RED SOX NOTES…..BALTIMORE GAME 3

SERIES TALK: Boston took 2 of 3 games in both New York and Toronto to open the season, the 1st time the club has won back-to-back series to begin a campaign since 2006.

• The Sox last started a season with 3 straight series victories in 1952…Overall, the club last won at least 3 consecutive sets with 5 in a row from 6/12-27/12.

A 10-K RECORD: Red Sox pitchers fanned a season-high 14 batters last night and have combined to strike out at least 10 in each of the club’s last 5 games.

• The 5-game stretch matches the longest double-digit strikeout streak in club history for the 3rd time, 1st since 2001.
• It also ties the longest double-digit strikeout streak for any club in AL history, last accomplished by the White Sox from 9/24-28/11 (54 total SO).

THREE IN A ROW: Daniel Nava has gone deep in a career-high 3 straight games, including a deciding 3-run shot in the 7th inning Monday and a go-ahead solo homer in the 6th last night…He is the 1st Red Sox to homer in 3 straight games since David Ortiz, 6/17-20/12…Adrian Gonzalez was the last Red Sox to homer in 4 straight, 5/10-14/11.

• Nava is the 1st Red Sox switch-hitter to hit a home run in 3 consecutive team games since Jose Offerman in 3 straight from 5/5-8/01.
• He is the 1st Red Sox to homer in the 1st 2 home games of a season since David Ortiz in 2006 (1st 3).
• Nava is the 1st Red Sox with go-ahead home runs in the 6th inning or later on consecutive days since Johnny Damon on 7/25-26/05.
• He has 5 HR in his last 9 games beginning on 9/30/12.

BASEBALL IS BACK…………

BY KEVIN FLANAGAN

BSD CORRESPONDENT

The only thing I dislike about the baseball season’s home opener is the day after opening day.  No baseball.  It is a tradition brought about by years of trying to play a summertime sport in a northeast climate during the first week of April.

So as the temperatures soar into the mid 70’s we are left to bask in the joy of an improbable start for the local 9 and to look forward to what is hopefully a rebirth of baseball in Boston.

Were you one of the many who had sworn off the Red Sox, classified them as no good frauds and swore that you won’t get fooled again?  Based on the buzz on sports radio and the early season ratings on NESN it looks like just when you thought you had made it out they sucked you right back in.

Let’s face it most of us were born with baseball in our blood.  For decades it was a rite of passage to shake off the calamities of the year before (need I mention the names Bucky “Bleeping” Dent, Bill Buckner and Aaron Boone?) and return the following year with hope restored and slates wiped clean.

Although my kids think that a championship every couple years from the Sox, Bruins, Celtics or Patriots are a birth right; my father went to his grave never seeing his beloved ballclub win it all.

Baseball is part of our lives.  It is the beacon in the distance on a cold February morning when the truck departs Fenway for Florida.  It is the sight and sounds of summer on a Sunday in March watching a bunch of guys wearing uniform numbers in the 60’s and 70’s during a meaningless Grapefruit League game on NESN.  It is our companion on a warm June afternoon sitting on the deck sipping an ice cold beer.

Baseball is transcendent.  It has the ability to reach back in time and bring us back to a place where we were young and life was simple.  I swear there I times when I am lying in my pool listening to a game on a Saturday afternoon and I can see my dad sitting in a lawn chair watching his little 13 inch black and white TV with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

For the past 18 months baseball was not fun.  Everything we liked about the Red Sox was gone, replaced by a group of petulant, entitled millionaires who cared more about their tee times on their off day instead of their next start.

Whether it is right or wrong this fanbase feels that the Red Sox represents a small piece of who we are and nobody wants to see the face of an a-hole staring back at them when they look in the mirror.

When Daniel Nava hit that home run in the 7^th inning against Baltimore on Monday it was as if I saw an old friend for the first time in years.  The kid that went from washing uniforms for his college team and for whom the Red Sox paid $1 for his rights (true story, look it up) rounded the bases like he was walking on air and the dugout exploded to greet him.  Win, lose or draw that is the type of team I want representing me.

