'Sink-Hole Ocho' Running At The Mouth Again

Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

OK, truth be told, we'd still rather have Jonathan Papelbon at the back of the Red Sox bullpen. Love him or hate him, he was arguably the second-best closer in baseball over the last five years. Now, we have Crapshoot City at the end of games—and no good walk-on music to boot.

And yet, every time Papelbon has opened his mouth since departing Beantown, he seems to insert his size 12 foot (remember him calling us stupid baseball fans?). Latest case in point: his expressed desire to gain "bragging rights" over the Carmine Hose in the upcoming series in Philly. By the way, he's 10-for-10 so far in save opportunities in 2012.

Beckett Rides 'Seattle Slew' To Impressive Win

Associated Press Photo

Josh Beckett delivered. I don't care if it was against the Seattle Mariners or the Chiba Lotte Marines—he dominated his opponents with nine strikeouts in a 7-inning gem, winning 5-0. The fifth straight quality start resulted in the fifth straight Red Sox win. When you come right down to it, baseball is pretty simple. David Oritz got the offense going with a mammoth blast into the bullpen for a 1-0 advantage. Mike Aviles drove in 2 runs on a 2-4 night, and Will "Don't Send Me Down" Middlebrooks and Ryan Sweeney drove in the other runs. On top of everything, fans saw a touching tribute to the great Tim Wakefield.

FenwayNation Photo

But it was Beckett who set the tone all day—using his fastball (occasionally touching 94), change-up and curve to slice through the admittedly Quadruple A Mariner line-up. But, the Sox are now just two games under .500 as they embark on a key road trip to Tampa, Philly and Baltimore.

Birthday Boy Needs Solid Fenway Outing Today

Birthday Boy Beckett Needs A Solid Outing Today

It's a momentous day for one Joshua Patrick Beckett. Not because it's his 32nd birthday (which it is), but because he will be the next starter in succession after four solid outings. After his last start (the shortest of his 12-year career), Beckett needs to infuse some confidence in himself and the fan base by delivering the fifth straight positive starting pitching performance for the Red Sox. We all know he has it in him. This is a guy who has given up 142 fewer hits than innings pitched (a key barometer of a quality pitcher). He has a .600 winning percentage. He has over 1600 strike-outs. All he has to do is live out his talent. Jon Lester did it last night—in a smooth, almost effortless complete game victory. It's now up to Josh to give himself a special gift on his birthday.

McNamee Alleges Drug Affair With Roger

Clemens Enters Court (ESPN ScreenShot)

Brian McNamee, a guy who had been (at various times) a New York Yankee bullpen catcher, batting practice pitcher and assistant strength and conditioning coach detailed a long-standing drug relationship with Roger Clemens. McNamee claims he injected Clemens in the right buttocks with steroids and HGH on multiple occasions. Clemens is being tried in U.S. District Court in D.C. on charges that he lied to Congress about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. McNamee paints a picture of a pathetic Clemens, hiding in closets to get shot up by his long-time buddy. If these charges are proven to be true, there is no way that Clemens belongs in Cooperstown. Period.

Lester Powers Sox To Fourth Straight Win

 Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Four consecutive wins, four consecutive starting pitching gems. These two sets of events are not coincidental. They are inextricably linked. Tonight, the best of those pitching gems (a complete game by Jon Lester) led to a rocking chair 6-1 defeat of the Seattle Mariners. The offensive side of the ledger was handled by Daniel Nava (2-run HR),  Kelly Shoppach (solo shot), Papi and Gonzo (RBI doubles). If Boston can sustain quality starts over the next six weeks of tough scheduling, they may have a chance to escape the straight jacket they've placed themselves in.

Johnny Damon's Low-Key Return To Fenway

FenwayNation Photo

Six years after his ignominious return in pinstripes, Johnny Damon came back to Fenway in a much better mood. The fans actually cheered him, kids flocked to the third base area to get his autograph (see first photo) and he just seemed more comfortable in his skin. The contrast was stark. In May of 2006, Damon was jeered throughout his games here with the Evil Ones—earning our wrath after pledging he would never don the sackcloth and ashes of the Bronx.

