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Texas Rangers @ Boston Red Sox |
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Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 4/21 [SOX & Dawgs]
As everyone knows by now, Texy over at Center Field is no longer doing gameday threads. Since I was a frequent visitor to there and know how much everyone enjoyed them, I decided to host them this year.
So for those who haven’t been here before, welcome. For those, who have, welcome back!! I hope you enjoy my new home here at Bloguin.
After the heroics of Darnell McDonald led them to a win, the Boston Red Sox look to continue that momentum in game 2-of-3 against the Texas Rangers tonight.
First pitch for tonight’s game will be at 7:10 p.m. and will be shown on NESN Plus in the Red Sox television market. To find your NESN Plus channel, click here. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest in the Rangers television market. If you can’t catch the television broadcast, you can always listen to the game on the 2010 Red Sox radio network.
Commander Kick Ass Josh Beckett makes his fourth start of the season for Terry Francona. In his previous three starts, he is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA. Beckett faced the Rangers once in 2009, taking the loss after allowing four runs in eight innings. He’s made five career starts against the Rangers and is 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA. All five of those starts have come as member of the Red Sox.
Matt Harrison will make his third start of the year for skipper Ron Washington. In his previous two starts, he is 0-1 with a 1.38 ERA. He’s made only one career start against the Red Sox, picking up the win after allowing four runs in six innings back in September 2009. This will be his first career start at Fenway Park.
Keep reading for lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and pregame links.
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| 1. Elvis Andrus | SS | 1. Marco Scutaro | SS |
| 2. Michael Young | 3B | 2. J.D. Drew | RF |
| 3. Josh Hamilton | LF | 3. Dustin Pedroia | 2B |
| 4. Vladimir Guerrero | DH | 4. Kevin Youkilis | 1B |
| 5. Nelson Cruz | RF | 5. Mike Lowell | DH |
| 6. Chris Davis | 1B | 6. Jason Varitek | C |
| 7. Matt Treanor | C | 7. Adrian Beltre | 3B |
| 8. Joaquin Arias | 2B | 8. Darnell McDonald | CF |
| 9. Julio Borbon | CF | 9. Bill Hall | LF |
| Matt Harrison | SP | Josh Beckett | SP |
Here’s the hitters have fared against tonight’s starting pitchers in their careers:
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
Editor’s note: More links to be added as they become available.
What’s up with Clay’s girly hug [SOX & Dawgs]
Remembering Jeff Stone [Clubhouse Insider]
Did you know: Darnell McDonald once lost a race to a horse [Clubhouse Insider]
Ortiz: “It’s part of the game” [Clubhouse Insider]
Pregame notes: Francona on Ortiz, V-Mart [Clubhouse Insider]
Great Sox debuts [ESPN Boston]
Dice-K on the way, who should be out? [Extra Bases]
More on the legend of D-Mac [Extra Bases]
Francona on D&H: Stick with Vic at catcher [Full Count]
Remy on D&C: Sox ’still have their issues’ [Full Count]
Darnell McDonald Prepared for Follow-Up Effort With Red Sox [NESN.com]
David Ortiz Targeting Left-Center Field in Hopes of Busting Out of Slump [NESN.com]
Projo SoxTalk: Who is Darnell McDonald? [Projo Sox Blog]
Rangers set to face revived Red Sox [RedSox.com]
What’s up with the hug of Clay Buchholz towards Darnell McDonald after McDonald’s two-run homer in the 8th inning of last night’s 7-6 win for the Boston Red Sox?
{flowplayer}http://ianbethune.com/clayhug.flv{/flowplayer}
Did he forgot to say “no homo”? It looked like he didn’t know what to do even with that big grin across his face.
We’re off to a late start this morning due to some alarm clock troubles but nonetheless we’re here to dissect last night’s game and get to the early links for Wednesday.
Last night’s game for the Boston Red Sox against the Texas Rangers started off with that same feeling we’ve been having lately although the Red Sox finally knocked in a runner in scoring position early on.
