Morning Lineup

It's a good thing I can't sleep well as a result of the Sox.....and the stress of my graduate program's workload....because it's 9am, the lineups are out and the players are taking swings in the cages. What boggles my mind more than that, is that it's 6am in LA, lineups are out, and most of the Angels fans are probably still dreaming about their terrible screenplays being picked up.

The only real change is flipping J-Bay and Ortiz, with Scott Kazmir on the mound. Our old friend from Tampa is 6-4 with a 3.05 ERA in 13 career starts at Fenway, all with the Rays. He's thrown the ball well for Anaheim in what's turned out to be a fantastic deadline move.

Anyways, here is the Sox lineup for today's win or go home game, be sure to check back with ITM as we're considering trying out a live game day blog....better late than never:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Victor Martinez, C
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. David Ortiz, DH
7. Mike Lowell, 3B
8. J.D. Drew, RF
9. Alex Gonzalez, SS

-- Clay Buchholz, SP

Upside Down

This was not how it was supposed to go. All year, we maintained this team was built for the playoffs, and they still might be, but as of now, the 2009 Red Sox have a lot of convincing to do.

They're coming home from the make-believe land of Southern California, tail between their legs, but not totally defeated. The players are saying the right things "it's not over, we've got a lot of baseball in front of us" - Dustin, I can't hit a thing, Pedroia, and "I welcome this kind of responsibility" - Clay, don't blow it, Buchholz. I can assure you however, that Red Sox Nation, at least the non pink hats, are waking up this morning with an empty feeling in their stomachs. That same feeling that makes typing this such a struggle, it's the concern that after coming this far, stressing this much, pouring it all out for this team, the Sox are not who we thought they were.

Through two games (the most important of the year I may add), they've looked like the Red Sox of early August. They've thrown out their two big studs, and not that they pitched poorly, but they have nothing to show for it. TMurph called it a few posts back when he voiced his concern that this team hasn't shown it can hit good pitching.....spot on, even he has to be right once in a while. Don't blame the umpires, don't blame Beckett or Lester, don't blame Tito or even Theo, blame the terribly inconsistent lineup. Blame the fans and the media for completely overlooking a talented Anaheim team, who we thought somehow would disintegrate because of past playoff performance.

The worst part may not be the fact that the Sox are down 2-0, it's that the Yankees are up 2-0 and doing it in fine fashion. Combine the two and you have the worst of both worlds, loud-mouthed Yankee fans who are only good for fist-pumping on the Jersey shore, pounding their chests and rubbing it in at every chance they can....and "blow it up" Red Sox fans who all of a sudden "knew this team was terrible" and want Theo to be fired.

So far, the playoffs have been turned upside down, with the Sox being silenced by the Halos, and Arod actually hitting the ball in NYY. There is still time for things to right themselves, but if they don't do it quickly, be prepared for a long, long off season.

Behind the Plate Tonight, the Worst Umpire in the League...No Joke.

(Thanks to JoyofSox for the pic)

Clearly safe right? I nearly flipped the coffee table over last night after two piss poor calls from CB Bucknor....aka, the worst umpire in baseball. I'm not even making this up: in multiple surveys of 400 different MLB players over the past few years, Bucknor was overwhelmingly voted the worst in the game. I honestly don't know how Youk didn't flip out and power bomb the guy after those calls.

So this is exactly the guy you want behind the plate calling a very important ALDS game right? Unbelievable.

You can feel the tired anger in the financial district today....it was only game one, but it was such a frustrating game, from only mustering 4 singles, to terrible umpires, to Torii Hunter going bazerk, it was rough. As a result, tonight's game becomes as close to a must win as possible.

Let's all hope Beckett bounces back tonight....because alliteration tends to win ball games. I'm convinced of that. Somewhere in Needham, I can hear Tommy Heinsohn screaming "Big Bang Boom Beckett!".....that was terrible. Ok, Go Sox.

Sox-Angels Preview

Okay, so that title's not entirely accurate. It's more of an ITM anxiety preview. I'm worried. I'm sitting here with a glass of whiskey neat - what should be a warm treat on a crisp October night. But undeniably, this is just medicine for my nerves. There's nothing pleasurable or autumnal or old-fashioned about this drink. It might as well be robitussin going down my throat.

