Entries Tagged 'Dragnet Gametime' ↓

First off, here are the specifics: David Ortiz is going to start at first base, leaving Kevin Youkilis and his OBP near .700 on the bench. Jon Lester returns to start Game 4, his first game since the final throws of the regular season. And Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury will try to follow up on one of the most dominant performances by rookies batting 1-2 in the order since, well, just about ever.

The Red Sox are a win away from a World Series title. Jon Lester could close out it tonight, and there’s little doubt he knows what’s at stake.

Oh yeah, the Sox can win the World Series with a victory, too. Probably worth mentioning.

With last night’s impressive outing from Daisuke Matsuzaka, hit-and-miss evening from the bullpen and savior act by the Red Sox bats, Boston moved within a win of its second title in four years. But despite all the good things that happened, the win also exposed the Red Sox for problems today. The bullpen is taxed, proven by Hideki Okajima suddenly becoming hittable, at least by Matt Holliday. And in a strong pride factor for Colorado - this is a team that DOES NOT want to get swept - and the Rockies should be favorites tonight.

Of course, that doesn’t take Lester into account, or Colorado starter Aaron Cook, for that matter. Both are former cancer victims, recovered to continue impressive careers. Lester has youth and a left-handed approach that differs from all the other starters the Rockies have seen from the Sox. Cook, meanwhile, has moxie but has not pitched in well more than a month. Try and get your head around a prediction from that matchup. Who knows what’s going to happen?

Then again, who ever knows what’s going to happen? Who saw that performance from Ellsbury and Pedroia coming? Good, sure. That good? Come on.

It was almost as hard to see a 3-0 lead coming too, which should give Sox fans a good feeling entering tonight. As always, that hardly means a win tonight and potential sweep is going to happen. But it has to be a good feeling.

– Cameron Smith

If tonight’s matchup scares you a little bit, it probably should. The Rockies may be reeling, down 2-0 in the best-of-seven World Series, but they’re coming home for Game 3, and they’re coming home to a crowd with an appetite for intimidation and winning streaks, not necessarily in that order.

Daisuke Matsuzaka will get a chance to hold a bat a couple of times, but it’s what he does to Colorado players wielding them that will chart the latest chapter in his postseason biography tonight.

Look, it’s no secret that Denver isn’t exactly St. Louis or Philadelphia, let alone a true baseball haven like Boston or New York. These aren’t your father’s Rockies because your father didn’t have Rockies. Colorado fans aren’t long suffering because they haven’t been around long. Only by Marlin and Diamondback circumstances can they be considered unlucky, and to that extent they deserve some credit. The Rockies may not sell out every game, but they do have loyal fans. The Red Sox are likely to discover that tonight.

Then again, neither the Rockies or their fans have discovered Daisuke Matsuzaka, either. The Japanese ace turned American waffler enters the World Series after batting an even .500 in the ALCS. He turned in a lackluster outing in Game 3 which put a severe damper on Boston’s expectations and, eventually, required their second near-miraculous comeback in four years. Yet he atoned for that bad, or at the very least, poorly timed, outing with a strong Game 7, 2 runs across five innings and a win in the team’s biggest game of the season. As a performance, under those circumstances, Dice-K’s Game 7 was worth a lot, and it went a long way toward quieting the critics that have attacked Theo Epstein and the Boston front office for over bidding on the Japanese star with five - or arguably six - pitches.

Still, despite his last game out, this is Dice-K’s chance to truly put a stamp on his season. A Win tonight would put the Rockies in a chokehold, their backs firmly against the wall. A bad Matsuzaka outing aloss, meanwhile, would give new life to a team that hardly needs room to breathe to resurrect a season, as they’ve proved time and time again. Ask the Dodgers. Or Diamondbacks. Or Padres. Actually, don’t ask the Padres, that might push them over the edge. We don’t need any suicides on our heads here.

While the attention may focus squarely on David Ortiz’s latest maiden voyage at first base, cameras cocked waiting for the lightest misstep, the real gleam will come from Matsuzaka or be extinguished by him. After all, as pitching goes, so goes the series. So far, Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling have gone very well. If Matsuzaka goes well tonight, all will remain well back in the Fens, a place as cold and damp as Coors Field, yet much cheerier, at least at the moment.

– Cameron Smith, AP Photo

You know the scene from Field of Dreams where Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) finally brings Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) to his corn field, and and Mann turns to him and says: So, this is what heaven is like? The Sox are four wins away from feeling that euphoria. Again. For the second time in four years.

