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Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 4/25

After going 3-4 on the home stand, the Boston Red Sox make a quick trip north of the border for a three-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays starting tonight at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Blue Jays market, you can catch the game on Rogers SportsNet-1. And if you can’t catch the game on television, you can always listen on the 2014 Red Sox Radio Network.

Jake Peavy looks for his first win of the 2014 season in his fifth start. In his previous four starts, Peavy is 0-0 with a 3.33 ERA. He took the loss against the Jays in his only start against them after allowing two runs in six innings of work. He’s made six career starts against them and is 2-1 with a 3.51 ERA. Three of those starts have come at the Rogers Centre where he is 0-1 with a 5.03 ERA.

The quick working Mark Buehrle makes his fifth start of 2014. In his previous four starts, Buehrle is 4-0 with a 0.64 ERA (2 ER/28 IP). He made five starts against the Red Sox in 2013 and was 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA. He’s made 24 career appearances (23 starts) against the visiting nine and is 8-9 with a 4.35 ERA. Two of those starts have come at the Rogers Centre where he is 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA (6 ER/13.2 IP).

10-13		11-11
1. Dustin Pedroia	2B	1. Jose Reyes	SS
2. Shane Victorino	RF	2. Melky Cabrera	LF
3. David Ortiz	DH	3. Jose Bautista	RF
4. Mike Napoli	1B	4. Edwin Encarnacion	1B
5. Jonny Gomes	LF	5. Dioner Navarro	C
6. Xander Bogaerts	SS	6. Juan Francisco	DH
7. A.J. Pierzynski	C	7. Brett Lawrie	3B
8. Will Middlebrooks	3B	8. Colby Rasmus	CF
9. Jackie Bradley, Jr	CF	9. Ryan Goins	2B
Jake Peavy	SP	Mark Buehrle	SP

NOTES:

As you can see from the lineup, Middlebrooks has been activated from the 15-day DL. To make room on the 25-man roster, Brock Holt was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Here is how the hitters have fared against the starting pitchers during the regular season over their careers.

More links will be added if/when they become available so please check back often.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

The Dead Ball Dead Sox [sox & dawgs]

Sox must right wrongs before it’s too late [csn new england]

Red Sox-Blue Jays preview: Buehrle goes for fifth win [csn new england]

MLB clarifies possession on DP forceouts [csn new england]

NECN: Jared Remy sends expletive-filled letter to reporter [csn new england]

Sox face unbeaten Buehrle [espn boston]

Sox at full strength after activating Middlebrooks [espn boston]

Red Sox Defense Hurting: Time to Start Missing Stephen Drew? [extra bases]

MLB Changing Stupid, Stupid Transfer Rule, Starting Tonight [extra bases]

Kevin Millar on M&M: Red Sox ‘lack of identity right now’ [full count]

Red Sox-Blue Jays series preview [full count]

A Series Matter: Red Sox-Blue Jays and Park Factors [providence journal]

MLB changes interpretation on transfer plays [providence journal]

With return of Will Middlebrooks, Red Sox finally showcase everyday lineup [providence journal]

Red Sox using hit-and-runs to apply offensive pressure [providence journal]

Felix Doubront to remain in rotation [providence journal]

Facing Jays, Peavy aims to notch first victory [red sox]

A shortstop’s education: Red Sox ready to live through Xander Bogaerts’ growth and struggles on defense [alex speier – weei]

Top 50 Red Sox Prospects of Past 50 Years: 10-1 [touching all the bases]

photo credits: getty images, getty images

UConn’s DeAndre Daniels Declares For NBA Draft

pic.twitter.com/mGzNITV3vp

— DeAndre Daniels (@D_Daniels2) April 25, 2014

The Dead Ball Dead Sox

To say that the Red Sox lineup has appeared morbid is an understatement.

What’s most bothersome is how the lineup has not been able to execute against lackluster pitching, and last night was just another example of that. The Red Sox faced the once great CC Sabathia, but his fastball barely tops out over 88 mph these days. Sabathia still has a change-up (that acts a bit like a slider), and a curveball that he throws occasionally, but last night his pitch speeds hardly varied from the 82-88 mph range. We’re not talking about a pitcher who can toss 93-95 mph fastballs, pull the string with a sub-80’s mph change-up, and mix in a splitter or slower curveball. (Which a lot of younger starters in the big leagues are able to do right now. What happens when this Red Sox lineup faces those pitchers?)

