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.
Denis Leary & Lenny Clarke Return To NESN Booth Together For First Time Since Mel Gibson Rant
Back on August 15, 2006, comedians Denis Leary and Lenny Clarke visited the NESN booth with Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy and went on their famous Mel Gibson rant. If you missed it (were you living under a rock at that time), it’s here for you to enjoy below.
Well during last night’s 9-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox, Leary and Clarke were back in the NESN booth as they were at Fenway Park to help raise money for the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. They were definitely much tamer than that fateful night back in 2006 but they still brought the funny.
Clarke has been back before by himself but this is the first time Leary has been in the booth since that night.
Enjoy folks.
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Boston Red Sox News & Notes – 8/28
The Boston Red Sox went into last night’s game against the Chicago White Sox hoping to take all four games of the series. Unfortunately, Ozzie Guillen’s boys had other ideas as they took advantage of ineffective Junichi Tazawa on their way to a 9-5 win.
Tazawa just didn’t have it last night. His stuff was flat and he fell behind in the count to the hitters. In doing so when he threw strikes, the White Sox hitters were ready and capitalized on his flat fastball. He did suck it up though and pitch four innings to help the shorthanded Red Sox bullpen out.
Should we be down on Tazawa? Personally I don’t think so. He has good stuff and he just had nothing to offer last night. People rush to judgment that he may have been called up to early in his development. Trust me folks, Theo Epstein and the brain trust wouldn’t have called him up if they didn’t think he could help the team. I don’t see anyone complaining about Josh Beckett’s last two outings so why bitch and moan about a bad outing from Tazawa.
Sure every game is important down the stretch here but do we honestly believe the Red Sox are going to win every game the rest of the season? While it’s possible that could happen, it’s just not realistic. What is realistic though is that the Red Sox can win every series the rest of the season. Hopefully that is enough to get them into the playoffs whether as the winners of the AL East or as the wild card.
Tazawa’s rough outing and the shorthanded bullpen last night for the Red Sox gave us the MLB pitching debut of Nick Green who had last pitched in junior college eleven years ago. Green, who’s filled in admirably at shortstop for the Red Sox all season long, did a great job on the mound. His fastball topped out at 90 MPH and he went two hitless and scoreless innings. He did walk three but the walks didn’t come back to hurt him at all.
Let’s hope Beckett can turn things around after two poor outings and start the series off with a win tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Before we get on to the links and the video of Nick Green talking to the media about his MLB pitching debut, I just wanted to pass a long a few things.
One if you haven’t donated to the Jimmy Fund, please take a moment to do. Any amount big or small which you can donate will go a long way in the fight against cancer. We’ve all known someone affected by that horrible disease and what better way to help the fight then making a donation. Head over to the Jimmy Fund website and make your pledge.
Secondly, I won’t be around late in the afternoon as I am heading to the shoreline to celebrate the birthday of one of my best friends. I’ll probably miss the game as well. So unless the lineups are out at around 3 PM or so, there won’t be an afternoon Red Sox post. Things will get back on track either tonight or most definitely in the morning. I’ll probably end up watching the game tonight when I get home.
Patriots Head To DC For Preseason Tilt With Redskins
The New England Patriots travel to the nation’s capital tonight to face the Washington Redskins in a game televised nationally on CBS at 8 p.m.
This is the 3rd week of preseason which traditionally sees longer playing time for the projected starters. Expect to see QB Tom Brady play and I could see him playing the entire first half as he ramps up to the regular season.
Also this week will be key for any fringe players looking to hang on and make the team. You can also expect to see any position battles heat up as players vie for roster spots. Many times this is a big week for the special teams players looking to impress the staff.
In addition to the game being on CBS, you can also listen to the game action along the Patriots Radio Network.
Paw Prints – The Daily Roundup – 8/28
UConn Football links
Lunchtime? How About Breakfast Leftovers With Randy Edsall [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
A Few Questions And A Few Answers [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]
Big East preseason position rankings: Offensive line [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]
Best Case/Worst Case: Connecticut [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]
Weeks 3 and 4 could make or break Big East’s rep [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]
Big East preseason position rankings: Defensive line [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]
Who are the sleepers? [John Silver – Journal Inquirer]
Previewing the potential depth chart [Ramblings from The Runway]
Tidbits [Joe Perez – Norwich Bulletin]
UConn counts on big year from DE Witten [Connecticut Post]
To Edsall, Talent Just One Part Of Making Success Happen [Hartford Courant]
UConn, OU Both Started Small [Hartford Courant]
UConn Women’s Basketball links
Tickets Available to Public for Women’s Basketball National Championship Dinner [UConnHuskies.com]
UConn Men’s Basketball links
The Freshmen [UConn Huskies Basketball]
Other UConn related links
Field Hockey to Open Season Today at Home vs. Temple [UConnHuskies.com]
Volleyball Heads West to Start the 2009 Season at Nevada Marriott Courtyard/Fairfield Invitational [UConnHuskies.com]
Destination Red Sox Nation – 8/28
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.
