Boston Beats Baltimore, 9 to 3

BOSTON: 3 1 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 - 9 14 0

BALTIMORE: 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 - 3 9 0

Another Sunday in my favorite New England sports living bar and today there are more people here than usual on a Sunday because of the Patriots game. This will be the scenario for the next couple of Sundays. Good to see some familiar faces - Dave, who brought donuts (thanks!), Mishi who brought Jim (her boyfriend) for the first time, and especially Stacie, who brought, as always, her upbeat self for all to experience. The day may have been a loss for the Patriots, but it was a definite win for the Red Sox! The Boston Red Sox swept the Baltimore Orioles in their last meeting of the 2009 season. Another hitting and scoring fest in Oriole Park. Boston got to the Baltimore starter after three innings, but Matsuzaka lasted into the sixth. It is so long to the Orioles until next year when Boston will welcome them to Fenway Park for a three-game series from the 23rd through the 25th of April. At that time, Boston will take up where they left off today. As the Red Sox leave to go to Kansas City for a four-game series with the Royals, the team maintains the lead in the AL Wild Card and gains a game on the New York Yankees. Is an interesting and familiar scenario developing between Boston and New York where there is a reversal of positions? Let's hope!!

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BOSTON: Starting Pitcher: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Winning Pitcher: Daisuke Matsuzaka (3)

BALTIMORE: Starting Pitcher: Jason Berken, Losing Pitcher: Jason Berken

BOSTON: Homeruns: Jason Bay (35), Jacoby Ellsbury (8)

BALTIMORE: Homerun: Luke Scott

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RED SOX: Wins: 89, Losses: 59, AL East Standings: New York, Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore

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Next game: Monday 21 September 2009, 5:10 p.m. PT, Kansas City Royals, Kauffman Stadium, Tim Wakefield

Happy 31st Birthday Jason Raymond Bay!!!

Jason Bay is a right-handed batting and throwing left fielder. He is the starting left fielder for the Boston Red Sox. Jason made his Major League debut with the San Diego Padres on Friday 23 May 2003 when he was twenty-four years, eight months, and three days old. The Padres played the Arizona Diamondbacks that day and Jason started in center field and his first career hit was a homerun. Jason was acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday 31 July 2008 when he was twenty-nine years, ten months, and eleven days old. Jason made his Red Sox debut on Friday 1 August 2008. The Red Sox played the Oakland Athletics in Fenway Park that day and Jason scored both runs in the two to one victory. He was named National League Rookie of the Year 2004 and named to the National League All-Star team 2005 and 2006, and to the American League All-Star team 2009. Jason wears number forty-four.

Red Sox Occupy Orioles, 11 to 5

BOSTON: 0 2 0 0 0 1 3 5 0 - 11 17 0

BALTIMORE: 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 - 5 12 1

A little more hitting and scoring for the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles today than yesterday. Homerun after homerun after homerun! Almost everyone had a hit in the game, at least on the Boston side. And, once again in Oriole Park, the win belongs to the Red Sox. Both starters left in the sixth after giving up three runs each. But the Boston bullpen prevailed while only giving up two additional runs to Baltimore's eight. The Red Sox are looking for a sweep tomorrow in their final game against the Orioles this season.

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BOSTON: Starting Pitcher: Jon Lester, Winning Pitcher: Jon Lester (14)

BALTIMORE: Starting Pitcher: David Hernandez, Losing Pitcher: Matt Albers

BOSTON: Homeruns: Josh Reddick (2), J. D. Drew (21), Brian Anderson (3)

BALTIMORE: Homeruns: Ty Wigginton (two), Melvin Mora, Felix Pie

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RED SOX: Wins: 88, Losses: 59, AL East Standing: New York, Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore

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Next game: Sunday 20 September 2009, 10:35 a.m. PT, Baltimore Orioles, Oriole Park, Daisuke Matsuzaka

Boston Blasts Baltimore, 3 to 1

BOSTON: 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 - 3 11 0

BALTIMORE: 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 5 0

The final road trip (of the regular season) has started out well for the Boston Red Sox. A nice win over the Baltimore Orioles to begin the three-game series in Oriole Park. Boston was more efficient in their hit/run ratio than Baltimore, but both bullpens were effective in not allowing additional scoring after the starters left. The Red Sox have begun a new winning streak and will attempt to continue their wining ways tomorrow. And Boston's lead in the AL Wild Card has increased with today's Rangers loss.