I won’t pretend to tell you what this team will do this year except to say I like their chances.  I don’t know about you but it feels like I’ve got my team back again.  I can’t wait for the first Saturday in the pool so I can enjoy it with my dad.

RED SOX COME TO TERMS WITH 19 PLAYERS

RED SOX AGREE TO TERMS WITH 19 PLAYERS ON 2013 CONTRACTS

FORT MYERS, FL – The Boston Red Sox today agreed to terms with 19 players on the major league roster on one-year contracts for the 2013 season.  The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington.

Agreeing to terms were pitchers Drake Britton, Rubby De La Rosa, Felix Doubront, Clayton Mortensen, Junichi Tazawa, Allen Webster, Alex Wilson and Steven Wright; catchers Daniel Butler, Ryan Lavarnway and Christian Vazquez; infielders Mike Carp, Pedro Ciriaco, Mauro Gomez, Brock Holt and Will Middlebrooks; and outfielders Alex Hassan, Ryan Kalish and Daniel Nava.

 

With the agreements, all players on the Red Sox major league roster are under contract for the 2013 season.

NAVA GOES ON DL. !

WEEI FLASH: Red Sox place Daniel Nava (wrist) on DL, Ryan Lavarnway called up.

RED SOX LOOK TO TAKE THE SERIES THIS AFTERNOON

SOX STATUS: The Red Sox have won 8 of their last 10 games (.800), tied for the Majors best record since 6/16 (also Texas, 8-2) and is 10-3 (.769) since 6/12…At 39-35, the club has matched its season high at 4 games over .500 (also 38-34 after 6/24)… Boston has won 27 of its last 43 games (.628), 3rd best in the Majors since 5/11, and has 35 of 60 games (.583) since 4/23, tied for the 2nd-most wins in the Majors in that time, trailing only NYY (36).

• A win today would give the Sox their 11th series win in their last 14 sets dating back to 5/10…They have lost just 3 sets in that time and tied once…The Sox are looking for a 5th straight series win…They last won 4 in a row with 6 straight series wins, 7/1-24/11.

TOP BACKSTOP: Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocked his 14th homer of the season last night, a game-tying solo shot in the 7th inning…It was his 10th roundtripper in his last 34 games since 5/13…He tops Major League catchers with 14 homers and 27 extra-base hits (tied) overall this year and he also paces AL backstops with a .539 SLG (min. 100 PA)…Of Saltalamacchia’s 7 homers since 5/26, 3 have been game-tying or go-ahead shots in the 7th inning or later.

TO THE LEFT: The Red Sox are 16-9 (.640) this season when facing left-handed starters, including wins in their last 5 such games since 6/12…Boston batters lead the Majors with 35 homers, 89 extra-base hits and 373 total bases against left-handed pitching this season…They also top the AL with a .473 SLG and .799 OPS against lefties.

• David Ortiz leads the Majors with 9 homers off left-handers this season and 17 XBH (tied, 1st in AL) vs. southpaws.

NAVA-GATING 100: Daniel Nava played his 100th Major League game last night…His career .391 OBP ranks as the best by a Red Sox in his 1st 100 ML games since Wade Boggs in 1982 (.404), 5th best by a Red Sox over the last 86 years (see chart on page 1)…Nava is batting .379 (22-for-58) in 19 June games, 2nd in the AL in the month behind MIN’s Joe Mauer (.404) (min. 50 PA)…He ranks 2nd in the AL with a .441 OBP since his 5/10 selection to Boston, also trailing Mauer (.450).

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NAVA, MIDDLEBROOKS CARRY RED SOX

SOX LATELY: With yesterday’s 9-4 win over the Braves, the Red Sox have won 7 of their last 8 games…The Sox are 9-2 (.818) since 6/12, 2nd in baseball after TEX (10-2, .833)…At 38-34, the club is a season-high 4 games above .500.