Trio of backstop prospects catching on [Full Count]
Amalie Benjamin’s Red Sox Minor League Notebook [Boston Globe]
Toronto Blue Jays @ Boston Red Sox Pitching Matchups: 8/28-8/30
Friday, August 28th @ 7:10 PM
Scott Richmond, RHP (6-7, 4.09) vs Josh Beckett, RHP (14-5, 3.65)
TV: NESN, MLB.tv
Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio
Saturday, August 29th @ 7:10 PM
Ricky Romero, LHP (11-5, 3.91) vs Clay Buchholz, RHP (2-3, 5.02)
TV:NESN, MLB.tv
Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio
Sunday, August 30th @ 1:35 PM
Roy Halladay, RHP (13-7, 3.03) vs Paul Byrd, RHP (First start of 2009)
TV: NESN, MLB.tv
Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio
Tazawa Rocked By White Sox
After throwing six scoreless innings his last time out, there were a lot of expectations that Junichi Tazawa would pitch well again. That just wasn’t the case on Thursday night at Fenway Park.
The Chicago White Sox rocked Tazawa for nine runs on their way to a 9-5 win over the Boston Red Sox in front of 38,003 at the Fens.
The loss drops the Red Sox to 73-54 and their lead in the wild card is down to 1.5 games over the Texas Rangers and 3.5 games over the Tampa Bay Rays. They also still trail the New York Yankees by 6 games. The White Sox got back to .500 at 64-64 and trail the Detroit Tigers by 4 games in the AL Central.
Things were so bad on Thursday night that Terry Francona called on utility infielder Nick Green to pitch the final 2 innings. Green did a great job, hitting as high as 90 MPH on the gun. He walked three and didn’t allow a hit. When the 9th inning ended, he was given a rousing ovation by the Fenway faithful.
Tazawa just didn’t have it. His stuff was flat and he was leaving the ball out over the plate for the White Sox hitters to drive and drive it they did. The White Sox pounded 10 hits in 4 innings off of Tazawa. He walked one and struck out two.
Manny Delcarmen allowed a hit in two innings while Ramon Ramirez gave up three hits and had a strikeout in an inning of work. The reason Green ended up pitching was because Takashi Saito slept wrong on his neck and wasn’t available. Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima weren’t available after pitching two nights in a row plus Daniel Bard threw 1 1/3 innings last night. Newcomer Billy Wagner wasn’t available either as it appears he’ll only pitch every three days.
John Danks allowed two runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Two of those hits were home runs by J.D. Drew and Alex Gonzalez who went back-to-back in the 5th.
Octavio Dotel gave up two runs on two hits and two walks with a strikeout while Randy Williams bailed him out by retiring the only batter he faced. Bobby Jenks gave up a run on a hit and had a strikeout in the 9th.
Drew’s two hits of the night were both home runs while Gonzalez’ only hit was the home run. Jacoby Ellsbury added two hits before leaving the game with a high-ankle sprain in the bottom of the 5th. David Ortiz chipped in with two hits and an RBI while Jason Bay knocked in a run as well.
Tough loss for the Red Sox on Thursday night but it was still a good series as they took 3-of-4 from the White Sox.
They’ll be back in action on Friday night as the Toronto Blue Jays come to town for a weekend series. Scott Richmond will start for the Blue Jays and he’ll be opposed by Josh Beckett.
Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 8/27
The knuckleball of Tim Wakefield and the walk-off home run by David Ortiz gave the Boston Red Sox their third straight win over the Chicago White Sox. They look to go for the sweep tonight at Fenway Park.
The game tonight will start at 7:10 PM EDT and will be televised in the Red Sox television market on NESN. If you live in the White Sox television market, you can catch the game on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. If you don’t live in either market, you’re in luck if you get the MLB Network. And if the television isn’t your cup of tea, you can catch the game on one of the many affiliates of the Red Sox Radio Network.