Were you aware that the Angels hit 15 points better than the Red Sox, with a league-leading .285? Or that they had as many hits as the Yankees - over a hundred more than the Red Sox? That they actually were right around the league average in walks, something the old Angels never even approached? Or how about that they actually struck out fewer times than the Sox? I used to calm myself by noting that they were the free-swinging Angels, a strategy that never worked in the cool twilights of October. That was then. Now I'm looking at pregame clips of Bobby Abreu. The man travels between Venezuela and the U.S. on an ocean liner, that's how patient he is!

But we've got Jon Lester and Josh Beckett and a hell of a bullpen. I try to tell myself that a few times every minute. And we've got J.D. Drew. Don't ask me how, but I've convinced myself that he's gonna be the hero this series. It must be the whiskey writing.

I'm not sure how many more Octobers I can take. I profess to love all these chilly thrills, but really, I'm sort of a dog-days kind of guy. I like the slow pace of baseball. The oh-well-there's-always-tomorrow attitude. The statistical evening out. These games count. How am I supposed to handle that?

I looked to my ITM-comrades earlier today for the answer to that question, but instead we ended up sending this link back and forth:

I'd say that about sums it up. It's gonna be a long ALDS.

Afternoon Brew - NY House Blend

Okay, couldn't help sharing a few of this morning's headlines to get you ready for the evening matchup. This is just a glimpse into what it's like waking up in the heart of Yankee-land every day.


NYTimes - Can You Say Mismatch? The Yankees Sure Can. (New York is aware that Minnesota has won 17 of its last 21 games, right?)

NYPost - It's Twins - Minnesota First Step to Yankees Title. (This was actually the headline for the Twins-Tigers game recap.)

NYPost - Lack of Mound Ace Sure to Doom Twins

NYDailyNews - Reggie: A-Rod Will Rock October. (Reggie Jackson really is under the impression that he's been given some sort of royal October title, with actual magical powers included.)

NYDailyNews - Are CC, A.J. and Teix worth $423.5m? (I liked this one because it sort of exudes the drunken exuberance of the Yankees ownership and fan-base. It's like one of them accidentally had a lucid interval during the Vegas binge and asked whether they should have really paid to eat day-old sushi off of that middle-aged Japanese lady. Come on Daily News, these are questions for the offseason. Right now is about reckless douchery.)

Grading Boston's Season

The postseason begins for the Sox Thursday night at 9:37pm EST...seems like it'll take forever to get here. Until then, it's interesting to look back at how the Sox got where they are right now. The members of the ITM staff sent some emails back and forth on this topic, and here are our high level season grades:

Starting Pitching: B

Boston's pitching was an absolute roller coaster ride this year. From having too much, to having too little, the one constant was either Beckett or Lester playing the role of the ace and helping the Sox through it. The front end of the rotation deserves an A-, while the back end (Smoltz, Penny, and Byrd) earned a C- at best.

Bullpen: A-

This would be an A if it weren't for Manny Delcarmen's inconsistency. The best bullpen in the has been predominately solid, and with Papelbon looking stronger than ever, he might not give up a hit in the postseason.

Lineup: B

Jason Bay, Vmart, Youk and Jacoby aced the course. However, the cold stretch which made me freak out during my honeymoon in August docks their grade, with Tek and Lowrie also dragging down the class mean.

Defense: B+

Jacoby and Gonzo have been going above and beyond. The grade has been increasing as the season bore on, however Youk has been the rock throughout. On the flip side, Lowell has been the damaged goods as his surgically-repaired hip has severely diminished his range.

Coaching: A

We were thinking about it, and couldn't come up with of many instances where we completely disagreed with Tito this season. Given the tough environment, turnover, etc, he's done a bang up job.

Theo: B

It's been a tale of two seasons for the boy wonder, the preseason moves, and the mid season moves. ITM deserves the right to change this to an A+ if the Sox take home the title. His mid season transactions have yet to fully show their value.

Overall, this team is hovering around an A-/B+ average, which is nothing to sneeze at....but there are still points on the table to be had. Here's hoping for an upward revision to a hundy spot come early November.

