Tampa Takes Game 1

This may be the biggest week of the season for the Red Sox and it got off to a rough start. Despite an improbable and lucky rally in the 9th inning, the Sox dropped the series opener to the Rays 5-4 in Tampa, Fla.

Boston is now 1 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay, including three back in the loss column. The loss also dropped the Sox to 11-13 in one-run games, not a stat you want to be on the wrong side of.

The injuries finally seem to be catching up to the Sox. With many guys struggling on offense, the loss of Big Papi is really being felt. It seems like Dustin Pedroia, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis are the only guys the Sox can count on right now.

BOX SCORE: Rays 5, Red Sox 4

Jacoby Ellsbury has been a prolonged slump since he returned from his wrist injury. It might be a good idea to move him to the bottom of the lineup and move Dustin to leadoff with Youk batting second.

Speaking of the bottom of the lineup, it can't get any worse than Jason Varitek and Julio Lugo right now. Tek is really struggling and it's hard to watch him flail at balls. The problem is there's no other options, although at this point I think I'd rather see Kevin Cash at the plate.

Then there's Lugo - the biggest pig Boston sports has seen in a long time. We should sue Lugo and the Red Sox for consumer fraud. We pay good money to see the team perform, and we all know the Sox paid Lugo a ridiculous amount to play for them, and he completely sucks! Not only can he barely field the ball, but he throws like a girl (insert Johnny Damon joke here), he's the weakest hitting infielder since Mark Belanger and for a supposed fast guy he's not that fast and is a terrible base runner. Oh yeah - and he's always grabbing his cock. What a jackass!

The difference with Lugo is the Sox do have other options. Bring back Jed Lowrie! While we're on the subject of minor leaguers, what happened to Clay Buchholz?

Justin Masterson has done an admirable job filling in with all the injuries, but the guy has had one AAA start and had never started in the Majors until this season. Buchholz pitched a no hitter last season and started the season in the rotation. Why isn't he with the big club?

The questionable decisions continue for Terry Francona too. In the 5th inning after the Sox had finally gotten to Rays starter James Shields for a run in the 4th, Brandon Moss opened the inning with a single. Francona then decided to put the hit-and-run on with Varitek up. Of course Tek swung and missed the first pitch and Moss was out easily. So much for that inning.

Also, with the Sox trailing 4-2 he brought in rookie Chris Smith in the 7th. This is a guy who has all of 2 major league appearances, but Tito brings him in during the most important game of the season to date with the game on the line. Smith proceeded to walk the bases loaded and had to be bailed out by Javy Lopez - that's a scary thought.

Finally, after the Sox rallied for two runs in the 9th to cut it to 5-4 thanks to a joke of a double off the catwalk in right field by Brandon Moss, and Moss on third with two outs, Francona was about to pinch hit Sean Casey for Lugo to face Troy Percival. But Percival hurt himself and was pulled for a lefty so Francona let Pigo bat and surprise, surprise, he lined out softly to short for the last out. I would have let anyone on the team bat for Lugo in that situation. Did I mention before that he sucks!

Hopefully Wakefield can come up with one of his gems Tuesday night because the Rays have Kazmir going Wednesday and we all know what he does against the Sox.

Hung Up In Houston

After two tough one-run losses, the Red Sox find themselves 1/2 game behind Tampa Bay heading into this week's "Division Collision" with the Rays and the Yankees.

Saturday's game was an old-fashioned slugfest which the Astros pulled out with three runs in the 8th off Manny Delcarmen. Mike Lowell's solo shot in the 9th brought the Sox within a run but the rally ended there and the Sox lost 11-10.

Lowell and Dustin Pedroia had four hits apiece and Jon Lester had his worst outing in months allowing six runs on nine hits in five innings.

Old friend Mark Loretta had a huge 3-run homer in the 3rd for the Astros which helped Houston erase the 4-0 lead that the Sox grabbed in the top of the inning. It's always a bad sign when the pitcher allows any runs to score right after the offense takes the lead, especially when it's a 5-spot.

BOX SCORE: Astros 11, Red Sox 10
BOX SCORE: Astros 3, Red Sox 2

Sunday's game was one of the most frustrating losses of the season and possibly the worst managed game that Tito Frnacona has had all season.

Josh Beckett had a solid outing, but the Red Sox managed just 2 runs despite getting 9 hits and 6 walks. Boston left 13 men on base, including the bases loaded twice.

The Sox had runners on first and third with one out in the 6th, but instead of pinch hitting for Beckett, Francona allowed him to bat. He struck out, and after Jacoby Ellsbury walked, Pedroia flied out for the last out of the inning.

Then in the bottom of the 8th with the game tied 2-2 and a man on, Francona brought in Hideki Okajima who obviously doesn't have it anymore. We've been calling for Francona to take him out of the 8th-inning role for weeks now. Maybe after this he'll finally learn.

Okie Doke allowed two hits including the game winner to Loretta - who burned the Sox again.