Things got ugly watching the Rangers steal nine bases against the combination of last night’s starter Tim Wakefield and Victor Martinez.
It appeared as though Wake wasn’t really paying attention to the runners on base and they took advantage of it with straight steals and double steals. And to top it off, the Red Sox were trailing 6-1 after five innings in large part due to the stolen bases.
Something needs to change on the defensive side of the catching game. While the onus falls partly on the pitchers to keep them close, you don’t want their concentration to solely be on the runner. This can bring bad things.
Now given the way the season had been going for the Red Sox, we probably could have expected them to lose their sixth straight game. Instead we saw them fight back behind Jeremy Hermida, Josh Reddick and Darnell McDonald.
Hermida started the comeback with a solo home run in the 4th inning while Reddick’s two-run double in the 6th cut the lead to 6-4. McDonald was the hero though as his 2-run homer and walk-off single gave the Red Sox their first victory in six games.
While the big story of the night may have been McDonald and his heroics, there is another big one in the fact that Terry Francona pinch-hit for David Ortiz.
Big Papi had seen nothing but fastballs on Tuesday night and not a one was hit in play. He struck out two more times to make it 17 on the season. So when the Red Sox were in the midst of their comeback, Papi was pinch-hit for by Mike Lowell, who ended up working a walk.
The Red Sox weren’t able to score that inning but a message was sent. Produce or sit down.
In year’s past, pinch-hitting for Big Papi would have been unfathomable but now that’s he off to his second straight slow start coupled with getting out of the gate slowly for the Red Sox, it was a move that had to be done. And with a lefty going for the Rangers tonight, odds are we’ll see Big Papi sitting on the bench again.
Let’s just hope the spark that McDonald provided last night can carry over to tonight’s game and the rest of the homestand.
One quick thing before we go, don’t forget that tonight’s game will be shown on NESN Plus in the Red Sox television market.
We’ll be back later with the lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day but for now, enjoy the links from the overnight from the local Boston media.
For McDonald, a script six years in the making [Alex Speier – WEEI.com]
A star is born in stunning Red Sox win [Boston Globe]
Epstein reflects on start [Boston Globe]
Cameron, Ellsbury sent to disabled list [Boston Globe]
Rangers got off to a running start [Boston Globe]
Darnell McDonald heroics no minor feat [Boston Herald]
Mike Cameron requires rest [Boston Herald]
Kevin Youkilis done with flip-flopping [Boston Herald]
Walk-off takes the pressure off [Boston Herald]
Sox lovin’ Darnell McDonald [Boston Herald]
Furious Theo Epstein sounds off on poor start [Boston Herald]
Epstein: “Weve played bad baseball” [CSN New England]
Sox snap streak, edge Rangers [CSN New England]
Epstein: Dice-K looking solid [ESPN Boston]
Big Mac attack: Sox 7, Rangers 6 [ESPN Boston]
Opponents’ base-stealing a big problem for Red Sox [ESPN Boston]
Epstein, Francona resist panic [ESPN Boston]
The right place, the right time [ESPN Boston]
Wrapping up a fun night of baseball [Extra Bases]
McDonald goes from undisclosed location to hero [Full Count]
Closing Time: Red Sox 7, Rangers 6 [Full Count]
What has been the impact of the steals? [Full Count]
Ortiz [Hit and Run With Dan Roche]
Sox thoughts [Hit and Run with Dan Roche]
Theo Epstein: Important for Mike Cameron to Get Rest for Tricky Injury [NESN.com]
Red Sox’ Run Defense Has No Answers For Rangers’ Record-Setting Swipe Show [NESN.com]
Should Jason Varitek Be Josh Beckett’s Personal Catcher? [NESN.com]
Darnell ‘The Microwave’ McDonald Cooks Up Momentous Walk-Off Win for Red Sox [NESN.com]
Boxscore Breakdown: Tuesday’s Big Win [Nuggetpalooza]
Unknown McDonald provides needed jolt [Providence Journal]
Francona opts for Lowell over Ortiz in RBI-situation [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Ellsbury, Cameron both down and out [Providence Journal]
Epstein says no time for excuses, Sox playing ‘bad baseball’ [Providence Journal]
Francona turns to Lowell over slumping Papi [RedSox.com]
McDonald makes instant impact in debut [RedSox.com]
A few things that Red Sox fans might not want to hear [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal and WEEI websites.
