4.8.08 – Tigers v. Sox

Sox win 5-0 behind an impressive performance from Dice-K.

108 pitches from Dice-K in 6 2/3 innings. 4 hits, 4 walks and 7 Ks. Clearly a very good outing against an allegedly fearsome offense that has only been able to score a total of 15 runs in their first 7 games. Not that fearsome.

Anyway, Dice-K looked very good. He mixed up his pitches well and seemed to have the Tigers baffled. He didn’t leave many balls over the plate and was very confident. If this continues, Dice-K is going to have a very good year.

In terms of offense, Youk and Pedroia keep getting on base, Manny smashed a triple that was fun to watch – this time he didn’t admire his blast but busted around first and chugged to third. He was lucky that Polanco made an errant throw (I think this was Polanco’s first error since 2006) or he likely would have been out at third.

The opening ceremonies were the usual fare. The “surprise” guest for the first pitch was Bill Buckner, who was very emotional walking in from the Green Monster and while on the mound. He made one of the best first pitches I’ve seen and one of my All-Time favorite players, Dwight Evans, caught the pitch. I thought Buckner had been back before, but clearly not in this manner. I hope it makes up for all the grief he caught for his game 6 error. There were others who should have caught more of the blame for that meltdown.

Today’s game is Bonderman v. Lester.

Interesting Fact of the Day

Edgar Renteria has 1,940 hits in his 12 year career. I was surprised to find this out. He is 32 years old and has never had a 200 hit season, so it looks like he may not have a shot at 3,000 hits. His one year in Boston was not good to him, but I’ve always thought that he seemed like a very nice guy and solid ball player.

Minors Update

AAA Pawtucket

Chris Smith went 4 innings last night for the Pawsox. He allowed 2 hits, issued 1 walk and struck out 7 in his 75 pitch stint.

AA Portland

Justin Masterson’s second start of the season went very well – 5 IP, 2H, 0BB, 7 Ks. Dominant. He may be on his way to Pawtucket pretty soon.

4.5.08 and 4.6.08 – Sox v. Jays

I was not able to watch either game much.  The Jays completed a four game sweep with with a 10-2 trouncing on Saturday and a 7-4 loss on Sunday.

Sox drop to 3-4 on the season.

The problem?   The bullpen (excluding Papelbon and Okajima).

They have all stunk up the joint at one time or another – Delcarmen has given up some big hits, Corey got toasted, and Kyle Snyder undermined what was an adequate outing from Buchholz on Saturday.  If the Sox don’t straighten this out, its going to be a killer; Okajima can’t pitch every day!

And, what was with Lugo and his three errors?  Does he want to be benched for Lowrie?  That won’t happen unless the Sox trade Coco, but Julio may find himself on the bench if he doesn’t get his act together.

Minor League Update

AAA Patwtucket

David Pauley – On 4.5.08 – 5 IP, 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 Ks; Pauley is not 1 or 2 material, but he could help the bullpen and be a decent fill in for an injury.  He is still pretty young – turns 25 in June.

Craig Hansen - so far this season 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 Ks.  Both outings were 2 inning stints.  Will he get the call at some point to replace some of the stiffs that are screwing things up with the big club, if he shows he has figured things out?

AA Portland

Michael Bowden – Another highly thought of Sox prospect in Portland.  He got off to a good start with solid outing against Twins prosepect Anthony Swarzak.  Bowden went 4 2/3, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 Ks.  Last year Bowden split time between Lancaster and Portland.  142 IP, 140 H, 41 BB, 128 Ks, 3.34 ERA.  Keep an eye on him and see if he better adjusts to the AA batters this year.

Kris Johnson - Ranked as one of the top 20 Sox prospects, he underwent TJ surgery in 2005 while in college.  He opened up in Lowell last year, started 13 games, 30 IP, 25 H, 7 BB, 27 Ks, 0.88 ERA.  He moved up to Lancaster where he struggled a bit.  Yet, the Sox moved him up to Portland this year. His first outing was a no decision.  He went 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO.  It looks like he met his pitch count and was removed.  I have a sense he is someone to watch.

Down on the farm …

Bartolo Colon – AAA Pawtucket

Well, the not so svelte Colon seems to be throwing well. He went 5 innings, threw 74 pitches and allegedly touched 94 on the radar gun (unfortunately, the Gameday on the minor league site does not have the detailed pitch info of the major league Gameday). This is a good sign for Colon, but you have to wonder if he can maintain this; after all he is 34 and is “rotund.”

Justin Masterson – AA Portland

Masterson had a nice outing as well. He went 4 innings, gave up 3 hits, no walks, 3 ks and no runs. Not bad. I think we may see him by the end of the year if he keeps this up.

Chris Province – A Greenville

Seen as a reliever in the majors, Province is expected to get some starts this season and he had one last night. His 2008 debut was very nice – 5 IP, 2 Hits, 0 BB, 3 Ks, and 1 unearned run. Province was followed by Daniel Bard who went 1 inning. A first round pick in 2007 out of North Carolina, Bard has been converted to a reliever for 2008. Keep an eye on him as well, his 1.55 million dollar signing bonus puts some pressure on the Sox to advance him.