Well, the Red Sox stint at .500 was short-lived as they lost to the Orioles 4-1 last night in a classic pitcher’s duel. Felix Doubront was sharp holding the first place O’s to just four hits and two runs over six innings. He struck out a season-high nine batters and whiffed Robert Andino and Adam Jones both three times.

Unfortunately, O’s pitcher Brian Matusz was even better, holding the usually high-powered Sox offense to just two hits while striking out 12.

Kevin Youkilis was back in the line up, playing first base while Adrian Gonzalez moved out to right field to help a injury-riddled outfield. He hit a home run in the fourth inning to account for the lone Sox run. Gonzalez had the other hit. *yawn*

Now that Youk is back, you have to wonder what going to happen. It would be silly to send Will Middlebrooks back to Pawtucket after he’s done so well in the bigs. But you can’t ask Adrian Gonzalez to continue to patrol right field — especially in Fenway Park. That corner will eat him alive. So what? Speculation is that the Sox are trying to get Youk some quality at bats to show he doesn’t suck and hopefully trade him. They really could use some more help in the outfield…

Speaking of the outfield, Ryan Sweeney was placed on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion. And Cody Ross was officially put on the 15-day DL but hopes he won’t be out the 6-8 weeks originally predicted. So right now the four top outfielders are sidelined: Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney. Three of the four will most likely not see any playing time until July. Darnell McDonald, Ryan Kalish and Jason Repko are also out. The Sox called up Scott Podsednik from Pawtucket to fill some shoes. June could be very interesting…

Take a gander at the very slim box score courtesy of the Red Sox. The Sox and O’s finish up the series playing the rubber match this afternoon at 12:35pm. Daniel Bard (3-5, 4.85 ERA) will take on Jake Arrieta (2-4, 4.72 ERA). This game will be a good test for Bard and his ability to bounce back after a tough outing against the Phillies.

Red Sox Loss = Pie Chart

Six hours and seven minutes. That’s how long it took the Red Sox to lose to the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon/evening in 17 innings. I’m not even sure where to start. I actually have the urge to just end this post right here and post a picture of one of my dogs. That’s how painful this game was. Their losing streak is at five games and they managed to only win one game on this most recent homestand. Shit is looking bleak, yo.

Clay Buccholz just flat out stinks this year. He, yet again, gave up five earned runs in this game which means he has now given up five earned runs in six consecutive starts. Really, Clay? I’m sure this is some kind of record and not the good kind. The bullpen, on the other hand, was outstanding. The combination of Andrew Miller (just back from the DL), Matt Albers, Vicente Padilla, Alfredo Aceves, Franklin Morales, Rich Hill and Scott Atchison managed to pitch 12.1 scoreless innings.

But this game went 17 innings and outlasted the bullpen. Darnell McDonald (yes, that Darnell McDonald who sometimes plays left field) came in to pitch the 17th. Darnell hasn’t pitched since August of 2011. Darnell gave up a three-run homerun to Adam Jones. Darnell took the loss. I’m confused. Didn’t they still have one pitcher left in the bullpen? I could’ve sworn there was a lonely Clayton Mortensen left sitting there. Or did I imagine that?

The offensive highlight of today’s game goes to young Will Middlebrooks. I love this kid and today, he didn’t disappoint. Will hit his first major league homerun today — a grand slam to tie the game at five. I’ll even forgive his base running blunder. Other than Ryan Sweeney’s four hits, there wasn’t really anything else to get excited about. And just when we though maybe Adrian Gonzalez was back on track, he went 0 for 8 with two strike outs. The second strike out happened to come in the bottom of the 17th against Chris Davis (not a member of their pitching staff) with two men on and no outs. Oh and Cody Ross struck out five times.

I have nothing else to say. This game drained me. See for yourself — click here for the box, courtesy of the Red Sox.

Next up — a three game series in Kansas City. Felix Doubront will toe the rubber on Monday to try and stop the bleeding. First pitch is at 8:10 EST. Here’s hoping he has a good outing, I think this bullpen is toast just about now and could really use a break. I could use a break too.

Before I delve into recapping last night’s game, I just want to throw out a big Get Well Soon to Jerry Remy who has been noticeable absent from the broadcast booth these past few games. Not that Don Orsillo doesn’t do a fabulous job, and the replacements (Nick Cafardo, Peter Abraham and Peter Gammons) have done fine providing lots of great stats and info, but I miss Jerry. It makes me nervous when he’s out — I hate the thought of him missing the majority of the season like he did a few years ago. Those were dark days… So come back soon, Remdawg!