And if you must check out the enemy papers, head over to the Dallas Morning News and Ft. Worth Star-Telegram websites.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
UConn Football links
DC answered a few questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
Delany to address media Wednesday [ESPN.com – Big East Blog]
UConn’s Andre Dixon A Bit Antsy As NFL Draft Nears [Hartford Courant]
Talent pool hasn’t run dry at Storrs [New Haven Register]
Bristol’s Hernandez has no regrets [Bristol Press]
UConn Women’s Basketball links
Geno on WTIC Wednesday [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]
Recruiting tidbit [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]
UConn’s foes get look from the inside [New Haven Register]
Other UConn related links
The importance of the Association of American Universities [The UConn Blog]
“Fan Appreciation” Merchandise Sale On April 28 [UConnHuskies.com]
Baseball: Huskies Win 16th Straight with 12-2 Decision at Fairfield [UConnHuskies.com]
Destination Red Sox Nation is our look at how the minor league teams of the Boston Red Sox fare each night. Game story and box score links as well as links to team rosters, team stats and league standings are after the jump.
If you would like to listen to any of the Red Sox minor league affiliates’ games, MILB.com offers them for free.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Rochester Red Wings scored the winning run in the 8th to beat the PawSox 4-3.
Pawtucket depleted, and then defeated [Providence Journal]
Pawtucket Red Sox @ Rochester Red Wings 4.20.10 box score [MILB.com]
International League standings
The Sea Dogs got beat up by the Binghamton Mets 15-3.
They’re swinging away [Portland Press Herald]
Mets use long ball to beat Sea Dogs 15-3 [PortlandSeaDogs.com]
LHP Andrew Dobies Traded to White Sox [OurSports Central]
Binghamton Mets @ Portland Sea Dogs 4.20.10 box score [MILB.com]
The game between the Lynchburg Hillcats and Salem Red Sox was rained out on Tuesday night.
Tuesday Washout: Sox-Cats To Play DH Wednesday [OurSports Central]
Despite being outhit 10-6, the Drive beat the West Virginia Power 6-1.
Drive Take Advantage Of Hits, Walks For 6-1 Victory [OurSports Central]
Greenville Drive @ West Virginia Power 4.20.10 box score [MILB.com]
South Atlantic League standings
Lowell Spinners:
The Lowell Spinners will begin their season in late June after the MLB Draft.
Gulf Coast League Red Sox
The GCL Red Sox will begin their season in late June after the MLB Draft.
On Tuesday night, Darnell McDonald provided the heroics for the Boston Red Sox in their 7-6 come-from-behind win over the Texas Rangers.
McDonald had the walk-off single to win and earlier had a game-tying two-run homer.
Here’s the video of both for you to enjoy:
Walkoff single:
{flvremote}http://ianbethune.com/mcdwalkoff.flv{/flvremote}
Two-run homer:
{flvremote}http://theo6111.com/a.flv{/flvremote}
The Boston Red Sox needed something to get them going. Things haven’t been going well and at one point during Tuesday’s game, it looked as though it might continue going south.
Enter Darnell McDonald.
McDonald, who signed as minor league free agent with the Red Sox, was the catalyst as his walk-off single in the 9th won the game 7-6 for the Red Sox over the Texas Rangers in front of 37,614 at Fenway Park.
It was also McDonald who got the Red Sox back in the game with a pinch-hit two-run homer in the 8th that tied the game at 6. The Red Sox had earlier trailed 6-2 before making their comeback.