Your Game 1 starters ladies and gentlemen. Let the soul patch attest to which one thinks he’s a bad dude.

Granted, those four wins aren’t going to be easy. But is there a better way to start at them than pitching ace Josh Beckett on full rest? We can’t think of one. Sure, Rockies first baseman/sentimental “he deserves to finally be here” candidate Todd Helton hits .333 against Beckett across his career. Then again, Helton has never tried to hit him in October, and as Sox fans are rapidly learning - and Florida fans (are there really any Florida fans? We’re not sure) already know, hitting Beckett in October can be a lot harder than hitting him in June.

While most of the attention has fallen on Beckett, the absence of longtime playoff presence Tim Wakefield and Colorado’s extended layoff, there’s legitimate reason to ponder the drastic affect a Game 1 loss could have on Boston’s World Series chances. Make no mistake, like all series, Game 1 is the most important contest in terms of setting a tone for a longer stretch. Then, when you consider Beckett’s status in comparison to all of the other starters in the series, for both teams for that matter, it amplifies the game that much more.

Naturally, a loss isn’t necessarily the end of the world, so long as Curt Schilling comes out and takes care of business in Game 2. But as the ALCS showed, that’s not as certain as it was in 2004 and before, so a big game and win from Beckett would go a long ways toward securing some modicum of security heading back to the mountains, where all sorts of craziness could set in.

What does that mean? Well, for starters, it means that all Sox fans need to be hoping to see Beckett cruising along early tonight, then see Hideki Okajima and, later, Jonathan Papelbon warming in the pen. It also means that the Boston lineup has to be patient with Jeff Francis, working him for long counts and eventually making contact.

Finally, it means that, regardless of weather, the Boston defense has to be more reliable than it was in the Cleveland series, where both Julio Lugo and Kevin Youkilis - in a complete aberration from tradition - had costly errors. After all, Colorado has the best defense in baseball … ever (at least statistically).

How it’ll all turn out, who knows. But it sure feels exciting to start off with, doesn’t it?

– Cameron Smith

Well folks, this is it. Like it or not, an entire baseball season comes down to one night for the two teams that shared the best regular season record.

This window shot was mighty lucky last night. Let’s see if it does the trick again for Game 7, eh?

For two historic baseball cities, tonight will be the difference between a trip to the World Series and an offseason made a little longer, and much tougher. While the Red Sox enter the game on a two-win surge, the Indians are reeling. Their twin aces - C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona - were both knocked around. Their No. 4 pitcher - Paul Byrd - is suddenly under investigation for HGH. Their closer - Joe Borowski - gave up hits and runs in last night’s blowout.

What does Cleveland have going for it? Jake Westbrook. The team’s No. 3 starter tossed a gem in their key Game 3 win, forcing Boston batters to drive liners into the ground and using a fantastic sinker ball to do exactly what Daisuke Matsuzaka couldn’t for the Sox: Get through six innings.

Really, that’s the $103 million question in tonight’s Game 7: Will Dice-K show up and be the pitcher Boston and Red Sox fans are ready to believe he is? Matsuzaka built up a resume worth $100 million by weaving magic throughout Japanese postseasons at all levels. He was brought to Boston to shore up a pitching staff and evolve into a true ace.

So far, he hasn’t quite done it. Matusuzaka’s Game 3 was good enough to possibly earn a win, but as with so many of his season starts, he found himself in trouble early, and then again later. By the second time Cleveland started racking up baserunners, Terry Francona couldn’t sit by anymore, pulling the Japanese ace for Manny Delcamen.

After the game Matsuzaka was inconsolable in the locker room. Days later he was telling the Japanese press that he wanted revenge. He gets that chance tonight, and with a little help from some Boston batters, it could make for the season’s best night yet. Or it could be the worst.

That’s up to Dice-K.

– Cameron Smith, Globe photo

This is it. Again. And if things go well, we might even get to write that one more time this week.

The fans and the faith are there. The question is whether the Curt Schilling of old will make an appearance, too.

Still, it’s clear that Terry Francona thinks this thing is going in the right direction. By getting by Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia with the over-powering Josh Beckett, the Sox got back home. Now the manager is officially throwing his typical “pro-player” manager approach out the window. Coco Crisp is sitting the bench with his horrendous ALCS on base percentage. Jacoby Ellsbury is playing center and batting eighth to try and provide some juice.