Linda Cataffo—NY Daily News

Signs dotted the Fenway stands (see second photo) that derided Damon as a "traitor", a "demon" or a "Judas". Now, he just engages in coy banter with fans—telling one kid with longer locks than his, "I admire your flow". Classic Johnny Damon—Johnny Damon at ease, that is.

Pink Bats Rule For Second Straight Year

Elsa/Getty Images

Thanks to brilliant analysis by the website, Old Time Family Baseball, we now know that those players using pink bats on Mother's Day outperformed non-pink bat users for the second straight year. The 2012 numbers are:

• Pink Batters—.303
• Non-Pink Batters—.266

In 2011, the numbers were:

• Pink Batters—.285
• Non-Pink Batters—.216

For the Red Sox, only Cody Ross wielded a pink baton yesterday (see pic)—and he went 0-3 with a HBP.

NOG Plays It Classy With Derek Lowe

Derek Lowe (FenwayNation Photo)

Over the years, we've often been hyper-critical of the NOG (New Ownership Group) for a whole host of things. But, when they do things right, they deserve equal shares of credit. Before Friday night's game with the Cleveland Indians, all three NOG principals (John Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino) personally presented Derek Lowe with a new 2004 World Series ring—to replace one that had recently been stolen from Lowe's home. In addition, according to Lowe, they offered words of thanks for his Herculean efforts in securing the 2004 title (clinching wins in all three post-season series). That's the kind of gesture that makes you proud to be associated with the organization. And, most impressively, the NOG did not trot out The Mad Dentist to scream news of the episode to the hills. It was left to Derek Lowe himself to share it with us. So, kudos to the NOG for a classy job well done.

'Salty Brine's* Smack' Propels Red Sox

Elsa/Getty Images

Jarrod Saltalamacchia knocked in five runs on a 3-4 hitting day, powering the Red Sox to a 12-1 pummeling of the Indians. The third straight win by the Carmine Hose also featured the third straight good starting pitching performance—this one by Daniel Bard (6 innings, 1 earned run).

If this is the start of a turnaround for the Red Sox, it will be characterized by the matching of pitching to hitting—something very rare in 2012.

* WARNING: VAGUE NEW ENGLANDER REFERENCE

POLL: Just One-Third See Playoffs In Future

A little over two-thirds of our readers (67.3%) express lesser degrees of confidence in the Red Sox making the post-season—39.5% "not confident at all"; 27.8% "not very confident". This is down from the roughly 80% who felt that way in early voting.

Just over one in five readers (21.0%) are very confident in October baseball in Boston, with another 11.7% expressing a "somewhat confident" view. Thus, just about one-third of readers (32.7%) are upbeat about the Sox making the playoffs.

Pitching Finally Sends Red Sox Streaking

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Two in a row! Alert the media! The Red Sox have taken back-to-back games for the first time in a while, beating the Indians, 4-1 on Saturday. From start to finish it was pitching that set the tone—6 innings and just one run from Felix Doubront, and a clean slate from 'pensters Miller, Padilla and Aceves (save #7). The offense was provided primarily by Dustin Pedroia (2-4, double, RBI) and Cody Ross (1-3, HR #6). Daniel Nava has also continued his good play in The Show, going 2-3 with a run scored. Sunday, the Sox try for a three-peat behind Daniel Bard (opposed by old friend Justin Masterson).

Red Sox Acquire Scott Podsednik From Phillies

J. Meric/Getty Images

In a trade between two last place teams, the Red Sox got outfielder Scott Podsednik from the Phillies for cash considerations. So, that $5 you paid for a warmed-over greasy hot dog last night at Fenway has helped John Henry make this major move.

For those of you who had thought Podsednik was retired—join the club. Maybe the Marlon Byrd Era has ended.