Manny Ramirez broke out of home run drought with a solo shot in the 7th, but after the game there was word that Manny had another scuffle with a team employee - this time it was the traveling secretary. Big Papi can't get back soon enough as some needs to get Manny's head on straight - or at least as straight as Manny can get it.

Dice-K Dominates, Drew Goes Deep

Now that's more like it. Coming off his worst outing in a Red Sox uniform, Daisuke Matsuzaka bounced back with 5 shutout innings to lead the Sox over the Astros Friday night.

Dice-K struck out the side in the 1st and never looked back. He got out of a bases loaded jam in the 5th - his only bad inning of the night - and left the game with a 3-0 lead on his way to his 9th win of the season.

J.D. Drew once again came through with the big hit - a 3-run bomb in the 3rd to give the Sox all the runs they would need.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 6, Astros 1

Dustin Pedroia went 3-for-4 with 2 runs and an RBI and Kevin Youkilis had 4 hits to raise his average to .313.

The pitching was outstanding as Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen each tossed a perfect inning and Jonathan Papelbon got a 4-out save on just 13 pitches.

The only blemish was Hideki Okajima who once again struggled allowing the only run of the game to the Astros.

It's time to take Okie Doke out of the 8th-inning spot. In his last 10 outings he's allowed 18 hits including 2 home runs over 8 2/3 innings for a 10.47 ERA. Ouch!

This was a huge win to start the big 10-game road trip, especially since Tampa spanked the Pirates and the Yankees were able to split their doubleheader with the Mets.

It looked like the Mets had a good chance to sweep, but they blew some great scoring chances early against Sidney the freakin Pig Ponson and then got killed in the nightcap. I guess the Sox got rid of Pedro just in time.

Wakefield-Cash Combo Does In D-Backs

Tim Wakefield outdueled fellow forty-something Randy Johnson, and his personal catcher, Kevin Cash, provided a big boost at the plate as the Sox blanked the D-Backs 5-0.

The win allowed the Sox to finish the brief homestand 3-3, close the first half of the season at 49-32 and remain 1 game ahead of the Rays and 5 1/2 ahead of the Yankees.

Wake was outstanding again, allowing just 2 hits and 1 walk in 7 innings. He's pitched at least 7 innings in six straight starts.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 5, Diamondbacks 0

Boston was able to scratch out 2 runs against the Big Unit thanks to some good hitting by Brandon Moss. Even though Moss didn't get a hit, he was able to drive in both runs from third with less than 2 outs against the tough lefty.

The Sox led 2-0 going into the 8th when Cash smashed a 3-run bomb off reliever Juan Cruz to give the Sox some breathing room.

They needed it too as Craig Hansen got into a jam in the 9th and Jonathan Papelbon had to come in to get the final out with the bases loaded.

Coco Crisp had three doubles, Dustin Pedroia continued his hot streak with three hits, and Mike Lowell had 2 hits and three runs scored.

Manny Delcarmen looked great again pitching a perfect 8th.

The Sox start a crucial 10-game road trip Friday with their final Interleague series against Houston before two huge series at Tampa and at the Yankees. This could set the tone for the second half of the season.

Tek Caps Rally for Remy

The Sox couldn't lose on Jerry Remy Night. As Lenny Clarke implored the hometown nine to get some runs during his visit in the booth with the Sox down 4-1, you had a feeling something special was going to happen. And then it did.

Boston rallied for 4 runs in the 8th inning to pull off one of its most exciting come-from-behind wins of the season.

Julio "The Pig" Lugo actually got the rally started with a base hit. That was followed by back-to-back base hits from Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia, who blasted his 7th homer of the season in the 1st, to cut the deficit to 4-2 and set the stage for J.D. Drew or Manny Ramirez to win it.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 5, Diamondbacks 4

This time, however, Drew and Manny didn't come through and it looked like the rally might fall short, but the mark of this team all season has been that every guy on the squad has contributed and that's exactly what Mike Lowell did.

He smashed a line shot off the Monster for a double to tie it and then Jason Varitek broke out of his 1-for-31 slump ripping a single to right to score Lowell with the game-winning run as Fenway erupted.

Jonathan Papelbon took it from there striking out two in the 9th for his 22nd save.

The Sox got good pitching all night as Justin Masterson didn't have his best stuff again, but he battled through 6 innings to give the Sox a chance. He had trouble with Chad Tracy who touched him for a two-out 3-run bomb in the 3rd and had all 4 of the D-Backs RBIs.

Rookie Chris Smith tossed two outstanding innings to keep the score at 4-1 and earn his first Major League victory.

It was great to see all the love and good-natured ribbing given to the Rem Dawg all night as a parade of stars and former players visited the booth and gave testimonials to the president of Red Sox Nation on his night.

Beckett Tough Luck Loser

Josh Beckett pitched one of his best games of the season Monday night, but it wasn't enough as Dan Haren was a little better in the Diamondbacks' 2-1 victory at Fenway.

Beckett, who went 8 innings giving the Sox' overtaxed bullpen a much-needed rest, had one bad inning, but that was all the D-Backs needed.

