Final, Rangers 11-4: The Red Sox are 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees for the first time since July 5 after a 4-5 homestand that ends in embarrassing fashion.
This is a good team, but it is not at its best right now, and the timing isn’t great. Boston begins a seven-game road trip in less than 20 hours with a Labor Day matinee in Toronto, the first of four games in the Rogers Centre.
It’s Josh Beckett against Henderson Alvarez in that one. We will see you then.
Mid 9th, Rangers 11-4: We didn’t need any more reminders that this Rangers offense is good, and that it kills the Red Sox, but we got a few in the ninth.
Mike Napoli just hit a ball off Michael Bowden that reached the back wall of the center-field bleachers, some 10 feet above the seats. That’s the first time I’ve seen someone hit that wall this year, as far as I can recall.
Two batters later, Ian Kinsler took one of the straightest, flattest fastballs you’ll ever see and sent it over the Monster seats. That ball looked as if it was still rising when it reached the wall in left. Who knows? Maybe it reached the Mass Pike, landing on a commuter rail. If so, I recommend that ball get off in Newton and stop at Buff’s for some of the best chicken wings you will ever eat.
End 8th, Rangers 9-4: Well, crazier things than a five-run rally in the ninth have happened before in this place.
As long as Michael Bowden puts up another zero right here, that’s “all” the Red Sox would need to tie it up.
They get two more on a David Ortiz RBI single (pitcher didn’t cover first) and a sacrifice fly from Darnell McDonald.
Kevin Youkilis doubled and scored in the inning. He was safe with a slide at second and safe with a slide at home, and it’s clear that Youkilis is moving a bit better. About three weeks ago, you could tell he was in pain just in the way he walked. Everything seemed to hurt. He would get up slowly from a dive or a slide once a game.
But Youk has a spring in his step, and it’s nice to see. That time off did him some good.
Mid 8th, Rangers 9-2: In our constant search for something to cheer you up, we note that Michael Bowden has seven strikeouts in his last three innings of work.
That do the trick? You OK now? We thought so. If you’re looking for a way to express your gratitude, fruit baskets are perfectly fine in this kind of a situation.
Matt Harrison is out of the game now. He was so good. So good. So good.
End 7th, Rangers 9-2: A two-run single for Marco Scutaro snaps a 15-inning scoreless streak against left-handed starters and gives the fans here something to cheer about for the first time all game.
That brief moment of elation dies down when Matt Harrison gets the next two hitters.
So you have three solid lefties (C.J. Wilson, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison), each of whom have gotten the better of the Red Sox lately. Harrison was hit hard his last time out against them, but certainly atoned for that with this start today.
Something to think about as Boston begins to struggle more and more vs. southpaws. Me thinks Ryan Lavarnway may actually play his way onto that postseason roster if this continues.
Mid 7th, Rangers 9-0: There were plenty of groans in the top of the seventh inning as Matt Albers gave up three straight singles with one out, likely from those just hoping to get home in time for dinner.
But Albers battled back to strike out Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton, much to the delight of those just hoping to get home in time for dinner. (Ahem…me.)
Albers has four strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. It ain’t much, but he has to start somewhere if he’s going to rediscover anything from earlier in the season.
End 6th, Rangers 9-0: Keep in mind that the Red Sox have a day game in Toronto tomorrow, a 1:07 p.m. start.
They may just want to get the heck out of here, as evidenced by the seven-pitch sixth inning for Matt Harrison.
Mike Aviles is in for Dustin Pedroia at second. The white flag.
Mid 6th, Rangers 9-0: If the Red Sox have a 10-run rally in them, the job Matt Albers did to strand an inherited runner at third will be the turning point in this game.
It won’t be the turning point in this game, we just have to make note of how the top of the sixth finally ended.
Albers actually walked the first man he faced before getting the 10th and 11th hitters of the inning.
There were four singles, a triple, three walks and a sacrifice fly in the seven-run frame. And John Lackey’s line looked like this:
5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 1 HB. Poor.
3:42 p.m.: So, do the Rangers own the Red Sox again? They do, if the sixth inning is any indication.
After coming on in place of John Lackey, the only out Felix Doubront could get was a sacrifice fly.
Doubront walked in one run, gave up the sac fly, walked another to load the bases and then let Josh Hamilton clean up the mess with a three-run triple.
This is about to become a losing homestand, all in advance of a seven-game road trip.
Matt Albers is on to try to figure some stuff out. Still only one out.
3:29 p.m.: That’s called hitting a wall, folks.
John Lackey heads out there to begin the sixth and gets knocked around a bit.
Michael Young singled. Adrian Beltre singled, his 2,000th career hit. David Murphy singled to drive in a run. A wild pitch and then a walk to Mike Napoli ended the afternoon for Lackey.