Ok… let’s get down to business. The Red Sox beat the Oakland A’s last night 11-6, once again unleashing an offensive onslaught that bailed out some less than impressive pitching. Mike Aviles, Darnell McDonald and David Ortiz all bashed home runs (Ortiz hit two) to power the team to the win and back to .500. The Sox had two big innings – the second and the fifth.

I bet Big Papi feels like he's batting with a tennis racket!

Ortiz lead off the second inning with a solo home run. After Kelly Shoppach struck out, McDonald hit a double to right field. Marlon Byrd, Aviles and Pedroia all had singles and Adrian Gonzalez reached on a throwing error. In the end, the Sox pushed four runs over the plate in the second, and took the lead for good at 4-1. Ortiz and Aviles both homered in the fifth to finish off the scoring and giving the Red Sox a commanding 11-1 lead. Safe, right?

Well, that’s where Clay Buccholz comes in. Through the first six innings, he looked… not bad. He allowed one run on four hits while striking out five and walking three. Not horrible. But then the seventh inning rolled around and the wheels fell off the bus in a hurry. I can’t stomach reliving the mess that ensued so I’m just going to giving you the results — he gave up five runs to bring the A’s to within striking distance. Are you kidding me? According to Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe, Monday night Clay Buchholz became the first Red Sox pitcher to give up five or more earned runs in five consecutive starts in 72 years. Not a good stat to be known for and his ERA is now at 8.69.

Junichi Tazawa and Vicente Padilla finished off the seventh without further damage. Scott Atchison and Franklin Morales combined for a scoreless eight and Alredo Aceves closed out the ninth, striking out two of the three batters he faced. This entire pitching staff baffles me.

Here’s the link to the box, courtesy of the Red Sox. Felix Doubront takes on the A’s tonight, going for his second win. First pitch is at 7:10pm. Here’s hoping May kicks off a little better than April did!

In other news…

On Sunday, the Red Sox six-game winning streak came to an end in the final game of their series with the Chicago White Sox. The bats never got going enough to get Josh Beckett the run support he needed and they lost 4-1. It was a tough loss for Beckett, but again, it’s not like he’s pitching lights out either… Here’s the link to the box for this game, courtesy of the Red Sox.

Also, today is the deadline for the Red Sox to make a decision on what to do with Aaron Cook who, after five games with AAA Pawtucket, is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA. If they don’t promote him to the big leagues, he could opt-out of his contract and go elsewhere. At this point in the season, the Red Sox can’t afford to lose a promising arm and could be used in the bullpen or as a spot starter when needed.

Daniel Bard picked up Boston’s fifth straight win last night, via a 10-3 beatdown of the Chicago White Sox.  Bard went seven strong innings, scattering six hits and allowing only two earned runs while striking out six hitters.

Keith Allison, c/o flickr.com

Bard, who has been the most controversial starter for the Red Sox this year – with some advocating a move to the bullpen following the relief’s shaky start – told the Boston Globe:

“I honestly do feel like I’ve gotten better with each outing, going all the way back to the spring. I’ve gotten more comfortable throwing off-speed [pitches] in fastball counts. I’m more consistently throwing strike one with my fastball, which tonight was huge for me.

“Just a combination of things. I’m learning the little nuances of starting and tonight was a step in the right direction.”

Meanwhile, on the offensive side, the Red Sox look like they might have turned a corner.  They now lead the majors with 114 runs scored.  Last night, every starter but Kevin Youkilis got a hit – and Youkilis, the Greek God of Walks, walked twice. David Ortiz went 2-4 with a two-run home run to power the offense, and Darnell McDonald picked up four RBI with a home run and a double.

Here’s a link to the box, courtesy of the Red Sox.  Tonight, the Red Sox go for their sixth straight win – which would bring them back to .500, and hopefully put them on track for good.  Jon Lester (0-2, 6.00 ERA) looks for his first win of the season against Jake Peavy (3-0, 1.88 ERA) in an 7:10 eastern time start.

The Red Sox finally won a game last night, snapping their five-game losing streak and hopefully ending their early-season free fall.  Boston traveled to Minnesota and beat the Twins, 6-5.  The game wasn’t pretty – the Sox trailed for most of it, and there was a moment where it looked as if the Twins would win on a walkoff – but it worked out, and nobody got hurt, and everyone still has their job.  These days, I’ll take it.