Still, the man at the center of it all, again, is Curt Schilling. Traditionally, that’s exactly where he’s wanted to be. Schilling loves the attention. He loves the pressure. He loves the chance to perform on the biggest stage.

So why do so many Sox fans have serious indigestion? Clearly, because Curt hasn’t been himself through much of this year. Gems like his near no-hitter and ALDS Game 3 aside, there have been plenty of mediocre starts thrown in there. Somehow, he has to dial up past brilliance if the Sox have a chance to keep going.

And if they do keep going, suddenly things could change drastically. Daisuke Matsuzaka, whose first American postseason has clearly been the worst of his career so far, has already gone on record saying he wants a shot at revenge. With his past results and his stuff - dialed up with extra determination - we’d be hard-pressed to bet against him if things got to a Game 7. With him pitching on extra rest, of course.

But that’s a big “if”. And while a lot of it may be up to Big Papi and Manny Being Himself against Fausto Carmona, most of it will probably revolve around Senor Schilling.

That’s your cue Curt. Here goes nothing. And everything, of course.

– Cameron Smith, Globe photo

The backs are up against the wall. This is it. A loss and it’s done.

Enter Josh Beckett.

Beckett goes tonight, and if he loses, there’s nowhere else to go.

The man who has owned the playoffs so far has to come up as big as he ever has. If he doesn’t, his team is in for a long offseason with renewed questions about Manny Ramirez, who will play third base, and whether key members of the team past and present will be around for 2007.

Naturally, now would not be the best time to come down with a sore back. But that’s apparently what has befallen Beckett. There are rumors that his prior outing against the Tribe at Fenway, nearly as dominant as his start against the Angels, included back stiffness and a lack of comfort. Terry Francona and the Red Sox brass aren’t answering questions about a potential injury, but they aren’t denying it exists.

Of course all this has been overshadowed by the latest round of Manny Ramirez hysteria and subsequent delusional hyperventilation. And that has overshadowed the fact that the Indians remain below the radar, a win away from the World Series with their two best pitchers headed to the mound. If C.C. Sabathia can come out with a chip on his shoulder, shouldn’t the Sox be particularly worried?

Yes they should. Now we get to find out if that’s justified, and whether the 2007 incarnation of the Olde Towne Team even has a tomorrow to think about.

– Cameron Smith, AP photo

OK, here goes.

Tim Wakefield, save us again. Please.

Tim Wakefield is on the mound, trying to save the season. Just when you thought the Sox couldn’t ask any more of a 41 year-old knuckleball pitcher, they essentially decide to put their entire season on his fragile, aching back. Nice call Tito Francona.

Still, that’s the hand that Boston has been dealt. Because big-ticket free agent pick-ups of the past, Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka, couldn’t get the job done in Games 2 or 3, the Sox are relying on the bargain basement innings eater to win a game. In case people have forgotten, for all Wakefield’s 2004 heroics (which, once again, focused largely on eating innings), the last time he had to save a season it didn’t work out. Ask the White Sox.

As a result, while Josh Beckett stews in the dugout wishing he were on the mound and getting even more pissed off heading into his start in Game 5, the ol’ flutterball will be on display. Or so we hope. Remember, Wakefield has taken struggling to a whole new level coming down the stretch this year. After starting off at a near 20-win pace and holding it through much of the season, Wakefield’s track got sloppy in the final few times out, leading many to wonder whether he would make the postseason roster at all, let alone in time to start an ALCS game.

Now here he is starting against a lineup that’s chewed up Schilling and Matsuzaka, and he’s pitching against a guy who, regardless of results, will definitely not have a hard time finding the strike zone. While Paul Byrd’s approach could help or hurt the Sox, depending on whether they revert to the patient group that frustrated C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona or if they keep swinging away early as they did last night, it could very well be a stunning contrast to Wakefield, who has to find the zone early if he’s going to be effective at all.

Now it’s time to find the answers to all those questions, starting in the top of the first. Or so Sox fans can hope.

– Cameron Smith, Globe photo

Make no mistake, this is the big one.

Hey Manny and Papi? You paying attention? This is the dude Curt needs you to hit. And hit him hard, and early, if possible. Gracias amigos.