Go Sox.

A Cardinal Q&A with TMurph

He may not be posting as often...partly because we're scared of being sued, and partly because his work has banned him from reaching any websites (he reached the end of the Internet twice recently)....but TMurph is still very much in the background of ITM....providing us with stupid movie quotes and irrational banter on a daily basis. Recently, ITM was contacted by C70 At the Bat, a Cardinals blogger and fellow Baseball Blogger Alliance member to provide our perspective on the Sox, and the upcoming playoffs......TMurph chimed in with the following:


C70 At the Bat: What are the Sox Strengths going into the playoffs?

ITM: The strength of the Red Sox heading into the playoffs is its' starting pitching. Many across baseball, in especially here in Boston, believe we have two number 1 starters in Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. There has been questions about each players' health after Beckett was scratched from his last start and Lester took a line drive off his knee/quad in NY last weekend. Lester will start tonight and Beckett on Saturday, presumably meaning Lester will start game 1 of the ALDS. Couple that with Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka pitching well down the stretch and one would assume this team goes as far as their starting pitching takes them.

I would also consider the bullpen a strength of this team with 3 power arms in Bard, Wagner and Papelbon. Lastly the veterans on this team and playoff experience can't hurt. The majority of this team went to game 7 of the ALCS last year, and another high percentage of those players won the World Series in 2007. Players like Ortiz, Becket, Pedroia and Youk have been around the block in October before.



C70 At The Bat: A few things worry you about this Sox team?

ITM: First is their lineup's ability to hit good pitching. The addition of Victor Martinez in the middle of line up definitely makes them more formidable, however in game 7 of the ALCS in 2008 they scored 1 run and lost 3-1. Matt Garza shut them down in that game and Zack Greinke shut down the Sox last week in KC. The Angels pitching staff doesn't worry me as much, but pitchers like Sabathia and Verlander can definitely quiet the Sox bats.
Secondly, the health of some key players worries me. Mike Lowell got a cortisone shot in his hip yesterday and Josh Beckett had a back spasm which was reported as minor but still kept me up for a few nights.


C70 At the Bat: Any roster moves or surprises expected with October changes?

ITM: I'm not sure that there will be any surprises either way if someone is added or left off the Red Sox playoff roster. The veterans on this team and the stars will all be there. The way Manny Delcarmen has pitched lately it wouldn't be shocking if he's left off the roster in favor of Paul Byrd being the emergency long man out of the pen. Delcarmen has been able to get left handed batters out, but that is about it. The last positional spot would probably go to Joey Gathright or rookie Josh Reddick. Gathright offers more speed off the bench (the Dave Roberts comparisons have been unavoidable here in Boston) but Reddick is probably better overall and gives Terry Francona an extra outfielder. Jacoby Ellsbury was instrumental in the Sox winning the 2007 World Series as a rookie.




C70 At the Bat: Who is the one key player for the Red Sox, the player that if they don't go well, the Red Sox will be home quickly?

ITM: If Josh Beckett isn't healthy or continues to pitch more like he did in August then he did in June and July then the Red Sox will be lucky to beat the Angels. If he pitches like he did in 2003 or the 2007 playoffs the Sox could very well be celebrating their third championship this decade.


C70 At the Bat: What are the expectations for this team? Is anything less than the Series a disappointment?

ITM: The expectation every year in Spring Training is for the Red Sox to compete, if not win the World Series. I believe this team has the talent to win it all this year, but I'm not sure I would call it a disappointment if they didn't win the Series. If the Angels sweep them out of the first round that would be considered disappointment in my book, but any kind of success in October is something to hang your hat on. We've become very spoiled here in the New England area this decade and have come to expect championships year in and year out; but these things are as much luck as they are talent.

Joe Morgan is a Mental Midget...

It's tough to blog about much from this weekend. The Sox didn't put up much of a fight as the Yankees clinched the AL East. In fact, I was somewhat emotionless during the series....that is until I read what Joe Morgan had to say about possible ALDS pitching situations (thanks to JoyofSox for the Morgan quote):


According to Joe.......