Cody Ross (credit: Amanda Laws)

Jon Lester started the game for Boston and went seven innings.  He gave up five runs, walked four, and struck out four.  Not the textbook quality start, but the eventual no-decision kept Boston in the game long enough for the Red Sox to score five runs of their own.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Jarrod Saltalamacchia! – hit a two-run home run in the second inning to give Boston an early lead, and then Cody Ross hit a two-run shot in the seventh that landed in the upper deck.  The Boston bats came alive a little bit – everyone except for Adrian Gonzalez and, ahem, Kevin Youkilis, had at least one hit.  Franklin Morales started the eighth inning but allowed a hit, and yielded to Daniel Bard for the rest of the scoreless eighth.  Alfredo Aceves picked up the save.

The game almost slipped away on a Minnesota walkoff, though.  Ross launched Boston’s go-ahead solo home run in the top of the ninth; but in the bottom of the ninth, the Twins put a runner on first base before Trevor Plouffe hit a powerful shot towards left field.  Ross, though, reeled the ball in on the warning track to put the game away for the Red Sox.

“My heart stopped,” Aceves told the Boston Globe. “I thought it was out.”

So did Bobby Valentine, apparently.  At this point, he’s become used to his bullpen blowing leads, and he gathered his troops on the mound after the Plouffe out.  According to the Globe, he clustered his troops, leaned in, and quietly asked Aceves:

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

Everyone laughed, and the Sox went on to take the win on a ground ball back to Aceves.

“You need all wins but this is another good team-builder,” Valentine said. “Rather than looking for things that went well in spite of the outcome, we can build on things that well because of the outcome.”

Two interesting things about last night’s lineup: first, you’ll notice Marlon Byrd.  The Red Sox acquired Byrd from the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, in exchange for bit pitcher Michael Bowden, a player to be named later, and cash considerations.  Byrd’s 34 years old, and he was in a 3 for 43 slump when he was traded – sadly, that was an improvement for Boston, though, who had relied on Jason Repko and Darnell McDonald to hold down center field in the absence of Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford.  But his career numbers place his average at .278, which the Red Sox could use.  Interestingly, Byrd’s last trip to Fenway wasn’t a happy one – he was beaned in the left eye by Aceves on May 21, 2011, and didn’t play again until July (to be a fly on the wall during that reunion conversation in the Sox clubhouse…).

Second, Daniel Bard, who was named a starter at the beginning of the season, came out of the bullpen in relief last night.  The organization says this is because his start was skipped during the Sunday night rainout against the Yankees.  It’s kind of a double-edged sword for Bard that he did well last night: the team won, but I’m sure he can’t help but wonder what management thinks of the prospect of him shoring up a tattered bullpen in the long term.  Aaron Cook, the next starter in the wings, was called up to AAA Pawtucket, and although Bard is still scheduled to make his next start against the Chicago White Sox on Friday, the winds may start blowing in interesting directions if the Red Sox – and specifically, the Red Sox bullpen – don’t get on a hot streak before then.

Here’s a link to last night’s box score, courtesy of the Red Sox.  Josh Beckett takes the mound tonight against Nick Blackburn in the 8:10 eastern time start.

The Red Sox lost their third straight game last night, falling 6-3 to the Texas Rangers.  With the loss, the Sox drop to 4-8, good for last place in the AL East heading into this weekend’s series against the New York Yankees.

Fenway Park, April 18, 2012 (credit: Amanda Laws)

I place the blame for this one squarely on the bullpen, and on Boston’s continued anemic offense with runners in scoring position.  Josh Beckett wasn’t perfect by any means last night, but he did his job.  He threw seven innings and struck out seven while giving up only three runs, largely care of a two-run home run by Mike Napoli in the fourth inning that scored David Murphy.  The third run came when Ian Kinsler scored after drawing a walk – consecutive base hits by Elvis Andrus and Josh Hamilton brought Kinsler around.  Andrus tried to stretch his single into a double and got thrown out at second – lucky for the Red Sox, since Adrian Beltre hit a followup base hit that probably would have scored Andrus, otherwise.

So, what happened?  You guessed it – the bullpen couldn’t hold the American League champion’s offense late in the game.  Franklin Morales came in for Beckett in the eighth inning, and promptly gave up a single to Hamilton, an intentional walk to Beltre, and an UN-intentional walk to Nelson Cruz.