• Boston has won 26 of its last 41 games (.634), tied for 2nd best in the Majors since 5/11…Following a 4-10 start to the season, Boston has gone 34-24 (.586) since 4/23, tied for the most wins in the Majors in that time (also LAA and NYY).
• The Red Sox have won 10 of their last 14 series dating back to 5/10…They have lost just 3 sets in that time and tied once…Boston has taken 4 straight series for the 1st time since winning 6 in a row from 7/1-24/11.

LILLIBRIDGE ACTIVE: The Red Sox today added INF/OF Brent Lillibridge to the active Major League roster…He was acquired yesterday with RHP Zach Stewart (assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket) from the White Sox for 3B Kevin Youkilis and cash considerations…To make room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated LF Oscar Tejeda for assignment…Lillibridge will wear No. 23.

VS. THE JAYS: Tonight marks the 7th of 18 meetings between the Sox and Jays in 2012 with the clubs tied 3-3 thus far in the season set…This marks Toronto’s 1st trip to Boston this year and the club’s latest initial set in Boston since 1997 (7/10)…Boston went 6-3 at home against Toronto last year, outscoring the Jays 65-36 in those contests…Boston has taken their last 4 home season series agianst the Jays since 2008, the Sox longest ever streak.

WILLY THE KID: Will Middlebrooks, who has reached safely in 21 of his last 21 games since 5/23, is batting .326 (47-for-144) with 10 doubles, 9 homers and 34 RBI in 41 Major League games since his 5/2 call-up…In that time he ranks 3rd in the AL in AVG, 6th in SLG and tied for 10th in RBI…Overall he leads ML rookies in RBI and tops AL rookies in HR.

NAVA-GATION SYSTEM: Daniel Nava is batting .415 (22-for-53) in 17 June games, tops in the AL in the month and 2nd in the Majors behind CIN’s Joey Votto (.434) (min. 50 PA)…Nava leads the AL with a .452 OBP since his 5/10 selection to Boston…His .969 OPS ranks 2nd among AL outfielders in that time behind TOR’s Jose Bautista (1.061).

MIDDLEBROOKS PLAYER OF THE WEEK IN THE A.L.

Named player of the Week

WILL MIDDLEBROOKS OF THE BOSTON RED SOX NAMED THE AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Boston Red Sox rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending June 24th.

Middlebrooks batted .625 (10-for-16) with three doubles, three homers, 10 RBI and six runs scored in six games. Among A.L. leaders, the 23-year-old finished tops in batting average, slugging percentage (1.375), on-base percentage (.632) and total bases (22), tied for second in doubles and extra-base hits (6) and tied for fourth in hits and homers.

In an Interleague matchup with the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, the rookie from Greenville, Texas singled, scored a run and provided the Red Sox with an insurance run with an RBI-double in the sixth inning in Boston’s 7-5 win. After launching a two-run homer in his only plate appearance off the bench in a 15-5 Boston victory on Wednesday, Middlebrooks provided plenty of heroics on Thursday with a two-run blast to spark a three-run eighth inning as Boston stormed back to defeat Miami, 6-5, for their fifth straight win overall. Middlebrooks finished 3-for-4 on the night, which included a pair of run-scoring singles earlier in the contest.

Thursday’s three-game sweep at home gave Boston their first sweep of that length or more at Fenway since July 22-24, 2011. On Saturday, Boston’s fifth-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Texas went 3-for-4 with a single, double, home run and two RBI for his fourth three-hit game of the season as the Red Sox doubled up the Atlanta Braves, 8-4. After finishing a triple shy of the cycle, Middlebrooks boosted his season average to .331 with nine homers and 33 RBI and, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, became just the fifth player since 1920 (when Baseball began tracking RBI as an official statistic) – and the first since Albert Pujols in 2001 – to reach those minimums in his first 40 career games. Since making his Major League debut on May 2nd, Middlebrooks is batting .326 (47-for-144) with 10 doubles, nine home runs, 34 RBI and 23 runs scored in 41 games. He leads all A.L. rookies in homers and RBI, and he is third in the league in hits, runs and doubles.