Trailing 6-4 in the 8th, Jason Varitek, who came in the game as a defensive replacement for Victor Martinez, led off the inning with a double. Then on a 2-2 count, McDonald took a Darren Oliver slider and put it into the Green Monster seats to bring back some life to Fenway.
After Jonathan Papelbon worked the 9th, the Red Sox got right to work in the bottom half.
Kevin Youkilis led off with a single off of Frank Francisco. He went to second on a passed ball and ended up on third when Bill Hall sacrificed him over. The Rangers then decided to intentionally walk Mike Lowell, who had earlier pinch-hit for David Ortiz.
Francisco recovered as he got Adrian Beltre to pop out to first. Varitek then worked a walk and on a 0-1 pitch, McDonald hit a wall scraper just over the outstretched arm of Josh Hamilton that scored Youk and sent Fenway Park into a frenzy.
Tim Wakefield started this one for the Red Sox and didn’t really have it. He went six innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and five walks with three strikeouts. The worst part though is the fact that the Rangers stole nine bases off him and VMart.
Manny Delcarmen’s velocity seems to be returning as he was regularly hitting in the mid 90’s during his 1 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out 1. Okajima allowed a hit and walked one in a 1/3 of an inning while Papelbon walked one and struck out one to win his first game of 2010.
Before being lifted from the game, VMart led the Red Sox with three hits and added an RBI. Jeremy Hermida added two hits and an RBI while Youk also had two hits. Josh Reddick, fresh up from Pawtucket as well, had a hit and two RBIs.
The struggles of J.D. Drew and Big Papi continued as they both had two strikeouts.
The Red Sox will look to build up some momentum after this win with Josh Beckett on the bump on Wednesday night. He’ll be opposed by Matt Harrison.
With the uncertain health of Wes Welker for the 2010 season, the New England Patriots bolstered their receiving corps on Tuesday by signing Torry Holt.
The deal for Holt is worth $1.7 million for one year.
Holt, an 11-year veteran, spent the 2009 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars where he had 51 catches for 722 and no touchdowns for the first time in his career. He had spent the previous ten seasons with the St. Louis Rams where he went to seven Pro Bowls.
Overall in his career, Holt has made 920 catches for 13,382 yards and 74 touchdowns.
| 2010 Patriots Regular Season | |||||
| Date | Time | H/V | Team | TV/Score | Rec |
| Sun 9/12/2010 | 1:00 PM | vs | Bengals | W, 38-24 | 1-0 |
| Sun 9/19/2010 | 4:15 PM | @ | Jets | L, 28-14 | 1-1 |
| Sun 9/26/2010 | 1:00 PM | vs | Bills | W, 38-30 | 2-1 |
| Mon 10/4/2010 | 8:30 PM | @ | Dolphins | W, 41-14 | 3-1 |
| Sun 10/10/2010 |
Bye |
||||
| Sun 10/17/2010 | 1:00 PM | vs | Ravens | W, 23-20 |
4-1 |
| Sun 10/24/2010 | 4:15 PM | @ | Chargers | CBS | – |
| Sun 10/31/2010 | 4:15 PM | vs | Vikings | FOX | – |
| Sun 11/7/2010 | 1:00 PM | @ | Browns | CBS | – |
| Sun 11/14/2010 | 8:20 PM | @ | Steelers | NBC | – |
| Sun 11/21/2010 | 4:15 PM | vs | Colts | CBS | – |
| Thu 11/25/2010 | 12:30 PM | @ | Lions | CBS | – |
| Mon 12/6/2010 | 8:30 PM | vs | Jets | ESPN | – |
| Sun 12/12/2010 | 1:00 PM | @ | Bears | CBS | – |
| Sun 12/19/2010 | 8:20 PM | vs | Packers | NBC | – |
| Sun 12/26/2010 | 1:00 PM | @ | Bills | CBS | – |
| Sun 1/2/2011 | 1:00 PM | vs | Dolphins | CBS | – |
5-9