"Jon, a lot of mystery surrounds both teams here as we approach the playoffs. ... When we talk about who's going to start the playoffs for these teams. You ask the Yankees, we know Sabathia is going to start the first game; we do not know who's going to start the second game.

And for the Red Sox, we know Beckett will start the first game, but we do not know what's the condition of Jon Lester's knee or who's going to start the second game there, because of -- you know, Tim Wakefield is struggling, you know, with back problems and back issues....

and then you go to the Yankees, you don't know if they want Pettitte out there because of his experience or are they going to go with A.J. Burnett?We don't know if they are going to take the longer series, so they don't need but three starters as opposed to four if you take the short series, so it's amazing what has been decided after this long a season but what hasn't been decided about this pitching."

There are so many things wrong with this I can't, and won't, go into them all, but how do you forget about my main man Buchholz?...you know, the guy that has been comparable to Grienke the last few months? And did he not get the "Lester is starting game one" memo the rest of us received (ITM note: while it's not official yet, it's about the worst kept secret in the Red Sox organization right now). If he read any kind of media....even ITM, he would know that Lester was not hit in the knee and is going to BE FINE. And Tim Wakefield!? Really? The man can hardly walk and needs surgery ASAP.

Can someone at ESPN put us all out of our collective misery and can this guy? Or at least toss him down the stairs to get him on long term disability? Honestly, I could come up with a post like this after every game I hear him call. I get dummer just by listening to him. I'm pretty confident that Keyshawn Johnson, Charles Barkely, and Deon Sanders bring more value to their respective games than Morgan...not an easy thing to accomplish. As fellow ITM writer Joe Murph put it: "I'm pretty sure he stopped watching baseball years ago."

Thank you Joe, for turning an emotionless weekend into a hate-filled rant.

We're in Their Heads...

"I got your timing down Vaughn"..... There is no better way to spend a hungover Saturday than watching Major League Two when you're feeling great about baseball. In the movie, Jack Parkman had Rick Vaughn's number in their regular season meetings, but when it came down to the playoffs, Vaughn walked the bases loaded to get to Parkman...and took him to school with the old terminator.

Now back to real life, the Red Sox have the Angels number, and I think it is safe to say the Sox are thoroughly in the head of the Halos. With last night's amazing 7-5 victory, the Sox have now won 11 straight playoff games against the team who finished the season with the best record in the AL. Once again, the Sox hit big home runs (JD and Jay Bay) and Pap closed it out to go up 2-0 in a series that now heads back to Boston with some pitcher by the name of Josh Beckett taking the rubber on Sunday night at 7:30. And once again, as Cinco Ocho and Tek congratulated each other after a game ending strikeout, the Angels players and fans looked defeated and emotionally crushed.

The Angels came into this season with a ton of confidence, and they deserved to; a great season, a rested team and facing a injury-plagued Boston team, they should have been confident. But yet again, the Red Sox are showing they've done this before, the know how to win, and they play as a team. The Angels are getting hits (albeit singles) from Vlad "I won't learn English" Guerrero and Tex, but it ends there, Dice-K was typical in giving them chances to cash in, but shut the door before they could scrounge anything up.

Simply put, the Angels have yet to show they have what it takes to win the big games, they lack timely hitting and perhaps the mental focus needed to get them over the top.....and the Red Sox are reminding them of that so far, let's hope Beckett sends them a final reminder tomorrow.

Too bad Major League Three sucked...they had a good thing going there.

Game Two Lineup: No Mike Lowell

Dice-K takes the mound for what is, in all intents and purposes, a must win game for the Angels tonight. Two members of the ITM crew will be taking in the game together at a Boston bar while consuming way too many alcoholic beverages...should lead to a few good posts and stories tomorrow....i'd say we'll keep a running diary a la Bill Simmons...but it would be just incoherent blabber by the 4th inning....

Lineup:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. J.D. Drew, RF
6. Jason Bay, LF
7. Mark Kotsay, 1B
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Alex Cora, SS

Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP


Go Sox

Speaking Openly to Rays Fans before Fear and Hatred Overtake Me

There's really not too much to say.

Evan Longoria homered in his first two postseason at-bats and added an rbi single in the 5th. But you already knew that, likely.