Other noteworthy performances last week included Middlebrooks’ Red Sox teammate Daniel Nava (.500, 11 H, 3 2B); New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano (.286, 4 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R); Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Mike Trout (.440, 11 H, 8 R, 5 SB); and Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Justin Masterson (CG, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K vs. CIN on June 20th).

2012 Season

AVG	HR	RBI	OBP
.326	9	34	.365

SOX CLUBHOUSE GETTING UGLY AGAIN ?

TOXIC ????

BY A.J. NICHOLSBOSTON SPORTS DESK INTERNTension in the Sox clubhouse?

The Boston Red Sox have had a season of ups and downs so far this year. The team is currently 33-33 and 5th in the American League Eastern Division. It has not been all ugly to this point and there have been a few bright spots on the squad. The play of Will Middlebrooks, Daniel Nava, Mike Aviles, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the Sox bullpen has been a pleasant surprise.

However, these few glimpses of hope have been overshadowed by the disappointing play of veteran players and a .500 record. All the pressure and expectations that come with playing for a franchise like the Boston Red Sox can create a tension in the locker room and clubhouse. Individual and team performances are magnified in Boston to an extreme not seen with many other teams.

It seems that these pressures and expectations have combined with the personalities of players such as Kevin Youkilis, and Josh Beckett to create the perfect storm for Manager Bobby Valentine to deal with. ESPN Senior Writer Buster Olney reports from inside the Sox locker room that there are many critics of the way things are being handled throughout the organization. Olney explained that “”I don’t think team chemistry is going to be one of the strengths as they go down the stretch”. Clearly the Sox locker room is not a happy place right now and I believe a few Sox veterans are to blame for it.

First, Youkilis is 33 years old and dealing with injuries while only batting .215 this year. Youk was very comfortable with Terry Francona last season and has not had a working relationship with Bobby Valentine.

He is not happy with splitting playing time at Third-base with Middlebrooks and his frustration is not helping his play when he is in the lineup. It is time for the Sox to part ways with Youkilis. There is no longer a need for him with the young talent behind him. There lies the problem. Youk’s age, mixed with injuries and his play as of late has left the Sox with a veteran who not many teams are willing to take on his pricey contract.

Up until today talks had been quiet, but ESPN reports that the Sox have lowered expectations and this has the ball rolling with dealing Youk. If the Red Sox are going to trade Youkilis they will have to pay some of the remaining money on his contract to make him a more favorable option to teams with smaller salary caps. Teams that offer for Youk have the potential to gain a veteran Third-Basemen who when he is playing well, is at the top of the league in On Base Percentage (OBP). They also have the potential to gain an aging Third-Baseman with a bad attitude and declining potential. It will be interesting to see when and where Youk is dealt.

Now don’t get me wrong, the clubhouse drama and collapse is not all to be placed on Youkilis. The Sox have a number of other personalities who collide with team members and Valentine. Josh Beckett came into the year as the Sox number two starter in the rotation and was expected to be effective. That has not been the case rather he has had a fallout with Valentine and is now on the DL.  Beckett’s “I don’t care what you think” approach is a bad influence on the clubhouse because it gives the younger players the wrong image on how to conduct yourself at work.  His attitude has surely rubbed off on the pitching staff and just last week Clay Bucholtz told Valentine that he would not move his scheduled start day up in order to make up for the missing Beckett. Right now there is a defiant culture in the Sox clubhouse and Valentine does not have many options.

The only things working for Valentine are the success of his younger players and veterans such as Adrian Gonzalez and Big Papi who have been team players with positive attitude. Gonzalez is a Gold Glove Fist-Basemen who has played in Right Field for some time this year to accommodate for Youkilis.

