Beginning on Monday night, the Red Sox will play a  three game road series against the Kansas City Royals after  losing 5 of  6 games on their recent  six game home stand, including a three-game sweep by the Orioles.   It’s been a strange up and down season so far for the Red Sox with more downs than ups.  Their best stretch came during their last road trip, winning 6 of 7 games against the Twins and the White Sox.  That road trip came right after losing the last 5 games of their prior home stand.  The Red Sox surprisingly have played better on the road than at Fenway to this point in the season.  They are 7-6 on the road, but they have won only 4 of 14 contests at Fenway.  Three left handed pitchers are scheduled to take on the Sox for the Royals as the Red Sox try to shake off the results the six game home stand and get back on a winning track.

The Red Sox hope to be road warriors for this abbreviated three game set.  The Royals, who have the second worst record in the league at 9 – 18, seem like the perfect opponent for the Red Sox to get things turned around in the  right direction.  Continue reading »

After a rough start to the season, the Red Sox took 3 games of 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays in Boston’s first home series of the season. The first home series at Fenway saw plenty of media hoopla, from the celebration of the ballpark’s 100th anniversary, to Manager Bobby Valentines remarks about Kevin Youkilis. But luckily, Red Sox fans were in for a treat as the lineup was able to put together solid offensive perfomances; the team averaged 7.75 runs per game during the series despite being shut out in the final game.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox brutal April schedule only gets worse as the 2-time defending AL champion Rangers come to town. Texas has started the season strong and stellar pitching has put them atop the AL west. Looking beyond their pitching, the Rangers also have one of the best lineups in the league. The next two games won’t be easy. Continue reading »

After a very rough start to the season (for the second year in a row, no less), the Red Sox will look to get back on track against the always tough Blue Jays. The Blue Jays won their first series of the year 2-1 against the Cleveland Indians and barely missed sweeping the Indians, losing 3-4 on Sunday. The Red Sox had a disaster of a series against the Tigers, with Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera combining for 5 home runs against Red Sox pitching. Josh Becketta and Clay Buchholz both got rocked by the Indians, though the Red Sox had a chance to win games one and three of the series. The Red Sox rallied from a 2-0 deficit against Jose Valverde in the top of the ninth inning on Thursday, but in the end lost on a walk off single by Austin Jackson in the bottom of the ninth. The Red Sox loss on Sunday was even more painful. Up 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth, Alfredo Aceves allowed a bomb to Miguel Cabrera with two runners on base to tie it up. The Red Sox scored two in the top of the twelfth inning, but Mark Melancon blew the save, allowing 3 runs, 2 of them coming from a walk off home run by Alex Avila. Needless to say, the Red Sox need a series win against the Blue Jays to avoid more panic in Red Sox Nation.

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Baseball is finally here folks, and it’s about time. Finally the Red Sox will have a chance to prove that they are more than just a bunch of overweight drunkards as the media has portrayed them. Now is a time where the 2011 season no longer matters, the only thing that matters now is this year and how the 2012 Red Sox team is shaping up. This year everybody is doubting the Red Sox, and rightfully so. After the collapse last year, Red Sox fans have a reason to be pessimistic going into 2012. But I feel differently. It’s baseball season, and no collapse is going to make me feel any less excited about the prospect of a new baseball season.

Although this team has holes, that doesn’t change that we are projected to have 5 WAR players this year (and that doesn’t include Beckett, Crawford, or Ortiz) and we have one of the best front of the rotations in baseball in Lester, Beckett, and Buchholz.  Either way, it’s going to be yet another fun year to be a Red Sox fan. Baseball is all about up and downs, and Red Sox Nation is hoping that 2012 shapes up to be a special year for the Red Sox. No matter what, it’s going to be another interesting, stress filled, and contentious season as every season is with the Red Sox. Let’s play ball!

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The struggling Red Sox are heading to Tampa Bay in a suddenly critical series, as the Rays look to crawl back into the wild card chase. The Red Sox have lost 6 of their last 8 games, which allowed the Rays to move to 6.5 games back. In 5 of the past 7 games, Boston has surrendered 7 or more runs. Boston’s pitching, which was once viewed as a strength, is crumbling to injuries and ineffectiveness.

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Back in first place! The Red Sox won 3 of 4 against the Rangers to pass the Yankees who narrowly avoided a sweep at the hand of the Oakland A’s. Though they did not hit 3 grand slams, Boston’s offense got its groove back as they scored 10+ runs twice against Texas. Oakland, who looked impressive through the first 2 and half games, is coming off of a nasty loss against the Yankees where they did surrender 3 grand slams. The Sox need to keep winning to maintain first place in the AL East.

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The Red Sox are looking to crawl back into first place in the AL East in a series against the Texas Rangers; one that could prove to be a playoff series preview. The two teams have not faced each other since the Texas Rangers swept the Red Sox in the first series of the 2011 season. The Rangers, who are first in the AL West, are losing ground to the LA Angels in their own playoff race as they have lost 3 of their last 4 games. Texas’ offense has struggled to score runs of late, havin mustered just 2.5 runs in each of their last 4 games. The Red Sox, who have been hindered by a recent rash of injuries, are also struggling- they have won just 4 of their last 9 games.

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After a big series win against the red hot New York Yankees the Red Sox came to Minnesota and took 2 out of 3 from the Twins. The Red Sox took games 1 and 2 thanks to rallies in the late innings and looked to be in good shape going into game 3. Lester was on the hill against Blackburn and it looked as if the Red Sox would sweep away the Twins. Nick Blackburn had something to say about that. He pitched a great game and kept it within reach for the Twins. Tito took Lester out a few batters too late and the Twins prevailed. For the first time this season the Red Sox will make the trip to SafeCo Field to play the Mariners. The Mariners have great pitching this year but their offense hasn’t picked up the slack. They’re in the bottom 10 in offense and desperately need hitters. The Red Sox are still 1st in offense and look to extend their lead against the Yankees because they are playing a 3 game set against the Rays starting today.

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The greatest rivalry in baseball resumes- and in fantastic fashion. After the Red Sox split a 4 games series with the Cleveland Indians, the New York Yankees have jumped into a tie with Boston for first place in the division. The Red Sox 8-1 record against the Yankees has been giving New York fans nightmares since the two teams last visit in early June. The Bronx Bombers have been on a torrid pace since the teams last series, going 35-15. The Sox are 32-16 in that same time span. Though the pitching matchups leave much to be desired, this is a series remains a ‘must-watch’.

Pitching Matchups:

Friday: Bartolo Colon Vs. Jon Lester

Bartolo Colon and his stem-cell treated arm have been far better than anyone originally predicted. His 8-6 recorde with a 3.30 ERA is superb for a 38 year old pitcher who did not play at all in 2010. Although he is 0-2 against the Sox in 2011, his 2.61 ERA suggests that he could beat the Sox in this game.

Though Lester’s ERA is currently a single season best, 2011 has not been his best season. His high LOB% (82.4) and low BABIP (.281) indicate that he’s been getting luckier than usual, which makes up for his high HR rates. That said, Lester has still performed like an ace; his 11-4 record is a testament to such.

Advantage: Lester
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