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BOSTON: Starting Pitcher: Clay Buchholz, Winning Pitcher: Clay Buchholz (6)

BALTIMORE: Starting Pitcher: Jeremy Guthrie, Losing Pitcher: Jeremy Guthrie

BOSTON: Save: Jonathan Papelbon (37)

BOSTON: Homerun: Jason Bay (34)

BALTIMORE: Homerun: Luke Scott

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RED SOX: Wins: 87, Losses: 59, AL East Standings: New York, Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore

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Next game: Saturday 19 September 2009, 4:05 p.m. PT, Baltimore Orioles, Oriole Park, Jon Lester

Red Sox Recap, 8 to 17 September

Between Tuesday 8 September and Thursday 17 September 2009, the Boston Red Sox played eight games at home – two against the Baltimore Orioles, three against the Tampa Bay Rays, and three against the Los Angeles Angels. Here are the breakdowns over the time period.

Total Each Series

Red Sox: 17 runs, 26 hits, 1 error
Orioles: 5 runs, 17 hits, 1 error
Two wins, no losses (sweep)
Analysis: Red Sox had 77% of the total runs, 61% of the total hits, 50% of the total errors

Red Sox: 16 runs, 24 hits, 0 errors
Rays: 2 runs, 14 hits, 0 errors
Three wins, no losses (sweep)
Analysis: Red Sox had 89% of the total runs, 63% of the total hits, 0% of the total errors

Red Sox: 16 runs, 28 hits, 1 error
Angels: 13 runs, 31 hits, 2 errors
Two wins, one loss (won the first and second games)
Analysis: Red Sox had 55% of the total runs, 48% of the total hits, 33% of the total errors

Combined Series Totals

Red Sox: 49 runs, 78 hits, 2 errors
Opponents: 20 runs, 62 hits, 3 errors
Seven wins, one loss
Analysis: Red Sox had 71% of the total runs, 56% of the total hits, 40% of the total errors

Season-To-17 September 2009

Red Sox; 769 runs, 1326 hits, 79 errors
Opponents: 643 runs, 1320 hits, 98 errors
Eighty-six wins, fifty-nine losses
Analysis: Red Sox 55% of the total runs, 50% of the total hits, 45% of the total errors

AL East Standings (at the start of Friday 18 September 2009)

New York 94 53 .639
Boston 86 59 .593
Tampa Bay 74 73 .503
Toronto 66 80 .452
Baltimore 60 86 .411

AL Wild Card Standings (at the start of Friday 18 September 2009)

Boston 86 59 .593
Texas 80 65 .552
Seattle 76 71 .517
Minnesota 74 72 .507
Tampa Bay 74 73 .503

Angels Alter Red Sox

L. A. ANGELS: 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 - 4 8 0

BOSTON: 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 6 0

Yesterday - Top of seventh inning, two outs, Kendry Morales out swinging, safe at first on a passed ball - Angels score four runs, take lead - game ends with Red Sox win. Today - Top of seventh inning, two outs, Chone Figgins out swinging, safe at first on a "wild pitch" - Angels score one run, tie game - game ends with Angels win. Similar scenarios, different results. I disagree with the scoring of "wild pitch" today - should have also been a passed ball - there was nothing wild about the throw that Beckett made. That being written, why such miscues from Varitek two games in a row? It's fine that he's not an offensive powerhouse, but it is not okay for him not to be a defensive powerhouse. The Boston Red Sox have gone to great lengths to improve the defense at shortstop - perhaps it is time to evaluate the defense at catcher now and not wait until the end of the season to make some hard decisions. Just a suggestion. Despite today's loss to the Los Angeles Angels, the Red Sox have had an outstanding eight-game run in Fenway Park, winning seven of them. During this homestand, Boston became the leader of the AL Wild Card and gained two games on the New York Yankees. The Red Sox take to the road for the last time this regular season. Let's hope the road turns out to be just as uplifting as the homestand.