Felix Doubront is on with the bases loaded an nobody out. He will face Mitch Moreland.
End 5th, Rangers 2-0: A one-out walk to Marco Scutaro and a wild pitch gave the Red Sox a man in scoring position for the top of the order.
And when Jacoby Ellsbury lined one to center it appeared as if they might finally crack through. However, the liner was hit just softly enough (sounded like Ellsbury broke his bat) that Ian Kinsler was able to race over and catch it with a dive in shallow center.
Dustin Pedroia then popped to first baseman Mitch Moreland in foul territory. That’s it, that’s all.
Mid 5th, Rangers 2-0: It hasn’t been the cleanest game for the Red Sox from a defensive standpoint, despite the props we gave them early on.
There was a play Jacoby Ellsbury muffed that helped David Murphy get a triple in the second. Ellsbury also saw a ball that may have been catchable hit the base of the wall an inning later, perhaps aware of how he messed up the carom on the Murphy hit.
We also had Dustin Pedroia’s throwing error in the fourth, and now John Lackey has joined the party. Lackey fell to the grass trying to come up with an infield hit by Endy Chavez and then threw the ball away in an ill-advised attempt to get the out.
Chavez went to second on the error, but he never moved.
Lackey is up to 87 pitches.
End 4th, Rangers 2-0: The Red Sox made a little noise in the fourth but the rally dies on a Carl Crawford fly out into the triangle in center field.
David Ortiz walked with two outs and Darnell McDonald singled. Crawford then drove a Matt Harrison offering to the deepest part of the park. Nothing but a loud out.
Boston has not scored against a left-handed starter in a span of 13 innings, dating back to the fourth inning against CC Sabathia last Tuesday.
Mid 4th, Rangers 2-0: John Lackey had to throw 27 pitches in the fourth, but he keeps the Rangers off the board for the first time since the opening inning.
The frame featured something you don’t see too often, a mental error by Dustin Pedroia.
With Michael Young on first and one out in the inning, David Murphy sent a dribbler up the middle that Marco Scutaro got to behind the bag.
Scutaro made a pretty shovel toss out of his glove to Pedroia, who should’ve just eaten it. Instead, he turned and fired a wild toss into the crowd, allowing Murphy to advance to second. Mike Napoli worked a walk before Lackey struck out Mitch Moreland.
End 3rd, Rangers 2-0: Funny moment to start the third when one of the kids they get to announce a few names in the PA box couldn’t figure out how to say “Saltalamacchia.”
Tough assignment for the child, but he/she (couldn’t tell) got it out eventually, and got a smile from Salty below.
That, and a two-out double from Jacoby Ellsbury, was all that came of the frame. Matt Harrison looks like a different pitcher than the one the Sox faced in Texas.
Darnell McDonald has taken over in right. We will get you the Conor Jackson update when we hear, but it will be posted here first.
Mid 3rd, Rangers 2-0: Talk about a roller coaster inning.
It was nothing but negatives for about five minutes, and then all positive thereafter.
Endy Chavez began the inning with a double (negative). Ian Kinsler then sent one toward the Red Sox bullpen (negative). Conor Jackson, playing his second career game in right field at Fenway, raced back and got a piece of the ball right as he slammed hard into the wall.
Jackson looked to be in extreme pain (negative), but he may have saved a homer by knocking the ball down and limiting Kinsler to an RBI triple (slight positive). Then, to the surprise of everyone who saw him writhe around in pain, he stayed in the game (positive).
The next batter, Elvis Andrus, lined into a 1-5 double play, with John Lackey catching the liner and doubling off Kinsler at third (positive).
End 2nd, Rangers 1-0: The bottom of the second inning had such promise. But like my acting career, it went up in flames, only it didn’t require a pants-wetting incident in a first-grade play to put an end to things.
Kevin Youkilis led off with a base hit, his first in nine at-bats since returning from the disabled list. David Ortiz followed with a swinging bunt single down the third-base line.
Conor Jackson had a chance to make his first meaningful contribution, but he grounded into a double play. Carl Crawford then struck out with Youkilis on third.
I think I played a peasant boy in that play. My one line was “Help, I’m stuck in the mud.” You give a kid roles like that, you can’t expect his natural talent to shine through, can you?
Mid 2nd, Rangers 1-0: Since we are already on the topic of Terry Francona’s pregame meeting with the media (see top of first post), it’s worth noting that he expanded on his team’s defense, and in doing so said this about Dustin Pedroia:
“Pedey’s as good as you’re ever gonna find.”
A very nice play by Pedroia on a hot shot by Mitch Moreland started an inning-ending double play in the second, sparing John Lackey any more trouble.