After cruising through 6 scoreless innings, Beckett allowed a walk and a single before Chris Young ripped a double down the left field line making it 1-0.

BOX SCORE: Diamondbacks 2, Red Sox 1

The next batter Chris Snyder hit a routine grounder to first, but Brandon Moss bobbled it allowing the runner from third to score the eventual game-winner. Moss had replaced Kevin Youkilis who suffered a freak injury when he was hit under the eye by a ball thrown by Mike Lowell during warmups.

The injuries continue to mount for the Sox, who have hung in admirably throughout the season, but you have to wonder how much more they can withstand.

This one was especially tough to take as Sean Casey began his 3-game suspension for his role in the brawl with Tampa, forcing Moss to play out of position. If Youk had been in there he undoubtedly would have made the play and cut down the run at the plate.

Haren shut down Boston's offense for 7 innings, but the Sox were able to get to the D-Backs' bullpen in the 8th.

After loading the bases with one out, J.D. Drew hit a line drive sacrifice fly to center making it 2-1. Manny Ramirez then hit a bullet that would have tied the game, but it was right at Snyder and ended the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the 9th as former Red Sox Brandon Lyon got them, 1-2-3.

Youk's Walkoff Saves the Weekend

Heading into the bottom of the 8th Sunday afternoon, it looked like it was going to be a lost weekend for the Sox against the Cards. Then a misplayed triple off the bat of Coco Crisp started a 2-run rally and it looked like the Sox would steal a win.

But Jonathan Papelbon couldn't hold the lead and the game went to extra innings where in the top of the 13th it looked like the Sox would fall behind when Adam Kennedy ripped a single to right with Chris Duncan on second. But J.D. Drew threw a strike to Jason Varitek who hung on when Duncan slammed into him to cut the runner down at the plate and set up Kevin Youkilis' heroics.

Youk smashed a 2-run bomb over the Monster - his second of the game - to give the Red Sox the 5-3 win on an crazy day at the Fens. It was a huge win for the Sox as they averted the sweep and gained a game on the second place Rays.

Dustin Pedroia had four hits and Mike Lowell added three, including a single off the Wall to open the 13th.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 5, Cardinals 3 (13 innings)
BOX SCORE: Cardinals 9, Red Sox 3

Jon Lester had another excellent start allowing just 2 runs in 7 1/3 innings. Lester has emerged as the team's most consistent starter thus far.

The inconsistent bullpen was true to form as Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen pitched well, but Papelbon blew his 4th save of the season and Hideki Okajima was hit hard again.

Saturday's game was very disappointing as Dice-K was wild and was hammered in his first game since coming of the DL.

Matsuzaka couldn't make it out of the second inning, getting pounded for 7 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 1-plus innings. He left trailing 4-0 with the bases loaded and no outs in the 2nd.

Chris Smith came on making his MLB debut and struck out Rick Ankiel to give the Sox a ray of hope. But the next batter was Troy Glaus and he deposited a hanging breaking ball over the Monster for a grand slam and the game was all but over.

Smith actually didn't pitch badly giving up just two more hits and no more runs in four innings.

The Sox got a couple of runs back in the bottom of the 2nd on Alex Cora's 2-run double and Drew belted a meaningless solo homer in the 6th, but that was all the offense could muster.

There was no report of injury to Dice-K after the game, so let's just hope we can chalk this up to rust and he can bounce back in his next start.

Sox Can't Capture C's Luck of the Irish

Despite a visit from the World Champion Boston Celtics - damn that sounds good - the Red Sox couldn't keep up the momentum they built in winning the final two games against the Phillies.

Boston busted out its green jerseys usually reserved for St. Patrick's Day in Florida to honor the champs. While it was a nice touch, they should probably just keep the green as Spring Training only gear.

In a disturbing trend, the Sox lost the series opener for the fourth straight time. The good news is they were able to win the final two games of the previous three series, but they're playing with fire if they continue these slow starts.

Julio Lugo made two brutal throwing errors in the 6th allowing the Cardinals to take a 2-1 lead. That makes 16 on the season now for the Pig.

Even though he homered in the bottom of the 6th and drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly, Lugo's pathetic fielding should land him a spot on the bench. If any team would agree to take him and his $10 million-a-year contract, the Sox should swallow their pride and trade him for anything they can get. I'd much rather see Cora or even Jed Lowrie at shortstop.

BOX SCORE: Cardinals 5, Red Sox 4

Home runs and double plays killed the Sox Friday night as Tim Wakefield gave up a 2-run bomb in the 7th after the Sox had tied it 2-2, and Hideki Okajima gave up a solo blast in the 8th after the Sox had cut the lead to 4-3.

Okajima's struggles are a real concern. He should probably be taken out of the 8th-inning role until he straightens it out. Manny Delcarmen has been pitching well and David Aardsma was impressive striking out the side in the 9th Friday.

Boston loaded the bases three times with fewer than two outs but scored just twice in those innings, including in the 7th when Manny Ramirez hit into a double play with no outs and the bases juiced.