With the bases loaded, I turned to my seatmate and told her to get ready to run, becasuse if Franklin Morales walked in a run, the crowd might riot.  Luckily for us, Morales didn’t walk in a run – he kept it efficient, and hit pinch hitter Craig Gentry on the foot instead, scoring the Rangers’ fourth run.  The boos.  Oh, the boos.  Napoli poured lemon juice in the wound by knocking a double to right field in the next at-bat, scoring two more to make the score 6-2.

With one out, Morales intentionally walked Mitch Moreland, before finally inducing Brandon Snyder to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the eighth.  Matt Albers came in to take over in the ninth, and he pitched a pretty clean frame.  But, the damage had been done care of the disastrous eighth inning.

Meanwhile, the Sox bats were quiet again.  A David Ortiz double and Kevin Youkilis home run in the second inning gave Boston two of its three runs.  By the way, the crowd absolutely loves Kevin Youkilis, who was batting sixth, his lowest spot in the order since 2008.  And I quote the guy behind me, as Youkilis’s shot cleared the Green Monster and hit the light tower in left-center field – “take THAT, Valentine!”

The only other Boston run came in the bottom of the ninth off Texas closer Joe Nathan.  Cody Ross drew a leadoff walk.  Ortiz struck out, but Youkilis kept the game going when he got on base due to a Beltre throwing error from third to first, moving Ross to third base.  Ryan Sweeney pinch hit for Kelly Shoppach and scored Ross on a single.  At this point, about one quarter of the fans had left Fenway, but those that stayed almost had some… hope?  They were doing the thing where they banged on the walls, which I’ve never seen in person before.  Unfortunately, the banging on the walls didn’t help – Jarrod Saltalamacchia pinch-hit for Darnell McDonald and lined out to first base – and because Sweeney had to break for second on the hit towards right field, he didn’t tag up and was caught off first base for the last out.

Nathan’s ninth inning was actually the rockiest inning for the Rangers pitching last night.  Prior to Nathan’s ninth inning, Alexi Ogando pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, after taking over for Rangers starter Derek Holland, who went seven innings, striking out seven and only giving up the two runs that Youkilis sent over the Monster.

Here’s a link to the box score, courtesy of the Red Sox.

In other news, injured center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who subluxated his right shoulder during Fenway Park’s home opener, opened up to reporters about his injury.  According to Ellsbury, he’s icing, then rehabbing, and there’s no timetable set yet for his return.  I heard a whispered rumor yesterday (literally, my co-worker whispered it to me) that the Sox were looking hard at journeyman outfielder Scott Podsednik, which could indicate that Boston’s not comfortable with waiting for both Ellsbury and Carl Crawford to return with the personnel they have.  Ellsbury did, though, rule out surgery, confirming that it’s not needed:

“We ruled it out. As of right now, I’m focused on getting my work in and getting back as soon as possible,” he said. “I’ll be playing this year, hopefully sooner than later.”

Oh, and, to nobody’s surprise, Mark Melancon was sent to Pawtucket following his disastrous Tuesday night outing.  Junichi Tazawa was called up to take his place.  Melancon has talent, but it appears he needs regular work in order to get through whatever it is that’s bothering him lately.

The Red Sox have an off day today.  They’ll kick off a series with the New York Yankees on Friday for the 100th anniversary game at Fenway Park.  Stacy and I will both be there, and we’re excited to celebrate with Red Sox Nation and commemorate the historic event for all of you.  Right now, Clay Buchholz is scheduled to face off against New York’s Ivan Nova.

Fenway Park (c/o nesn.com)

Maybe Dorothy’s right.  Maybe, quite simply, there’s no place like home.  After a long spring training and a brutal season-opening road trip, the Boston Red Sox opened up Fenway Park in style today, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 12-2, and bringing their record to 2-5.  The only downside?  Jacoby Ellsbury – who, at least until the iffy Carl Crawford comes back, is the anchor of the Red Sox outfield and a vital part of the lineup, had to leave the game from injury.  We’re not sure how serious Ellsbury’s injury is, but we’ll keep you updated on that.

Following a pre-game ceremony that featured Johnny Pesky, Dwight Evans, Jim Rice, Tim Wakefield, and Jason Varitek, along with the standard flyover (I LOVE THE FLYOVER!), the Sox unleashed an offensive onslaught.  Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz forced three runs across the plate in the third inning.  After Dustin Pedroia walked to load the bases, Gonzalez lined an RBI single to left, followed by a Youkilis sac fly and an Ortiz dribbler that was good for an infield hit and an RBI.