Team management needs to make some decisions and do away with the negative attitudes and personalities in the clubhouse if Valentine is going to have a chance in taking the locker room back over. Rebuilding is not an option in Boston, so I am anxious to see what moves the Sox will make leading up to the trade deadline.

VALENTINE: LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM

Bobby Valentine: Love him…hate him

BY A.J. NICHOLS

BOSTON SPORTS DESK CORRESPONDENT

Love Him or Hate Him? Bobby Valentine

The Boston Red Sox are 28 and 26 and have won 16 of their last 22 which is the best record in the majors since May 11^th.  This is an impressive record considering the Sox awful start to the season. At the start of the year nothing went well for the Red Sox.

Their two star outfielders Carl Crawford and Jacoby Elsbury found themselves along with starting closer Andrew Bailey on the disabled list. Manager Bobby Valentine was questioning the dedication of starting third-basemen Kevin Youkilis and in return Valentine was being called out by Dustin Pedroia. The Sox were in the middle of the perfect storm coming off of a season with a historical collapse. Everything that could have gone wrong did and it landed on Valentines lap.

Ever since the day Valentine was announced as the new Red Sox Manager,  Boston fans have been very critical and unwelcoming. Fans and journalist believe that Valentines managerial approach is not suitable for this Red Sox team. This team is known for being a tight knit, close bunch that protects each other. Those qualities mixed with Terry Francona’s lackadaisical managerial style led to historical collapse last September.

Valentine showed up at Spring Training with a different mentality and approach. Right off the bat he changed the way things were done by adding more skill drills, base running, and making drills mandatory. He is the type to speak freely, and assert more clubhouse dominance than the way Francona handled things last year. I believe this is exactly what the Sox needed because last year the team was too relaxed and secure down the stretch on their way to blowing a division and wild card lead.

One area of managing that  Valentine excels at is using his ability to piece together lineups and bullpens when not everyone is available. This year’s Sox team has given him a great opportunity to do this with so many injuries.

He has been able to keep the seasoned veterans happy while mixing in the young talents of Will Middlebrooks, Daniel Nava, and Ryan Sweeney. My favorite may be his work with the bullpen and how he has built a stable reliance on journeymen relievers such as Franklin Morales, Vicente Padilla, and Rich Hill.

With all that being said I think it’s time to start to appreciate the work Valentine has put in. Not many managers could keep their team afloat while dealing with the injuries that the Sox have. I am curious to see how many fans jump on the Valentine band-wagon if the Sox make the playoffs.

You can criticize the man however you want but you cannot deny his ability to piece the puzzle together.

I look forward to the second half of the season when the starters return and Valentine has a full arsenal to work with.

SOX AND RAYS TONIGHT IN GAME 2

PITCHING IN: Boston hurlers have yielded just 5 runs over the last 5 games, all off the starters, posting a team 1.02 ERA (44.0 IP) in that time with 39 K’s compared to 11 walks.

Sox pitchers yielded 1 run or less in the 1st 4 tilts of the 5-game stretch, the longest such streak in the Majors this year and the club’s longest allowing 1 run or less since a 4-gamer, 9/12-15/09…The staff’s current stretch of 5 straight games allowing 2 runs or less is tied for the longest such streak in the Majors this year and is the longest active…The last time Boston pitchers allowed 2 runs or less in 6 straight games was 9/26-10/1/78.

PEN PALS: Red Sox relievers have tossed 11.0 scoreless innings over the last 4 games in which they have appeared with 12 strikeouts compared to 2 walks in that span…Since 4/23, Boston’s bullpen leads the Majors in ERA (1.32) and is 2nd in innings (81.2)…They also lead the ML with a 1.44 ERA (10 ER/62.1 IP) in May.

MAGNIFICENT SEVEN: Daniel Nava has hit in a career-high 7 straight games since joining the Red Sox on 5/10…Over the 7 tilts, he has posted a .474 AVG (9-for-19) with 4 doubles, a homer, 7 RBI, 7 runs, 6 walks and 3 HBP…The 7-game streak is the longest active stretch for a Red Sox batter.