Coco Crisp hit into a double play in the 8th with Kevin Youkilis on first and nobody out. A frustrating night all together as the Sox failed to gain ground on the Yankees, who finally lost after seven straight wins, and the Rays, who also lost after three straight wins.

Dice-K comes off the DL to start on Saturday. A good outing will be a big boost for the staff, especially with the news that Curt Schilling is done for the season.

Drew Does It Again

J.D. Drew is starting to make people forget about David Ortiz. Last year's whipping boy - until the huge grand slam against Cleveland - is this year's stud.

Drew had 4 more hits Wednesday afternoon, including a 3-run bomb in the 1st to set the tone, as the Sox won the rubber game of the 3-game series in Philly and finished the brief road trip 4-2.

His hot streak has gotten ridiculous. Since Big Papi was injured on May 31, Drew is batting .441 (26-for-59) with nine homers and 21 RBIs in June. He's raised his average to .327, second in the AL, and his slugging percentage is a Barry Bonds-like .601. Those are MVP numbers.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 7, Phillies 4

The most impressive thing about Drew's tear is that he's done it when the team needed it most with Ortiz out and Manny Ramirez missing a lot of time too. He's stepped into the No. 3 slot in the lineup and the offense hasn't missed a beat.

Mike Lowell, batting cleanup with Manny out, homered right after Drew to make it 4-0 and the Sox never looked back from there.

Dustin Pedroia continued to break out of his slump with three more hits and Sean Casey, filling in again for Kevin Youkilis, got his usual two hits. Casey is just a professional hitter, raising his average to .373.

Justin Masterson has been a huge boost to the rotation, picking up his fourth win in five decisions despite not having his best stuff.

Manny Delcarmen had a big role in the victory as well, coming on in the 7th when the Phillies had cut the lead to 7-4 and had a runner on base. Delcarmen shut the door with 2 scoreless innings setting up Jonathan Papelbon for his 21st save.

The Sox have always done well in Interleague play and this year is no exception as they are now 7-2.

Lester Keeps Rolling

Jon Lester is turning into this season's most consistent starter. Another dominating performance Tuesday night against a great-hitting Phillies lineup improved Lester's record to 6-3 with a 3.18 ERA, including 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA in his last 3 starts.

He wasn't in much trouble all night, and when the Phillies did get some base runners on, Mike Lowell was there to start two inning-ending double plays.

Lester struck out Ryan Howard all three times he faced him and made him look bad in the process. He's not walking guys -- only one walk last night and two in his last 20 1/3 innings -- and he's keeping the ball down which is always a winning combination.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 3, Phillies 0

The offense was once again led by new slugger Coco Crisp. Coco slammed his 5th home run of the season, a 2-run shot in the 2nd inning to give the Sox the early lead. It was his third homer in four games on this road trip.

Coco also singled, stole second, and scored on Julio Lugo's double in the 6th for the Sox' other run.

The Red Sox had six stolen bases Tuesday, as even Sean Casey swiped a bag. This team continues to do anything it has to do to win.

Pounded in Philly

For the first time in my life, and most likely the last, I actually agree with something that Stank Steinbrenner said -- the National League rules regarding the use of a DH suck.

The Red Sox had two golden opportunities to score early in Monday night's game, but both times Bartolo Colon, a .120 lifetime hitter who hasn't even had an at-bat in three years, struck out to end the rallies.

BOX SCORE: Phillies 8, Red Sox 2

Watching Big Bart taking his hacks was pretty comical, but it's time both leagues have the same rules. For every Micah Owings' and Carlos Zambrano's there are 50 Brett Myers' and Tim Hudson's. At least none of the Sox pitchers got hurt running the bases!

The NL purists need to face the facts - it's much easier to find a player to DH than find a pitcher who can hit. Plus, having nine legitimate hitters in a lineup makes the game more exciting and makes pitchers earn their way to quality starts.

As for the game, Big Bart got shelled early by the Phillies' big hitters. Jimmy Rollins led off the 1st with a bomb to right, then three batters later Ryan Howard hit an opposite-field 2-run homer. Howard hit another one out to left in the 3rd. Both shots probably would have been singles off the Wall in Fenway.

The lone bright spot on offense for the Sox was Dustin Pedroia who busted out of his lump falling a triple short of the cycle. Dustin blasted a solo shot in the 5th and J.D. Drew followed that with another bomb to cut the lead to 4-2. It was the 8th time this year the Sox have hit back-to-back homers.

One inning later the game was essentially over as Mike Timlin was pounded for 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning. Even after the Phillies scored two runs, Francona left Timlin in to face Howard who hit a blast to center off Ellsbury's glove for a triple and two more runs.

Hideki Okajima pitched a perfect 8th inning. Hopefully this will get him back on track.

Strong Finish to the Weekend

No Manny. No Papi. No problem.

After dropping the series opener to the Reds Friday night, the Sox bounced back in a big way with a dramatic 10-inning victory on Saturday and a dominating rout on Sunday.

Manny Ramirez rested his sore hamstring both days, but the Sox got big contributions from just about everybody, especially Kevin Youkilis, Coco Crisp, J.D. Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury.