In short, Sabathia should have gotten hammered last night – but the Red Sox ended up having more fielding errors than hits. That’s embarrassing.

What’s more embarrassing are some stats that Red Sox hitters are amassing. I’ll only highlight a couple because: 1) We don’t have all day to look at the trove; and 2) Looking at everything might induce Friday afternoon weeping.

First, here are the stats for runners in scoring position for 2013 and 2014 for David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, Dustin Pedroia, and Daniel Nava.

	BA w/RISP	OBP w/RISP	RBI w/RISP
Ortiz
2013	.315	.453	72
2014	.174	.318	7
Napoli
2013	.257	.372	73
2014	.174	.269	9
Pedroia
2013	.312	.369	72
2014	.263	.263	4
Nava
2013	.306	.392	58
2014	.091	.286	1

When you focus on stats as a whole, without narrowing it down to RISP, players like Ortiz and Napoli look fine. Napoli is hitting .294 with 5 homers, Ortiz is starting out slow with a .256 average but he has 4 homers. But when you narrow their stats down to how they’re hitting with RISP, when compared to how they hit in 2013, you see where the problem lies.

The biggest shocker here, though, is Daniel Nava. It’s weird to think of Nava, who was essentially a platoon player, as a core part of the Red Sox hitting attack in 2013, but look at how he raked with RISP: .306 average, 58 RBIs. And now? Nava isn’t even on the 25 man roster now. That’s a huge loss.

Speaking of huge losses for the Red Sox, let’s see how Jacoby Ellsbury‘s loss as effected the line up. This next stat comparison may not be fair because Shane Victorino has been on the disabled list, and both Red Sox players I highlight weren’t expected to replace Ellsbury. Regardless, Grady Sizemore and Jackie Bradley Jr. are both centerfielders who are expected to get on base and steal bases. I’ve combined Sizemore and JBJ’s April 2014 stats and compared them with Ellsbury’s stat line from April 2013.

	OBP	Runs	SB	2B	3B
Ellsbury (April 2013)	.336	19	11	6	3
Sizemore/JBJ (April 2014)	.300	15	6	6	1

Unfortunately, one Sizemore and one JBJ are not equal to one Ellsbury. Both players have been struggling, with Sizemore hitting .212 and JBJ doing worse with a .206 batting average. Even though JBJ is getting on base at an average rate, as reflected in his .324 OBP, this isn’t satisfactory. Both players combined are not getting the job done.

Not that it matters, because the meat of the Red Sox batting order isn’t hitting with runners in scoring position anyway. With Will Middlebrooks and Shane Victorino returning, the Red Sox have most of the lineup that they wanted for 2014 in place (minus Daniel Nava, who looked completely lost at the plate). Ryan Roberts and Jonathan Herrera aren’t whiffing every time the step to the plate anymore, so the Red Sox are out of excuses. It’s time to start hitting.

This Red Sox lineup has some serious problems right now, and the solution isn’t telling A.J. Pierzynski to swing at less pitches. The problems start with the team’s core not being able to produce, and if they don’t figure out a way to hammer pitchers like Sabathia soon, then maybe they’ll need to take pitching lessons from Mike Carp. Because they’ll all be throwing an inning or two soon.

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 4/25

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

Recruits Seem to Like Diaco’s Franknes s [hartford courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Video: Stefanie Dolson Appears on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon [sox & dawgs]

Vandy women in Thanksgiving tournament with UConn [the tennessean]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn’s Amida Brimah To Have Shoulder Surgery [sox & dawgs]

Boatright, Daniels: Should They Stay Or Should They Go? [dom amore – hartford courant]

Kevin Ollie to Receive Saint Francis Award [david borges – new haven register]

“Historic Huskies” Magazine Chronicles UConn’s Magical Run [david borges – new haven register]

Other UConn related links

Power 5 moves closer to autonomy [john silver – sny uconn]