Lackey already gave up a triple to David Murphy and an RBI single to Mike Napoli. Murphy is now 6-for-10 in this series and 6-for-14 against Lackey.
End 1st, 0-0: In his last start against the Red Sox less than two weeks ago, Matt Harrison gave up four runs on five hits in the first inning.
The Red Sox didn’t even sniff a hit in the first, going down in order. Adrian Gonzalez’s 101st strikeout ended the frame.
Mid 1st, 0-0: Before the game, Terry Francona was asked about a handful of items, but two topics came to mind after the top of the first.
He commented on how the athleticism of his outfield has made the Red Sox one of the better defensive teams in baseball. True to form, all three outfielders have a running catch in the first, although Conor Jackson hasn’t been part of that formula until this week.
Francona also commented on his pitchers’ need to throw inside, one of the factors in the extremely high number of hit batters by his staff. True to form, John Lackey plunked Josh Hamilton with two outs, his MLB-leading 18th hit batter. Nobody else has as many as 14.
Lackey has now hit six batters in his last six starts, and there’s plenty more baseball to play today.
1:38 p.m.: After an extra three minutes waiting for TBS to get their act in order, John Lackey throws a strike to Ian Kinsler. We are off and running with the lights on here at Fenway.
12:24 p.m.: I’ve touched on this trend in the past couple of days, but it bears repeating.
The Red Sox and Rangers have played 10 straight games (nine this year and the finale in 2010) that have been decided by four runs or more.
The average margin of victory has been 6.1 runs. There hasn’t been a save recorded by either side since last Aug. 14, when Felix Doubront picked one up for the Sox.
Seeing that, I looked back a bit further to discover that Jonathan Papelbon has not had a save against the Rangers in a span of 33 games, dating all the way back to Aug. 12, 2008! And that was a 19-17 game.
Remarkable.
Anyway, think of that when you predict who will have a one-sided win today. I’m going off for some lunch.
11:46 a.m.: It’s almost the afternoon, which means you can start drinking without getting too many looks. Iced coffee, of course.
What did you think I meant?
Anyway, we have a few updates for you to take in while you have your first few sips of Budwei…um…Dunkin’ Donuts.
Josh Reddick is unavailable today. His left hand is still rather sore and the team doesn’t want him to even pick up a bat. He’ll get whatever treatment the staff deems necessary and could be ready to go Monday afternoon in Toronto.
Because that is a 1:07 p.m. start, that gives Reddick fewer hours to recover, but with a righty on the mound for the Jays, they’ll try to get him back in there.
As for Jed Lowrie, he might be available today. The decision to remove him was entirely precautionary, and Lowrie was moving around just fine this morning.
“He’s actually doing pretty well,” Terry Francona said. “Just wanted to nip something before it got worse, and I think we did that. Because of our situation, at times, we’ve played guys [a lot]. Sometimes you just don’t want to go too far with guys.”
Lowrie had started 12 of the last 13 games.
Francona also said that Ryan Lavarnway will rejoin the team in Toronto. Francona discussed at length the decisions that go into call-ups when a team is playoff bound like Pawtucket. We will have a story on the site on that in a few minutes.
Finally, here is the Rangers lineup against John Lackey:
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Elvis Andrus, SS
Josh Hamilton, LF
Michael Young, 3B
Adrian Beltre, DH
David Murphy, RF
Mike Napoli, C
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Endy Chavez, CF
It’s either feast or famine for those hitters against Lackey. Kinsler, Hamilton, Young, Murphy, Moreland and Chavez each have averages vs. Lackey of .352 or higher. That sextet is a combined 70-for-174 (.402) with nine home runs in those matchups. The other three are 15-for-80 (.188).
10:13 a.m.: Terry Francona said he would play Conor Jackson on Sunday. He is a man of his word.
Jackson will make his first start in right field as a member of the Red Sox (he started in left when Carl Crawford was ill Friday night).
Here is the lineup:
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Conor Jackson, RF
Carl Crawford, LF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Marco Scutaro, SS
8 a.m.: John Lackey had a rare good start against the Texas Rangers two starts ago. He will try to make it two in a row when he faces the American League West leaders in a Sunday matinee at Fenway Park.
Lackey gave up four runs in 6 2/3 workmanlike innings on Aug. 23 in Arlington. It was good enough for him to pick up his 12th win of the season, but his ERA through 35 starts against the Rangers still sits at 6.04.
Texas counters with left-hander Matt Harrison, whose last start, against the Red Sox on Aug. 24, did not go well. He was reached for seven runs in five innings of a 13-2 loss. That left Harrison with a 7.13 mark against Boston.
First pitch in what could be a high-scoring affair is 1:35 p.m.