Coco homered in both games, as he's gotten hot just at the right time. This seems to be a running theme with this year's team -- whenever somebody goes out or struggles, someone else comes in and picks up the team. This is exactly what championship tams do, and is very reminiscent of the 2004 team.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 6, Reds 4 (10 innings)
BOX SCORE: Red Sox 9, Reds 0

Ellsbury on first base has to be one of the scariest sights any catcher can see these days. The guy is just stealing bases at will. The Sox have never had a guy that can dominate a game on the bases like this. He is going to shatter Tommy Harper's Red Sox record for steals in a season, the AL rookie record for steals in a season, and is on his way to leading the Majors in steals.

J.D. Drew keeps hammering the ball and is the team MVP to this point in the season. He is doing everything -- a lot like Mike Lowell did a year ago.

And then there's Youk. He had to be nervous and pressing coming into the series with the Reds. Playing in front of hundreds of friends and family in his home town against the team he grew up rooting for, all he did was go 3-for-5 with the game-winning home run in the 10th on Saturday. I think he was even more excited when Coco followed with a back-to-back shot to give the Sox a 2-run cushion.

The pitching was solid both days with the exception of the usually reliable Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon on Saturday. Okajima is definitely not the pitcher he was last season. Francona might want to rest him a bit and use him more against just lefties until he works his way out of this slump.

Paps got tagged with a game-tying homer in the 9th on Saturday for his third blown save of the season. Those things will happen to closers and he will undoubtedly bounce right back.

The good news out of the bullpen is the rest of the guys seem to be back on track. Manny Delcarmen has looked good for a couple of weeks now, Craig Hansen has been better and even Mike Timlin has had a couple of good appearances in a row.

Tim Wakefield had another solid start on Saturday and Josh Beckett was lights out on Sunday. He has been dominant against the National League since coming to the Sox, so hopefully he'll get a on a roll these next couple of weeks.

Boston heads to Philadelphia now where some are calling it a World Series preview. I wouldn't go that far just yet, but the Phillies have a really good team with some big hitters so the Red Sox will have their work cut out for them.

Road Trip Starts With a Dud

The Red Sox offense could never get untracked against Cincinnati Reds right-hander Aaron Harang Friday night as the Sox dropped another road game in the Interleague opener.

The futility on the road has officially become a major concern as Boston is now 14-21 away from Fenway, the worst road record in the division.

It's hard to understand because this team is so well-rounded and is able to play different styles depending on the circumstances of the game, so being in a different ballpark shouldn't affect them. With two more games in Cincinnati followed by three in Philadelphia the Sox will be lucky to split the road trip.

BOX SCORE: Red 3, Red Sox 1

The lack of offense spoiled another solid outing from Justin Masterson. This kid has been huge for the staff. He gave up a couple of solo homers, but pitched well enough for the win.

Manny Ramirez provided the Sox with their only run with a single off the wall in the 4th inning that scored Jacoby Ellsbury who had doubled earlier, but the offense managed just three other hits besides those two.

Manny's hit tied it 1-1, but Masterson gave the lead right back to the Reds allowing two runs in the bottom of the inning. It's always a key for a pitcher to shut down the opposing team's offense after your team scores, but he couldn't do it.

The Cincinnati crowd gave Sean Casey a standing ovation during his first at-bat. Casey broke in with the Reds and played seven seasons with them. They have some classy fans there in the Queen city.

Kevin Youkilis should be back in the lineup tomorrow. It's a huge series for him as well. Youk grew up a Reds fan in Cincinnati and will have many friends and family at the game.

Boston's Tenth Homer Club

Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis and J.D. drew each belted their 10th home run of the season as the Sox took the rubber game of the 3-game series with the Orioles.

The big blast was Lowell's second grand slam of the season which gave the Sox a commanding 5-0 lead in the 5th. The Monster shot came after the Orioles intentionally walked Manny Ramirez to load the bases. This is just what Lowell did last year and exactly what the Sox need to continue to cover up for the absence of Big Papi.

Jon Lester had a great start going 7 strong innings for his 5th win of the season.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 9, Orioles 2

Drew continued his ridiculous hot streak, going 2-for-4 with the 2-run homer. He is now 18-for-36 with six homers and 15 RBIs since Ortiz got injured. Drew has raised his average to .324 - 2nd in the American League.

Manny Delcarmen pitched a perfect 8th inning with 2 strikeouts and Mike Timlin had a perfect 9th with 1 K. I like that Francona went back to Timlin a night after he was lit up. The bullpen has really picked it up of late after a slow start.

Big First Inning Leads to Win for Big Bart

After jumping out to a 5-0 first-inning lead, it looked like it was going to be a laugher Wednesday night, but the offense didn't do much after that and the bullpen almost blew it the 9th as the Sox held on for a 6-3 win over the Orioles.

Bartolo Colon bounced back from his worst outing of the year to improve to 4-1. The big man looked good all night, going 6 strong innings allowing just 1 run on 5 hits and striking out 7.