After last night’s latest edition of “Josh Beckett is a playoff badass”, the Red Sox have the Indians right where they want them, at home, with a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

But if Cleveland and suddenly sensational ace Fausto Carmona can pull out Game 2 tonight, the dynamic of the rest of the ALCS could swing drastically. The Sox are sending longtime postseason stallwort Curt Schilling to the mound, which should increase their chances of shutting down Cleveland’s balanced lineup for a second straight night.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that if the Big Schill can’t do that, Cleveland will suddenly emerge from Boston with a significant upper hand heading back to Lake Erie. While that doesn’t necessarily herald the entrance of bad things, it would put additional pressure on the back of Daisuke Matsuzaka before Game 3, and probably just as much pressure on the still-recovering Tim Wakefield in Game 4. Dice-K has a couple things going for him heading into his start. He was brilliant last time around in Cleveland, he was solid despite struggling to locate his pitches in Game 2 of the ALDS and his postseason resume - at least on a global level - is still pretty sterling. Despite all of that, it’s virtually inarguable that the absolute last thing he needs is more pressure before his start.

Here’s hoping that Schill and the Gang (seriously, how many band names could we come up with that start with Schilling’s name? The possibilities are endless) are up to the task for a second-straight game tonight. While Boston is still floating on Game 1 euphoria, Game 2 is much more important than some may currently think.

– Cameron Smith

Tonight it starts.

It may not be the Yankees, but the Indians enter tonight’s matchup in Fenway Park is equally anticipated, if that’s possible. The Red Sox start a best-of-seven journey that they hope ends in the World Series.

Josh Beckett hunts deer, elk and a variety of birds in the winter. In October he hunts zeros.

The weather has turned to fall just in time to greet the first pitch, which will be fired out by a guy some Sox fans wanted out of town a year ago, yet now are clamoring to try and find a way to pitch three times in an ALCS. That’s how drastic a turnaround young Josh Beckett, still only 27, has gone through in the past 12 months. From maligned No. 2 starter to ace and possible Cy Young winner, Beckett’s move from mediocre to momentous has been nothing short of a full-fledged awakening.

And now he’s pitching in the exact kind of games that drew the Sox front office to Florida’s door, begging for him after the 2003 season. His Game 1 performance in the ALDS was a complete whitewash of the Angels and set the tone for Boston’s sweep. Now, he’ll try to attack a remarkably balanced Cleveland lineup and mow through batters the way he did a week and a half ago.

Not that Boston can take any sympathy on Cleveland hitters. The Indians have quite the ace of their own, C.C. Sabathia, who might pry the Cy Young from Beckett’s very grasp. While Sabathia was dominant throughout the regular season, he has a rough first playoff start against the Yankees, and was also outdueled by Daisuke Matsuzaka in his last outing against the Sox. Does that mean he’ll have troubles at the Fens tonight? Not necessarily, though the resurgent bats of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz beckon. Or so Sox fans hope.

And that hope, as 2004 showed, is enough to bouy spirits and, eventually, lift a team. We’re getting closer to finding out if it can happen again.

– Cameron Smith

Two games does not a series make, but two wins goes a long way toward making one incredibly palatable.

That’s the opportunity the Sox face tonight, hosting the Angels for Game 2. Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his long-awaited playoff debut, with the Angels throwing the twice-unfortunately named Kelvim Escobar at Boston. That’s not all the Angels are throwing out there, either. Manager Mike Scoscia juggled his lineup, pushing Vlad Guerrerro back into the outfield to create room for another bat in the DH hole.

It’s Dice-K time, but will it be gut-check time in Boston?

While it might seem early for that kind of adjustment, this is the playoffs, and the Angels looked positively baffled against Josh Beckett Wednesday. On top of that, LA has never seen Matsuzaka, missing his turn in the rotation in both stints at Fenway and when the Sox hit the left coast in July.

It’s a seeming advantage for Dice-K, a point Scoscia has already made himself. But the bigger question in the matchup will revolve around the Japanese ace’s control. If Dice-K locates multiple pitches and throws first-pitch strikes, the Sox will likely be in good shape. If he doesn’t, it could get to be a long night at the Fens (see below).

Then again, the same can be said for Escobar, and getting to the front end of the Angels pen would definitely be an advantage for Boston. Will they get there? That’s very much to be determined. But if they can be patient and force Escobar into the zone, just as they did with Jon Lackey again Wednesday, they’ll be in very good shape.

Naturally, being in good shape tonight could decide what kind of shape the Sox come out of in the series. Or what shape they stay home in.

– Cameron Smith