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L. A. ANGELS: Starting Pitcher: Ervin Santana, Winning Pitcher: Kevin Jepsen

BOSTON: Starting Pitcher: Josh Beckett, Losing Pitcher: Billy Wagner (1)

L. A. ANGELS: Save: Brian Fuentes

L. A. ANGELS: Homerun: Howie Kendrick

BOSTON: Homeruns: Jacoby Ellsbury (7), Jason Bay (33)

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RED SOX: Wins: 86, Losses: 59, AL East Standings: New York, Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore

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Next game: Friday 18 September 2009, 4:05 p.m. PT, Baltimore Orioles, Oriole Park, Clay Buchholz

Red Sox Ache Angels, 9 to 8

L. A. ANGELS: 0 0 1 0 1 1 4 0 1 - 8 17 1

BOSTON: 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 2 2 - 9 13 1

First Inning: Angels: Chone Figgins (3B) singles to center, Erick Aybar (SS) pops out to shortstop, Bobby Abreu (RF) flies out to center, Vladimir Guerrero (DH) flies out to left

Red Sox: Jacoby Ellsbury (CF) walks, Dustin Pedroia (2B) grounds into double play, Ellsbury out at second, Jason Bay (LF) grounds out to third

End of first inning score: Red Sox 0, Angels 0

Second Inning: Angels: Torii Hunter (CF) flies out to center, Kendry Morales (1B) lines out to left, Howie Kendrick (2B) grounds out to shortstop

Red Sox: Mike Lowell (3B) singles to left, David Ortiz (DH) strikes out swinging, Rocco Baldelli (RF) strikes out swinging, Jason Varitek (C) pops out to second

End of second inning score: Red Sox 0, Angels 0

Third Inning: Angels: Juan Riveria (LF) singles to center, Mike Napoli (C) grounds out to third, Riveria moves to second, Figgins flies out to left, Ayber doubles to right, Riveria scores, Abreu walks, Guerrero strikes out swinging

Red Sox: Casey Kotchman (1B) doubles to left, Alex Gonzalez (SS) bunts out to pitcher, Kotchman moves to third, Ellsbury grounds out to first, Pedroia grounds out to third

End of third inning score: Red Sox 0, Angels 1

Fourth Inning: Angels: Hunter doubles to center, Morales flies out to second, Kendrick grounds into fielder's choice to pitcher, Hunter out at third, Kendrick moves to second on play, Riveria fouls out to second

Red Sox: Bay singles to left, Lowell strikes out swinging, Bay steals second, Ortiz walks, Baldelli grounds into double play, Ortiz out at second

End of fourth inning score: Red Sox 0, Angels 1

Fifth Inning: Angels: Napoli strikes out swinging, Figgins strikes out swinging, Aybar singles to right, Aybar moves to second on throwing error by right fielder, Abreu doubles to center, Aybar scores, Guerrero pops out to second

Red Sox: Varitek strikes out swinging, Kotchman strikes out looking, Gonzalez flies out to left

End of fifth inning score: Red Sox 0, Angels 2

Sixth Inning: Angels: Hunter homers to left, Morales strikes out swinging, Kendrick hits ground rule double to right, Riveria singles to left, Kendrick moves to third, (Boston pitcher Takashi Saito relieves Boston starting pitcher Paul Byrd), Napoli walks, Riveria moves to second, (bases-loaded, one out), Figgins flies out to left, Aybar pops out to first