The victory evened the season series with the pesky Birds at 4 games apiece.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 6, Orioles 3

J.D. Drew had another big hit, doubling down the line to score Ellsbury with the first run of the game. A few batters later, Jason Varitek capped the inning with a 3-run shot over the Monster to make it 5-0. It was Tek's 7th homer of the season and first hitting right-handed.

Reports after the game said Tek isn't feeling well and most likely will get the day off on Thursday.

Mike Lowell also homered in the 6th to make it 6-1.

It got a little dicey in the 9th. Mike Timlin started the inning with a 5-run lead, but was tagged for 3 hits and a couple of runs, forcing Jonathan Papelbon to have to come in and get the final out for his 19th save of the season and making his fantasy owners very happy.

In Timlin's defense, he should have gotten out of the game after allowing just one run, but Dustin Pedroia couldn't handle a hot shot by Adam Jones that would have ended the game.

Despite getting a couple of hits Tuesday night, Dustin went 0-for-4 again and is still scuffling at the plate. His struggles have carried over into the field too as he has committed a couple of errors in the last few weeks. Being the pro that he is, it's just a matter of time until he breaks out of it.

Birds Bash Beckett, Bullpen

Just when it looked like Josh Beckett had regained his form from 2007, the Orioles jump on him for 4 runs in the 2nd inning leading to a 10-6 victory over the Sox.

Beckett didn't give up any more runs in the game, but he was hit hard and had to throw 113 pitches to get through 6 innings. The offense got Beckett off the hook, storming back to take a 6-4 lead in the 5th, but Hideki Okajima was shelled by Baltimore again and the Sox were unable to rally for a second time.

BOX SCORE: Orioles 10, Red Sox 6

Okajima has been pounded for 7 runs in his last two appearances against the Orioles. It looks like they have him figured out, but he has still been very effective against the rest of the league, so maybe he just shouldn't pitch against Baltimore.

Manny Delcarmen had another excellent outing keeping the Sox within 1 run going into the 9th inning, but some shaky defense and even shakier pitching from Craig Hansen led to three more Baltimore runs in the 9th and put the game out of reach.

J.D. Drew is on fire. He hit another bomb, this one landed about 12 rows beyond the bullpens in right, to give the Sox a 5-4 lead in the 5th. Manny followed that with another shot over the Monster to make it a 6-4 lead, but that was all the Sox would get.

Ellsbury returned to the lineup and looked good at the plate and Dustin broke out of his mini slump with a couple of hits to spark the offense.

Big Bart looks to get back on track Wednesday night against Garrett Olson, who is 0-2 in 4 career starts vs. Boston.

Back on Track

After getting embarrassed in the series opener by the Mariners, The Sox answered back with an 11-3 blowout win Saturday and a solid 2-1 win over Erik Bedard Sunday.

There can be no more complaints about J.D. Drew. Ever since he hit the grand slam in Game 6 against the Indians last season, all has been forgiven. Now, he is arguably the MVP of the team to this point.

He is crushing the ball, playing excellent defense, and doing everything the team needs, especially with the absence of Ortiz. Saturday, he was a double short of the cycle and Sunday he hit the game-winning home run in the 6th and made a great catch to take away an extra-base hit from Richie Sexson in the 2nd.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 11, Mariners 3
BOX SCORE: Red Sox 2, Mariners 1

Manny has been tearing the cover off the ball too. His bomb over everything in left in the first inning Saturday set the tone for the game. Not that I want to see Ortiz out of the lineup, but I like Manny at DH with a much better defensive outfield. If there's one guy that can just go up there and mash the ball and not care of he's playing the field or not, its Manny.

Solid starting pitching and good work out the bullpen also contributed to the successful weekend. Wakefield has been much more consistent lately and Justin Masterson is making a case that he may be the top young pitcher in the system despite the success Lester and Buchholz have had. The Sox will have a tough decision to make onece Dice-K comes off the DL, but it's a good problem to have.

Home Win Streak Snapped

I think we all saw this one coming. After last night's emotion and excitement, it was natural to expect a letdown. Add in the fact that the lineup was missing Manny, Big Papi and Ellsbury and facing a pitcher that has always been tough on the Sox and you get an 8-0 thrashing.

It started out bad and never got better. Big Bart didn't have his good stuff and couldn't make a good throw to second base. His two errors led to the Mariners' first three runs of the game.

However, if Lugo was even an average defensive shortstop, he would have caught the ball in the first and possibly turned an inning-ending double play instead of whiffing on it and opening the door to two unearned runs.

BOX SCORE: Mariners 8, Red Sox 0

Felix Hernandez was never really in trouble and breezed through six innings. The Sox did have the bases loaded with 2 outs in the 2nd, but Coco struck out on a weak check swing.

The Red Sox have now inexplicably dropped 3 of 4 to the worst team in baseball. At least they have only one more series with Seattle after this weekend.

Coco rightfully got suspended 7 games for inciting Thursday's brawl. It was a stupid thing to do, but Coco will never admit that. For some reason Lester was suspended 5 games, but he'll just be pushed back a day so it won't really affect the rotation.