Young Japanese righty Junichi Tazawa is making his fifth appearance (fourth start) for the Red Sox tonight. He is 2-2 with a 3.57 ERA and is coming off of a win against the New York Yankees. In that game, he allowed 8 hits over 6 scoreless innings. He has never faced the White Sox in his career.
Lefty John Danks gets the ball for skipper Ozzie Guillen tonight. Danks has made 24 starts this season and is 11-8 with a 3.85 ERA. Danks has not had much success against the Red Sox in his short career as he is 0-3 with a 6.06 ERA in three starts. He’s made one start at Fenway Park back in July of 2007 where he took the loss after giving up 4 runs in 6 innings pitched.
As we learned this morning, Brad Penny asked for and was granted his release to make room for Billy Wagner on the 25-man and 40-man rosters. Wagner will wear #13 for the Red Sox as Alex Gonzalez will switch from #13 to #3. Wagner is 39-37 with 385 saves and a 2.39 ERA (218 ER/820.0 IP) in 767 career relief appearances
Remember folks, the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon is going on as you read this. I know times are tough but if you can send even a dollar donation, they will make it go a long way. Head over to the Jimmy Fund website to make your donation.
Ortiz still swinging [Extra Bases]
Wagner wants to help any way he can [Extra Bases]
Wagner unavailable tonight [Extra Bases]
Lowrie: ‘I’m not ready to give up.’ [Extra Bases]
Carter claimed [Extra Bases]
Billy Wagner: Lefty Specialist and Waterboy [Full Count]
Trio of backstop prospects catching on [Full Count]
Tony’s Top 5: Former Red Sox to critique down the stretch [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]
On Wagner, Sox were always watching [Tony Massarotti – Boston Globe]
Sources: 3 NL teams interested in Penny [ESPN.com]
Penny released, but shouldn’t be unemployed for long [Projo Sox Blog]
Billy Wagner happy to join Red Sox [Projo Sox Blog]
Quotable Ozzie Guillen [Center Field]
Here are the lineups for tonight’s game:
|
|
|
||
| 1. Scott Podsednik | CF | 1. Jacoby Ellsbury | CF |
| 2. Gordon Beckham | 3B | 2. Dustin Pedroia | 2B |
| 3. A.J. Pierzynski | C | 3. Victor Martinez | C |
| 4. Paul Konerko | 1B | 4. Kevin Youkilis | 1B |
| 5. Jim Thome | DH | 5. David Ortiz | DH |
| 6. Carlos Quentin | LF | 6. Jason Bay | LF |
| 7. Mark Kotsay | RF | 7. Mike Lowell | 3B |
| 8. Alexei Ramirez | SS | 8. J.D. Drew | RF |
| 9. Jayson Nix | 2B | 9. Alex Gonzalez | SS |
| John Danks | SP | Junichi Tazawa | SP |
63-64
73-53And here are how the hitters have fared against tonight’s starting pitchers. No one on the White Sox has faced Tazawa.
Boston Red Sox News & Notes – 8/27
It’s been almost two years since Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz hit a walk-off home run at Fenway Park. Last night he delivered the walk-off blow as he wrapped his home run around Pesky’s Pole and was mobbed by his teammates at home plate.
We’ve waited for Big Papi to return from his struggles all season long. He’s shown flashes of brilliance but his walk-off home run means he’s fully back and back with vengeance. Ever since Victor Martinez arrived, Papi has been hitting the ball well. It also shows that not having the dreadlocked outfielder batting behind him may have had a little to do with it.
Speaking of Martinez, everyone last night was worried about how he’d mesh with Tim Wakefield and the knuckleball from hell. Martinez passed that test with flying colors as there were no problems at all between the two.
Wakefield had list pitched for the Red Sox back on July 8 before heading to the All-Star Game in St. Louis. He was placed on the DL shortly after the All-Star break and had been rehabbing his way back to the 25-man roster. It didn’t look like he missed a beat as his knuckler was downright nasty last night. He threw his first 17 pitches of the game for strikes and gave the Red Sox bullpen a rest as he went 7 innings.
Wake’s great game meant the end of the road for Brad Penny. As we learned earlier this morning, Penny asked for and was granted his release by the Red Sox. This now ends the speculation of who Billy Wagner will replace on the roster when he joins the club today.
Before the links, I’ll leave you with this quote from White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen on Daniel Bard.
“Who’s that guy?” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “He pitched pretty good. I’d rather face (Jonathan) Papelbon than that guy.”