Jacoby Ellsbury's right shoulder (and the rest of him) pushing a huge tire around. You're welcome.

Boston scored again in the fourth inning, when Kelly Shoppach laced a double off the wall in right field and then came around to score on a single by Ellsbury.  Here’s where things went a little haywire: Pedroia grounded a double-play ball to second, and as Ellsbury slid into second base to break up the play, Tampa shortstop Reid Brignac fell on Ellsbury’s shoulder.  Ruh-roh.  I didn’t actually realize Ellsbury was hurt (my actual job got in the way of my dream job for a few minutes there, and I had to turn off the radio feed), but according to the Red Sox website, Ellsbury was on the ground for several minutes in pain before he left under his own power.  Right fielder Ryan Sweeney took over Ellsbury’s spot in the lineup, and Cody Ross moved to center field.

The Red Sox have, at least so far, termed Ellsbury’s injury as a “right shoulder injury,” and have told reporters that he’s going to be evaluated further.

The eighth inning is where the Red Sox offense really took over, scoring eight runs, seven before an out was recorded.  A Shoppach double, a Sweeney single, a Youkilis single, an Ortiz double, a Ross sac fly… it just went on and on.  Suffice it to say, the Red Sox got their conditioning workouts in running the bases.  It got to the point where I think most people wanted the inning to end, so that the now-boring blowout game could end.  Tampa’s Ben Zobrist hit a home run in the top of the ninth inning off of Mark Melancon, but all that did was prolong the clear Red Sox win.

On the defensive side, Josh Beckett pitched a gem, allowing only one run on five hits over 94 pitches and eight innings.  He only struck out one batter, which is weird for him – in 280 games, he’s never not had a strikeout.  He ended his day getting Carlos Pena to swing at air, though.  Melancon picked up the ball from there, pitching a sturdy ninth inning despite the Zobrist dinger.  The Sox also seemed much more comfortable playing on their own field – again, my real job interfered, but Ross and Ellsbury (at least) each made diving catches to back up Beckett’s effort.

For the Rays, David Price only went three innings before handing the ball over to a bullpen that couldn’t hold on to what was, at that point, only a two-run deficit.  Joel Peralta and Josh Lueke took the brunt of the damage, allowing four runs each during that never-ending Boston eighth.  Peralta didn’t even record an out.

Tampa’s Luke Scott, who gave the Globe an earful about Fenway Park yesterday (the short version: it’s a dump, it’s old, it’s tiny, yadda yadda yadda), couldn’t manage to hit a ball out of the tiny park, mustering only a pinch-hit fly ball to Darnell McDonald in the seventh.

Here’s a link to the box, courtesy of the Red Sox.  Clay Buchholz takes on Jeremy Hellickson Saturday for a 4:05 start.

Just like I said yesterday about the Sea Dogs and their struggles, I really hope that some good home cookin’ will get this Red Sox team on track. That sleeping in their own beds will give them the boost they need to START FREAKING WINNING! If not, I’m pretty sure I’m going to die of something. Not sure what just yet… heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, broken heart… If the Sox care about me at all, they will start winning.

Today’s starting line-up:

Johnny Pesky (id10t @ flickr.com)

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Darnell McDonald, LF
Cody Ross, RF
Mike Aviles, SS
Kelly Shoppach, C

And on the mound, trying to get his first win of the season, Josh Beckett. He has quite a bit to prove after his lackluster first start where he gave up 5, yup 5, homeruns.

It’s killing me that I’m at work and listening on the radio. I would give anything to see Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek back on the field for the first pitch. It’s bringing tears to my eyes as I type! Gawd, and now Dewey Evans… WHY don’t I have a TV in my office??? I need to talk to someone about that.

And the announcement of Johnny Pesky… I’m such a damn sissy. Makes me cry every damn time!!

Let’s go Red Sox!!

Last night, the Red Sox won their first meaningful game since September 27, 2011 (the September 27 game was the game that set up the fateful night against Baltimore).  The Sox now stand at 1-3 on the young 2012 season.

This was a great win because it showcased a clean pitching performance by a young starter, and a comeback rally in the ninth inning.