The other big news from Thursday was the blow up between Youk and Manny in the dugout. Reports say Manny was reacting to Youk throwing another tirade after a bad at-bat. Apparently the team has spoken to Youk about this before, so after initially figuring Manny was at fault, it looks like Youk might have had this coming. Hopefully they can move past this and become one big happy family again.

Fight Night at Fenway

What a day to be a Boston sports fan! First the Red Sox fight with the Rays and each other while completing the 3-game sweep of their first-place showdown series, then the Celtics play an inspirational game to take Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Lakers in a game worthy of the '80s classics.

Maybe the Sox watched some clips of Kevin McHale taking down Kurt Rambis in the '84 NBA Finals or possibly Robert Parish decking Bill Laimbeer in the '87 Eastern Conference Finals to get pumped for their final game with Rays and the Celtics-Lakers game.

Whatever it was, they were in a fighting mood and let the Rays know. Coco Crisp started a bench-clearing brawl when he charged the mound after being hit in the leg by Scott Shields in the 2nd inning. The whole thing started the night before when Coco stole second and Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett blocked the bag with his leg spraining Coco's thumb on the slide.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 7, Rays 1

A couple innings later it looked like Coco got his retribution when he slid hard into Akinori Iwamura and took him out of the play. Coco then jawed with Rays Manager Joe Maddon about the incident.

He had to expect some retaliation today and he got it when Shields hit him. Shields threw at Coco's leg so it wasn't a dirty play.

Coco acted like a punk charging the mound and then made matters worse saying the Rays acted like little girls when they were scratching him and pulling his hair during the brawl. That may have been true, but you've got to be smart about these things and try to not get suspended, especially with the Sox's injury situation.

Then in the 4th inning, Jacoby Ellsbury makes a great sliding catch, but his wrist gets caught underneath him and bent back awkwardly. He left the game, and Youk had to play right field with J.D. Drew moving to center. X-rays were negative on the wrist, but it looked pretty bad.

To top the night off, Manny, who homered and had 5 RBIs in the game, got into a shouting and shoving match with Youk in the dugout and Manny actually took a swipe at Youk. What the hell is going on. Is this the 2008 Red Sox or the '77 Yankees?

Terry Francona said it was a misunderstanding and no big deal, but it was shocking to see Manny and Youk going at it. I think now would be a good time for Big Papi or Tek to settle the guys down and make sure everyone is on the same page.

A few innings later, Manny had to leave the game after straining his hamstring while checking a swing. It looked like his knee buckled on the play.

Overshadowed by all the crazy events of the night was an excellent start by Jon Lester who allowed 1 run in 6 1/3 innings, striking out 5 and walking none.

The Sox welcome the Mariners - who own the worst record in baseball - to Fenway for a 3-game weekend series. It will be interesting to see what kind of lineup they field with all the injuries and possible suspensions.

Another Home Win Sends Sox Back Into First

Early on Wednesday night it looked like Josh Beckett didn't have his good stuff, but he was able to settle down and give the Sox a solid 6-inning effort and beat the Rays.

The team's 12th win in a row at home, and second straight over the Rays, put Boston 1/2 game ahead of Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Jon Lester starts Thursday as the Sox go for the sweep of the 3-game series. Sweeping the Rays will send a message that they're not quite ready to challenge the big boys.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 5, Rays 1

Beckett allowed just 1 run on 7 hits. He had 5 strikeouts and didn't walk a batter. He seems to have found a groove as he has given up 2 runs or less in his last three starts and lowered his ERA to 4.07.

The offense stepped up again too as everyone seems to be contributing in Big Papi's absence. Drew, Ellsbury, Youk and Coco all had 2 hits each.

In the bottom of the 7th, Manny was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a sacrifice fly by Tek. Manny didn't look like he was running too hard - which we've come to expect - but why does he keep sliding to the side of the plate and trying to touch the plate with his hand? It looked like he would have been safe had he just slid at the plate.

Hopefully someone will tell Manny that the object is to touch the plate as fast as possible, kind of like when they had to tell him to stop playing 10 feet behind the shortstop last season.

Home Sweet Home

Nothing like getting back to Fenway to right the ship. In the first game since Ortiz officially went on the DL, the Sox got the kind of team effort their going to need to get through this stretch of the schedule.

Justin Masterson gave the Sox another solid effort to pick his second win of the season, Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew homered, Jason Varitek and Coco Crisp had big hits in the decisive 4-run, 6th-inning rally, and the bullpen even pitched well.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 7, Rays 4

The depth and all-around talent on the Sox roster and in the farm system is what separates them from the rest of the teams in the division and will allow the team to continue to win despite injuries to key players.

In contrast to the success the Red Sox have had with their young players and role players, the Yankees' desperation move to put Joba Chamberlain in the rotation began with a thud as he couldn't even get out of the third inning in a loss to the Blue Jays.

New York's farm system must be pathetic that they can't bring someone up to start, and now that Joba is out of their bullpen they may never be able to protect a lead and get the ball to Rivera. It's only a matter of a time before Stank Steinbrenner blows up the whole experiment and demands Joba go back to the pen.

