell in frustration. But in the end, the Bruins would come out on top, with about 6 minutes left in OT Adam McQuaid would save a puck in the offensive zone, passed it over to Tyler Seguin, who then made a cross-ice pass to Paille who one timed it past the glove side of Crawford to send the Bruins back to Boston with the Stanley Cup Finals all tied at 1.

The Bruins definitely got better as this game went on. After a very bad first period, they slowly got better every period after and overtime was definitely their best. The Blackhawks, on the other hand, got worse as the game went on. The controlled play in the first then just seemed to get away from what they were doing. And we've got a new series, although the Bruins now have home ice advantage.

#BruinsIn6

~Anthony

Frustrating Night For Red Sox, Lose 2-0

The Red Sox lost to the Orioles Friday night, 2-0, and totaled 3 total hits, yes only 3. It was yet another frustrating night as they just could not produce offense against the O's Chris Tillman and were 1-7 with runners in scoring position all together. Iglesias was the only Sox batter to pick up 2 hits going 2-4. Victorino was the only other Sox player to get a hit going 1-3. Anyways an upside to this was that Nava earned a highlight reel play chasing down a foul ball and making the catch in the bottom of the 7th. Iglesias would ground out into a game ending double play to get Jim Johnson's 24th MLB leading save, and the first time the Sox have been shutout by the Orioles since 2006, I am not lying... Dempster pitched very well going 7.2 innings giving up 5 hits, 2 runs, walking five though, and struck out 4. He took the loss to go to 4-7 on the season.

Anyways, with that loss, the Sox have lost two straight to the O's and now sit only 1.5 games up in first place, second being the Orioles... What a coincidence? The Red Sox also have a 41-28 record, and 1-4 record against the Orioles this season, I hate versing the division, and I hate having a competitive division. Lackey (3-5, 3.14 ERA), will be on the mound tomorrow and will try to get the Sox the win, hopefully he does.

- DJ

Red Sox Roster Moves

The Red Sox have made a roster move that I'd like to say because this can't go unnoticed.

Ok, following RHP Alex Wilson's loss last night, the Red Sox optioned him back to Triple A Pawtucket... and the moment we've all been waiting for... well, at least I've been waiting for...

The Red Sox have called up 24 year old RHP Rubby De La Rosa from Triple A Pawtucket! The reason I am so happy about this is because he has been in the majors before with the LA Dodgers and he has showed signs to be good, at least. Pedro Martinez has worked with him on his pitches and he has improved a lot more. His fastball reaches between 92-98 MPH, his change-up is said to have great movement, and his slider is said to have improved, and gets players swinging a lot. De La Rosa is 0-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 38.1 innings and 11 starts this year in Pawtucket. He has improved a lot more since going through Tommy John Surgery.

De La Rosa will be available for the Red Sox in the bullpen tonight, and hopefully we get to see his Red Sox debut tonight. I have high hopes for him, and I think he will be an effective strikeout pitcher, basing off his PawSox stats, and improvement. Let's hope for the best from him! And once again, LET'S HOPE THE RED SOX WIN! Wait, I don't need to hope, I know they'll win...

- DJ

Red Sox Trade Infielder Pedro Ciraco To Padres

The Boston Red Sox have traded utility infielder Pedro Ciriaco to the San Diego Padres.

One week after designating him for assignment, the Sox felt that they did not need him anymore, and based on his results in limited playing time this season, he didn't play too good. Ciraco struggled offensively, and defensively, committing a lot of errors. What the Padres needed was some depth in their infield and Ciriaco will probably have a better role there.

Now what does this mean for the Red Sox? Well, first, we are reportedly getting a player to be named later or cash considerations. Now, secondly, this means more space for players. This lets the Red Sox earn a new bench/utility/part time player, named, Jose Iglesias. This allows them to have Iglesias get much more playing time and most likely if they keep seeing good offensive production from Iglesias, he is going to stay in the big leagues this year. Personally, I think this is a good decision because they are planning on having him play 3-5 times a week, which will help him get the experience he needs for when he becomes a full time player. Well, let's hope the Sox win tonight!

- DJ

Tough Luck Loss For Red Sox As They Fall To O's 5-4 In Extras

The Red Sox lost to the Orioles 5-4 in extra innings Thursday night in what was a tough loss. The Orioles led  for most of the game up until the 7th when the Sox would tie the game 4-4. The score remained tied up until the 13th inning when the O's would get a chance to score. Alex Wilson who was just called up from Pawtucket, came in to pitch his 3rd inning of relief. He struck out his first batter in that inning, then would get Manny Machado to ground out to third to first, but then he would give up a walk to Markakis, a single to Adam Jones, and all of a sudden the O's would have 2 on with 2 outs, men on first and second. Chris Davis came up to bat, and hit a lucky blooper single that landed around left field and it was just a tough loss for the Sox after that. Doubrant's pitching line was 4.2 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 earned, 1 walk, and 5 strikeouts. Andrew Miller was excellent in relief last night going 2 innings, walking 2, and striking out 4, and he was throwing heat, reaching between 95-98 MPH. So the bullpen wasn't bad tonight it was just that one costly blooper single that was a tough one to swallow. As for the offense, the only guy that picked up 2 hits was Middlebrooks, who went 2-5 with a double and a single. Ortiz and Carp each hit a solo home run, Ortiz his 14th, and Carp his 7th.

Last night was just a tough loss... Anyways, one thing I want to mention is that Ellsbury stole his 30th base of the season last night, and has only been caught stealing 3 times, once last night though. He also leads the American League in stolen bases and is tied for leading in the MLB. Well with that said, the Red Sox will take on the Orioles tonight, as Ryan Dempster (4-6, 4.40 ERA) will take on Chris Tillman (6-2, 3.89 ERA). An upside to Dempster is that in his last 3 starts, he is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 16 strikeouts, and 1-0 with a 1.47 ERA, and 13 strikeouts in his career against the Orioles.

- DJ