Dustin Pedroia (Keith Allison, c/o flickr.com)

Felix Doubront, making his first appearance of the season, lodged five solid innings, allowing two runs and three walks to go with six strikeouts.  Not too shabby – the Red Sox need performances like that.  Scott Atchison (who got the win) took over for the next three scoreless innings, before Alfredo Aceves picked up the save.  Finally, a game that works out like it’s supposed to on paper.  Few and far between so far for Boston, so we’ll take them as we can get them.  The Boston Globe reported that Aceves wrote manager Bobby Valentine a note asking Valentine to trust him after the last few debacles – it looks like Valentine did, and it looks like that paid off.

On the offensive side, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and Ryan Sweeney were the big heroes.  Pedroia went 2 for 4, launching his first home run of the season in the sixth inning.  Ortiz went 2 for 3 with a walk, yielding to pinch-runner Darnell McDonald, who scored.  Sweeney, who continues to prove his value, went 2 for 4 with a double.

Until the top of the ninth inning, it looked like Boston was headed for its fourth straight loss.  But, things turned around after Pedroia ripped a double to left field.  Pedroia hustled to third base on a wild pitch, and scored when Adrian Gonzalez worked the count full and then sacrificed Pedroia in on a fly ball.  That tied the score.  Kevin Youkilis struck out (what’s wrong with Youkilis?), but Ortiz and Cody Ross each walked to put runners (McDonald and Ross) on first and second with one out.  Sweeney scored McDonald on a single to right, putting the Sox up by one and leaving Ross on third.  Ross scored on a wild pitch, sealing the game for the Red Sox.

“We needed a win, let’s be honest,’’ Gonzalez told the Boston Globe. “We didn’t want to start 0-6 like we did last year and start heading down that road. It was huge.’’

This win was also huge for Valentine, who until last night hadn’t won a major league game since 2002.  And, he handled it with aplomb, telling the Globe:

“It was a great effort by a whole group of guys out there tonight. They were trying their butts off to get that first win and we got it. I’m glad we were able to get Ben [Cherington] his first win as general manager and the 2012 team its first win as a team.’’

Here’s a link to the box, courtesy of the Red Sox.  Boston stays in Toronto tonight for a 7:07 start.  Daniel Bard – possibly the most-scrutinized fifth starter in the major leagues – takes the hill.  How will he perform as a starter?  Will the bullpen step up again, and will the starter-bullpen naysayers be silenced?

Admit it, you feel this way too.

What the bloody hell is going on with this Red Sox pitching staff?

First Andrew Bailey has a thumb injury… and then, as if it’s some sort of thumb virus, it hits Beckett too. And now the report coming out of the Boston Globe? Andrew Bailey now might need surgery on his bad thumb. He’ll be making a trip to visit a hand specialist in Cleveland tomorrow to get another opinion. I really hope this opinion says no surgery because at this point, our pitching staff is going to hell in a handbasket fast.

Bobby V. appears a bit worried too.

 

“When a player is injured I always am very concerned and always try to make alternative plans. If he jumps right back in, then I’m pleasantly surprised,” he said “When guys are hurt, they’re hurt and he couldn’t pitch for a couple of days, you know? I’m not sure how long.”

(Huh? Is it just me or does this quote make it seem that maybe English isn’t Bobby’s first language? Weird…)

So it looks like closing duties will fall to Mark Melancon for the first part of the season, especially if Beckett sits out a few starts and Alfredo Aceves needs to fill his shoes. That’s no problem. Melancon swims with sharks for crying out loud… this closer’s gig should be a breeze.

On a more positive note, the Red Sox ended their spring training schedule with a 4-2 win over the Washington Nationals. Aaron Cook, who was assigned to Pawtucket just yesterday, pitched 5 strong innings, giving up just 1 run on 2 hits while lowering his spring ERA to 1.88. I bet Coach Beyeler down in Pawtucket is licking his chops at the talent he’ll be getting to start his season. But depending on what happens with this thumb virus, Cook could be heading up I-95 before he even makes a start for the Paw Sox.

Adrian Gonzalez looks ready to pick up right where he left off last year going 2 for 2 against the Nats and raising his spring average to .357. Of the three stars for the Sox over the past two months — Darnell McDonald (.472 BA, 1.398 OPS), Pedro Ciriaco (.429 BA, 1.121 OPS) and Ryan Lavarnway (.429 BA, .974 OPS) — only one, McDonald, sits poised to start the season in Boston. Like I said… the folks in Pawtucket are salivating!

The team will make just one more stop before Opening Day — an exhibition game in DC against the Nationals. And then it’s off to the Motor City for a 3-game series against the Tigers to kick off the 2012 season! Yeehaw!