The Sox have now won 11 straight at home, are a ridiculous 22-5 at Fenway this season and moved within 1/2 game of the Rays for first place. You had to love the Beat L.A. chant that started up late in the game too!

Rough Night: Sox Blow Late Lead; Ortiz Goes on DL

It wasn't bad enough that Hideki Okajima had his worst game in a Red Sox uniform turning a 3-2 lead into a 6-3 loss, but then right after the game ends it's announced that Big Papi is going on the 15-day disabled list, will likely be sidelined at least a month and there's a possibility of season-ending surgery. Crap!

The Sox should be OK in the short term being able to play Coco or Casey and getting Manny some time at DH, but it would be tough to win without Ortiz if he's out for a long time.

It looked like it was going to be a happy night on the field Monday after the Sox rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the 8th with Okajima warming up. But Okey Doke got pounded for 4 runs and couldn't get out of the inning.

BOX SCORE: Orioles 6, Red Sox 3

He couldn't find the strike zone and then made mistakes after falling behind the hitters. Hopefully this is just a bad night and nothing to worry about. Even with the pummeling Okajima's ERA is just 2.10 and I still want to see him out there in the 8th inning.

Okajima almost got out of the trouble with the score tied 3-3, but Ellsbury couldn't make a great catch on the bases-clearing double by Adam Jones that won it for Baltimore.

Manny just missed tying the game flying out to right with two runners on to end it. It looked like a pitch he could have hit out. He'll need to keep up his home run binge with Papi out.

Masterson starts in the first game of the big showdown with the Rays Tuesday night. I like that move instead of rushing Buchholz back. This is a big series. Tampa is no fluke. The Rays will be in the race the whole season and have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs.

Offense On a Roll

The Sox continued to flex their muscles Sunday in Baltimore banging out 16 hits, including three more home runs, in a 9-4 pasting of the Orioles.

Boston has now won three straight in Baltimore and outscored the Orioles 20-9 in the process. The Red Sox have a chance to sweep the 4-game series and go .500 on the 10-game road trip with Tim Wakefield on the mound Monday night.

Sunday's game was never in doubt as the Sox scored one in the 2nd and then three in both the 3rd and 4th to take a commanding 7-1 lead. From there, Big Bart Colon kept the Orioles in check allowing 4 runs in 6 innings for his third win in three tries as a Red Sox.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 9, Orioles 4

Colon has been a huge addition to the staff. With all the injuries the team has endured, he has stepped right in and given the Sox exactly what they needed. It looks like he's close to his Cy Young form of a few years ago which means he'll be staying in the rotation for the rest of the season.

Manny didn't waste any time adding to his 500-home run total, smashing another one to right in the 4th. Mike Lowell followed that with a homer down the line in left as the Sox hit back-to-back home runs for the second straight game. J.D. Drew crushed one to right in the 7th making it two games in a row that the team has hit three homers.

Everybody got into the act as Ellsbury had three hits and even Lugo got a couple. Big Papi missed the game as he is headed back to Boston to get more tests on his wrist. The Sox are downplaying it, but the comments from Ortiz that there's "a little click going on in there that's not normal," are a major concern.

The 500-Homer Man

Manny finally did it. He smacked his 500th career home run to help the Sox beat the Orioles Saturday night and cement his place as a certain Hall of Famer.

Congratulations Manny Ramirez! The guy who has brought us so many memorable moments - most good, a few bad and a lot funny - will go down as the greatest home run hitter in franchise history and probably the second best overall hitter the Sox have ever had behind only Teddy Ballgame.

Manny's blast in the top of the 7th was a no-doubter and Manny milked it for everything it was worth, standing at home plate and staring at it as it flew over the right field fence. He then took a slow trot around the bases with a big smile on his face. There was no talk of Manny showboating this time, however. He deserved to have his moment under the lights.

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 6, Orioles 3

No. 24 is the 24th major leaguer to reach the 500-home run plateau and third in a Red Sox uniform joining Jimmy Foxx and Ted Williams.

It was nice that Manny hit the home run in Baltimore - the Sox's home away from home - as a Sox fan caught the ball and gave it to Manny to keep in exchange for some memorabilia. That's why we are The Best Fans in Baseball! Manny says he will auction the ball and give the money to charity.

As for the rest of the game, Dustin and Papi hit back-to-back homers in the 2nd to erase a 2-0 deficit and then the Sox took advantage of Baltimore's weak bullpen to put the game away after falling behind 3-2 in the 5th. Ortiz had to leave the game in the 9th, however, after hurting his hand on a swing. The Sox are saying it's a minor thing, but there's been talk about the hamate bone which would be a big problem.

Jon Lester had his typical outing - 3 runs in 5 innings - but David Aardsma continued his solid season picking up the win with two perfect innings before handing it off to Okajima and Papelbon to close it out. Aardsma has been a savior this season picking up the slack for guys like Delcarmen and Timlin who have struggled.