M. Track. Men’s Track & Field Primed For Penn Relays [uconn huskies]

W. Track. Women’s Track & Field Ready for Prestigious Penn Relays [uconn huskies]

Baseball. UConn Visits Nationally Ranked Louisville This Weekend [uconn huskies]

Softball. UConn Softball Downs UMass On Thursday, 4-2 [uconn huskies]

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 4/24

After a win Pine-Tar Gate 2.0 last night, the Boston Red Sox look to take the rubber cement game of a three-game set with the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NESNplus in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Yankees market, you can catch the game on YES. If you don’t live in either market you’re in luck as the MLB Network will have coverage of the game as well (outside of Red Sox and Yankees markets). And if you can’t catch the game on television, you can always listen on the 2014 Red Sox Radio Network.

Felix Doubront takes the ball for the fifth time in 2014 and third at the Fens. In his previous four starts, Doubront is 1-2 with a 5.48 ERA. He took the loss against the Yanks on April 13 when he allowed three runs in 6.2 innings of work. He’s made 13 career appearances (nine starts) against the Bronx Bombers and is 3-3 with a 4.15 ERA. Seven of those appearances (five starts) have come at home where he is 2-2 with a 4.26 ERA.

CC Sabathia makes his fifth start of 2014 tonight. In his previous four starts, Sabathia is 2-2 with a 5.19 ERA. He took the loss against the local nine back on April 10 when he allowed four earned runs in seven innings of work. He’s made 28 career starts against the Red Sox and is 10-12 with a 4.74 ERA. 13 of those starts have come at the Fens where he is 4-5 with a 5.47 ERA. He is 8-8 with a 5.04 ERA in 21 starts against the Red Sox as a member of the Evil Empire.

12-9		10-12
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Dustin Pedroia	2B
2. Derek Jeter	SS	2. Shane Victorino	RF
3. Carlos Beltran	RF	3. David Ortiz	DH
4.Alfonso Soriano	DH	4. Mike Napoli	1B
5. Mark Teixeira	1B	5. Jonny Gomes	LF
6. Brian McCann	C	6. Xander Bogaerts	SS
7. Brett Gardner	LF	7. Brock Holt	3B
8. Brian Roberts	2B	8. David Ross	C
9. Yangervis Solarte	3B	9. Jackie Bradley, Jr	CF
CC Sabathia	SP	Felix Doubront	SP

NOTES:

As you can see from the lineup, Victorino has been activated from the 15-day DL. To make room on the 25-man roster, Alex Wilson was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Here is how the hitters have fared against the starting pitchers during the regular season over their careers.

More links will be added if/when they become available so please check back often.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

Video: Pineda Ejected For Using Pine Tar (Again) [sox & dawgs]

The day common sense was trumped by Michael Pineda’s love for pine tar [rob bradford – weei]

With Shane Victorino in No. 2 spot, Red Sox hoping to achieve offensive stability [clubhouse insider]

Even in controversy, Sox-Yanks has become passionless [csn new england]

Have you ever “Pineda-ed” something at work? [csn new england]

Red Sox have little to say about Pineda’s suspension [csn new england]

How Lackey dominated the Yankees [espn boston]

Henry cites value of inexpensive players [espn boston]

At Logan, on the lookout for pine tar [espn boston]

Notable instances of pitchers being checked [espn boston]

It Will Be Buried in Pine Tar, but John Lackey Pitched Gem [extra bases]

Mike Hazen on D&C: ‘Daniel Nava’s going to be back here hitting again’ [full count]

Pineda Suspended 10 Games [mlb]

Jonny Gomes Surprised When Fan Reveals Identical Red Sox Tattoo (Video) [nesn]

Interactive Map Shows Border Between Red Sox, Yankees Fans (Photo) [nesn]

Jonny Gomes’ American Flag White House Blazer Up For Auction (Photo) [nesn]

With Shane Victorino back, Red Sox getting closer to stability [providence journal]

John Farrell on John Lackey’s night: ‘That’s the story’ [providence journal]

Red Sox have to decide between Herrera, Holt [providence journal]

Doubront, Sabathia set to square off in series finale [red sox]

Top 50 Red Sox Prospects of Past 50 Years: 20-11 [touching all the bases]

photo credits: getty images, getty images

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 4/24

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Football links

WR Shakim Phillips No Longer Part of UConn Football Team [sox & dawgs]