Red Sox: Ellsbury singles to second, Pedroia doubles to left, Ellsbury moves to third, Bay singles to center, Ellsbury scores, Pedroia scores, Lowell grounds into fielder's choice to second, Bay safe at second on error by shortstop, Ortiz grounds into fielder's choice to second, Lowell out at second, Bay moves to third, Baldelli singles to left, Bay scores, Ortiz moves to second, Varitek walks, Ortiz moves to third, Baldelli moves to second, (bases-loaded, one out), Kotchman flies out to shortstop, (bases-loaded, two outs), Gonzalez singles to right, Ortiz scores, Baldelli scores, Varitek moves to second, (Los Angeles pitcher Jason Bulger relieves Los Angeles starting pitcher Joe Saunders), Ellsbury (second time up this inning) strikes out swinging

End of sixth inning score: Red Sox 5, Angels 3

Seventh Inning: Angels: Abreu grounds out to pitcher, Guerrero hit by a pitch, (Boston pitcher Ramon Ramirez relieves Boston pitcher Takashi Saito), Hunter flies out to second, Morales strikes out swinging, Morales to first on passed ball, Guerrero moves to third on play, Kendrick singles to left, Guerrero scores, Morales moves to second, Riveria doubles to center, Morales scores, Kendrick scores, Napoli doubles to left, Riveria scores, (Boston pitcher Hideki Okajima relieves Boston pitcher Ramon Ramirez), Figgins strikes out swinging

Red Sox: (Los Angles pitcher Kevin Jepsen relieves Los Angeles pitcher Jason Bulger), Pedroia grounds out to shortstop, Bay grounds out to shortstop, Lowell grounds out to second

End of seventh inning score: Red Sox 5, Angels 7

Eighth Inning: Angels: Aybar singles to center, Abreu singles to center, Aybar moves to third, (Boston pitcher Manny Delcarmen relieves Boston pitcher Hideki Okajima), Maicer Izturis (pinch hits for Guerrero) pops out to shortstop, Abreu steals second, Hunter intentionally walks, (bases-loaded, one out), Morales strikes out swinging, (bases-loaded, two outs), Kendrick strikes out swinging

Red Sox: Ortiz singles to left, J. D. Drew (pinch hits for Brian Anderson who had come in defensively for Baldelli) walks, Ortiz moves to second, Josh Reddick (pinch hits for Varitek) grounds into fielder's choice, Drew out at second, Ortiz moves to third, (Los Angeles pitcher Darren Oliver relieves Los Angeles pitcher Kevin Jepsen), Reddick moves to second on wild pitch, Kotchman grounds out to shortstop, Ortiz scores, Reddick moves to third, Gonzalez walks, Ellsbury singles to right, Reddick scores, Gonzalez moves to second, Pedroia flies out to center

End of eighth inning score: Red Sox 7, Angels 7

Ninth Inning: Angels: (Boston pitcher Daniel Bard relieves Boston pitcher Manny Delcarmen), Riveria grounds out to catcher, Napoli grounds out to third, Figgins singles to left, Aybar singles to right, Figgins moves to third, Abreu singles to left, Figgins scores, Aybar moves to second, Izturis grounds to first

Red Sox: (Los Angeles pitcher Brian Fuentes relieves Los Angeles pitcher Darren Oliver), Bay pops out to center, Lowell flies out to center, Ortiz walks (Joey Gathright pinch runs for Ortiz), Drew singles to center, Gathright moves to second, Jed Lowrie (pinch hits for Dusty Brown who had come in defensively for Jason Varitek) singles to thrid, Gathright moves to third, Drew moves to second, (bases-loaded, two outs), Nick Green (pinch hits for Kotchman) walks, Gathright scores, Drew moves to third, Lowrie moves to second, Gonzalez singles to left, Drew scores

End of game score: Red Sox 9, Angels 8

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L. A. ANGELS: Starting Pitcher: Joe Saunders, Losing Pitcher: Brian Fuentes

BOSTON: Starting Pitcher: Paul Byrd, Winning Pitcher: Daniel Bard (2)

L. A. ANGELS: Homerun: Torii Hunter

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RED SOX: Wins: 86, Losses: 58, AL East Standings: New York, Boston, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Baltimore

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Next game: Thursday 17 September 2009, 4:10 p.m. PT, Los Angeles Angels, Fenway Park, Josh Beckett