Sox Bag Lucky Thriteen

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

In about as unimpressive fashion as possible, the Red Sox hung on to beat the Cleveland Indians 7-5 at Fenway on Friday night. Staked to a 7-1 lead, Clay Buchholz was fairly effective and just good enough to survive with his fourth win—going 6 1/3 innings and giving up three earned runs. However, he walked three, hit a batter and failed to strike anyone out.

Dustin Pedroia led the offense with three hits and three RBIs. The game was marred by inept base running, silly errors and lots of bad pitching. Alfredo Aceves delivered a cardiac save to end it. Hey, it was ugly, but it's a win.

FN Poll: Gloomy Outlook For Sox Postseason

The early voting in our latest FenwayNation Poll suggests that most readers do not expect a postseason run by the 2012 edition of the Boston Red Sox. As the table shows, a total of 80% say they are either "not very confident" (38.5%) or "not confident at all" (41.5%) about the prospect of the Carmine Hose recovering and making the playoffs.

A scant 6.2% are "very confident" about a playoff appearance, while another 13.8% say they are "somewhat confident" of October baseball in the Hub. Thus, a total of 20% have some degree of optimism. You can still vote in the poll HERE.

Prepare For Obnoxious O's Crowds At Fenway

Luke Scott clearly doesn't know obnoxious fans when he sees them. Emboldened by their recent sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway, the Orioles marketing mavens (undoubtedly spurred on by a gleeful Dan Duquette) are goading their orange and black armies to storm Fenway in June (see photo).

Can this be the start of a "Camden North" trend—with Southwest Airlines promoting cheap fares from the Charm City to Beantown? Oh, the humanity!

POLL: Can The Sox Still Make The Postseason?

If POLL Not Visible, Click HERE

Sox Are In The Thick Of 'Race To The Bottom'

Mathematically, it's only possible for 29 MLB teams to have a worse record than your Boston Red Sox. But on this day, 26 teams actually do own that honor. That is the sad truth about the 2012 Carmine Hose. Only the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, and San Diego Padres have a poorer winning percentage as of May 11th. So, $175,249,119 has gotten us the ability to lose 11 of 15 games at Fenway Park this year. We are calling up the Daniel Navas of the world to save us, and sending down bullpen guys who actually strike people out.

Josh Beckett Double Bogeys Third Inning

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Tonight, the Cleveland Indians teed off against Josh Beckett early and often, scoring seven times in 2 2/3 innings—including two home runs. Once again, the over-worked bullpen performed well—but it wasn't enough to overcome the hole Beckett dug for the team. Old friend Derek Lowe had his magic sinker working, and that's all she wrote—Indians 8, Red Sox 3. When pressed as to whether his ill-advised golf outing had any impact on his poor performance, Beckett simply said "No". But, then, just to ingratiate himself with fandom even more, he added:

"I spend my off days the way I want to spend them."

Nice.  Hey, don't sweat it, Nation, Clay Buchholz goes tomorrow night!

Royal, Straight , Flush

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The Red Sox actually managed to lose to a team whose clean-up hitter has zero home runs in 2012. Now, that's an accomplishment. Jon Lester gave up three runs on 38 pitches (apologies to Curt Schilling) in the first inning (all unearned), then another run in the fourth, and lost 4-3 to the formerly pitiful Royals.

The immortal Bruce Chen, who got his first win of the year, appeared as the incarnation of Sandy Koufax to the Carmine Hose—with the exception of a three-run double by Adrian Gonzalez. Can't get any lower, Bobby? Hardly.

Fenway Announcer Carl Beane Killed In Crash

Carl Beane

The 'Voice of Fenway Park', Carl Beane, was killed today in a one-car crash in Sturbridge, Mass.

Beane, whose dulcet tones had been introducing players at Fenway since 2003 was 59 years old. His SUV went off a road and struck a tree. He was pronounced dead at Harrington Hospital in Southbridge.

EDITOR'S NOTE: At the Fenway Centennial game, we were lucky enough to record some of Carl's commentary. You can hear it HERE.

UPDATE: Fans and players react to the passing of Carl Beane.