All I wanted to say, Rays fans, is enjoy it. I'm not saying "Enjoy it," like I'm giving you the eye and saying you better have a good time now 'cause the Sox are gonna bounce you in the next round. I'm saying "Enjoy it" with all the sincerity I can muster and no condescension because many of you are new to the postseason and new to the moment when one of your players suddenly shows a flash of brilliance that makes you think "Holy s**t this feels good." Then you pause, and you look at your roster and you think, "Holy s**t, it might feel like this for a long time."

It's something special when a player shows that he's ready to step up in October. Not many are. So enjoy it. It's the best part of baseball, in my book. And enjoy the idea that there might be a lot of Octobers for Longoria and the Rays to come.

Sox Take Game 1 and Momentum

A quick recap of the game since its after 1am on the east coast.

Jon Lester pitched around some first inning trouble going 7 innings giving up 1 unearned run and striking out 7. Lester definitely got stronger as the game went on, touching 97 in the 6th and 7th innings. He also struck out the side in the 6th inning, maybe his best inning. Control seemed to be a problem for Lester in the first, but he straightened things out to shut down the Angels the rest of the way.

Both offenses had their chances to break things open, the Angels really only in the bottom of the first. The Red Sox had Jacoby Ellsbury on third base twice early in the night but failed to get him home . After looking terrible in his first two at bats Jason Bay destroyed (seriously it was crushed) a 2 run home run to left putting the Sox up 2-1 in the 6th.

Bottom of the 8th was an exciting inning. Ellsbury made another amazing diving catch for the first out and Youk threw out Vladimir Guerrero trying to go first to third on a flare over first base. Not sure where Vlad was going on that play, but it brought me to my feet, might have been the play of the game. Plays like that are funny, sometimes it sets the tone for the series, I'm reminded of Chuck Knoblock phantom double play in the '99 ALCS, the Sox never recovered from that blown call. (not that the Vlad call was a blown call, just a goofy play that everyone remembers the series for)

Sox added insurance runs on rbi singles by Elssbury and Ortiz in the top of the 9th driving Scot Shields from the game. Angels fans can't be thrilled with their bullpen, as they gave up 2 important runs in the 9th. Ellsbury went 3-4 with two stolen bases, definitely the type of game you want from you're lead off hitter; the Sox offense will go as Ellsbury does.

Papelbon closed out the 9th striking out the side. Pap has yet to give up a run in his postseason career and the Angels are 2-42 off him in October baseball. As the camera pans across the stadium there are a lot of Angels fans with their heads down, I love it. That's also 10 straight playoff wins over the Angels tying a MLB record, tying who you ask? The Oakland A's handed the Sox 10 straight defeats from the 1980's-2003.

Red Sox are up 1-0 in the series. Next game is Friday night, Matsuzaka pitches for the Sox. All of a sudden that 8-1 record the Halos put up against the Sox in the regular season doesn't seem to be holding much water.


ITM notes:

John Lackey didn't pitch bad, but his woes against the Sox continue.

Someone needs to review with these umpires what a check swing is, both teams had some terrible calls go against them.

JD Drew looked okay, didn't really see him do anything to test his back. Mike Lowell made all the plays at third base but he didn't look comfortable at that plate, jogging out a couple weak ground balls. It will be important how these guys bounce back, the day off tomorrow will be key.

Memo to Angel fans: when you're team is in the field and the pitcher has 2 strikes on the batter and there is 2 outs you stand up and cheer, you just do it.

NL Division Series Update:

The Phillies beat the Brewers 3-1 in the afternoon game. Cole Hamels went 8 shut out innings giving up 2 hits. Philly's last postseason win you ask...1993 against the Blue Jays, Curt Schilling was the pitcher of record.

The Dodgers beat up the Cubs 6-2 behind the bat of James Loney. Ryan Dempster didn't help himself walking 7, not a typo he walked 7, thats not how you win ball games. Dempster loaded the bases in the bottom of the 5th before giving up the granny to Loney. Old friends Manny Rameriz and Derek Lowe had nights for themselves, Manny added a home run that he hit off his shoe tops and Lowe got the win.

Thats all for tonight, goodnight.