Football Walk-On Tryouts Set For May 1 [uconn huskies]

UConn fan behind effort for Jasper Howard monument [ct post]

Phillips Won’t Play For UConn; Might Be Headed Back To BC [hartford courant]

Source: Falcons worked out Connecticut linebacker Yawin Smallwood [national football post]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Video: Stefanie Dolson Appears on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon [sox & dawgs]

Samuelson has “great” official visit to UConn [carl adamec – sny uconn]

Special homecoming for UConn’s Stewart [jim fuller – new haven register]

Breanna Stewart named master of ceremonies for Onondaga County Special Olympics [syracuse post-standard]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

UConn’s Amida Brimah To Have Shoulder Surgery [sox & dawgs]

Video: UConn Basketball Visits Fenway to Throw 1st Pitch [sox & dawgs]

UConn men: An unsettled roster [john silver – sny uconn]

Baseball’s Champions Honor Men’s Basketball Champions [uconn huskies]

UConn, Duke to play this season [espn]

Other UConn related links

Baseball. Four-Run Eighth Leads UConn Past Quinnipiac, 5-3 [uconn huskies]

UConn’s Amida Brimah To Have Shoulder Surgery

STORRS, Conn. – UConn freshman center Amida Brimah (Accra, Ghana) is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery Friday morning at the UConn Health Center in Farmington for a left shoulder labral repair.

The surgery, a left shoulder arthroscopy, will repair a torn labrum and is expected to alleviate a condition that bothered the 7-foot freshman at times throughout the 2013-14 season. While the condition was not severe enough to warrant surgery during the season, following a recent MRI, it was determined that it would be the best course of treatment to fully alleviate the problem. The recovery period is usually 4-5 months.

Brimah played in all 40 games for the National Champion Huskies, starting 17, and averaging 16.2 minutes per game. He averaged 4.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and shot a team-leading 64.0 percent overall. His 92 blocked shots (2.3) also led the Huskies and ranked second in the American Athletic Conference. Brimah was named to the league’s All-Rookie Team and was the conference Rookie of the Week on Jan. 13.

photo credit: stephen dunn – hartford courant

Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 4/23

After getting spanked last night, the Boston Red Sox look to get back on track tonight in the second game of a three-game set with the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NESN in the Red Sox television market. If you live in the Yankees market, you can catch the game on YES. If you don’t live in either market you’re in luck as the ESPN will have coverage of the game as well (outside of Red Sox and Yankees markets) The game is also available online, on your mobile/device tablet at WatchESPN. And if you can’t catch the game on television, you can always listen on the 2014 Red Sox Radio Network.

John Lackey makes his fifth start of the 2014 for the local nine. In his previous four starts, Lackey is 2-2 with a 5.25 ERA. He took the loss back on April 12 against the Yanks when he allowed six runs in 5.2 innings of work. He’s made 28 career starts against them and is 10-11 with a 4.99 ERA. Eight of his starts against the Bronx Bombers have come at the Fens where he is 4-2 with a 4.24 ERA.

Michael Pineda takes the ball for the fourth time in 2014. In his previous three starts, Pineda is 2-1 with a 1.00 ERA (2 ER/18 IP). He picked up the win back on April 10 against the Red Sox when he allowed one run in six innings of work. He’s made two career starts against the home team and is 1-1 with a 6.97 ERA. His lone start at the Fens came in 2011 as a member of the Seattle Mariners when he took the loss after allowing seven earned runs in 4.1 innings.

12-8		9-12
1. Jacoby Ellsbury	CF	1. Grady Sizemore	RF
2. Derek Jeter	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Carlos Beltran	DH	3. David Ortiz	DH
4. Brian McCann	C	4. Mike Napoli	1B
5. Alfonso Soriano	LF	5. Mike Carp	LF
6. Mark Teixeira	1B	6. A.J. Pierzynski	C
7. Brett Gardner	RF	7. Xander Bogaerts	SS
8. Brian Roberts	2B	8. Brock Holt	3B
9. Kelly Johnson	3B	9. Jackie Bradley, Jr	CF
Michael Pineda	SP	John Lackey	SP