Battery Power

The battery of Jon Lester and Jason Varitek pretty much took care of Boston's rubber match in Philly, beating the CheeseSteakers, 5-2. Lester went seven stellar innings, giving up just two hits on the way to his 10th victory of the year. Tek homered twice to give some pad to an early lead.

The Red Sox needed that pad. After Daniel Bard hurled a scoreless eighth, Bobby Jenks started the ninth by doing his best Bobby Jenks imitation. A Ryan Howard two-run HR later (along with a follow-up walk), necessitated a call to Jonathan Papelbon. Pap closed out the game for his 15th save.

Cameron Released

Comcast's Sean McAdam is reporting that Mike Cameron has been released.

Offensive Interference

Just when you thought it was safe to trust John lackey again (7.2 innings, 2 ER, 5 Ks), the Red Sox bats continued their deep freeze and Boston fell to the Phillies (and some guy named Worley), 2-1.

Not only did Lackey pitch as well as he has in a Red Sox uniform, he knocked in the only run with a double to deep left-center. Are you kidding me? Only Josh Reddick (you know, the guy who should be starting in RF every day, that Josh Reddick), also delivered for the offense (2 for 3)—as the Sox fell 2.5 games behind the Evil Ones in the AL East. Look out, the Wild Card isn't that secure either—Tampa sits just one game behind Boston this morning.

Charcoal Beckette

Josh, next year, go to CVS, stand in line like everybody else and get the damn flu shot. After a 13-day bout with the 'flu', Josh Beckett looked more like Cy Old as he yielded two two-run jacks in an abysmal 5-0 loss to the Phillies. Of course, if Beckett had only given up one run, the AAA Red Sox line-up could not have mustered anything against Cliff Lee anyway.

Once again, Darnell McDonald was batting fifth. FIFTH. Mike Cameron—probably the nicest guy on the roster—continued to demonstrate that he just does not have it anymore on the field. The word that Papi would be at first and A-Gon in RF on Wednesday gives us some hope of fielding a line-up that can win.

Poll: Release McDonald/Cameron?

Please vote in our latest FenwayNation Poll, which asks whether the Red Sox should release outfielders Darnell McDonald and Mike Cameron. VOTE HERE.

Philly Insult Really Compliment

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist John Gonzalez writes that Boston sports fans have become "obnoxious, arrogant" and "condescending" due to our seven titles in nine years. So, this is some kind of insult? I'd say we have the right to be "condescending" to towns that have only episodic lurches at championship fame—like maybe one city that's famous for cheese steaks.

And by the way, Philly fans are obnoxious and arrogant all the time—win or lose. Their troglodyte behavior at the Super Bowl they lost to the Pats was the prime example of that. Come on, these people throw snowballs at Santa! They should talk.

In any event, let's bask in our championship glory years while we can. After all, we could degrade into Philly.

A Park Designed For Fans

As part of our coverage of the Red Sox series in Pittsburgh, our crack reporting staff took a tour of PNC Park. The most impressive aspect of PNC is that it was clearly built with the fan in mind. It has no seats facing away from the action—as a huge chunk of Fenway's right field does. It has wide, comfortable seating—even in the 'cheap seats' (which compared to Fenway means every seat). It has cup holders everywhere, it has no sight line obstructions at all. I would place it just behind Safeco Field in Seattle and AT&T Park in San Francisco as the third best ballpark in America. Looking into the outfield, its celebration of the Pittsburgh cityscape is nearly perfect. It is a gem.

Our genial tour guide, Dave (pictured here with a Sox fan), told of the one splash hit into the Allegheny River in the stadium's history, the light standards meant to replicate the ones at old Forbes Field, and the long history between the Boston and Pittsburgh franchises (the first World Series was played between the two in 1903).

But mostly, PNC is an aesthetically appealing blend of comfort, breathtaking setting and fan-centric amenities that delivers an experience that is light years ahead of what we get in the re-tooled 99 1/2-year old Fenway Park. I still contend that we deserve better.

Dignity Restored

It was not a thing of beauty. The Red Sox salvaged some sense of dignity in Pittsburgh by taking the rubber match from the Bucs, 4-2. A total of six errors set the tone (2 by the Sox)—but it was Andrew Miller with his second straight strong start that was the real story. Miller had some shaky moments, but yielded only one earned run over 6 innings—striking out 4 and giving up only 5 hits.

For the third straight game at PNC, the Sox struck first, but fell behind for the third time in as many days as well. They surged ahead on the strength of an error and two sac flies—not exactly the thunderous offense we have seen.

We'll take it, and head to Philly for three (minus Roy Halladay who won today).

REVIEW: PNC's Primanti

There is a tradition in Pittsburgh known as the Primanti Sandwich. It's essentially some sort of meat (Italian cold cuts or beef) topped with fried potatoes—basically a huge sandwich with smushed french fries. (see photo of PNC's version above).

Here's how the Primantis themselves describe its origins in the 1930's:

"I fried the potatoes on our grill and they looked pretty good. A few of our customers asked for them, so I put the potatoes on their sandwiches."

If you come to Pittsburgh to follow the Sox this weekend, you need to try it—but according to our FN taste-tester, you might be better off in the Primanti restaurant itself and not PNC. Kind of like Fenway food vs. the vendors outside. You get the drift.

Folly Roger

PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA—It isn't often that the Nation takes to the road and gets embarrassed by their Carmine Hose. Friday was one of those times. Terry Francona sent out a line-up that—from the four spot on—was little better than the Greenville Drive might feature. When you're batting Darnell McDonald in the five-hole, you've got some problems, my friends. Cameron, Varitek (who did get two hits and execute a perfect sacrifice bunt and also ran into an out on the bases), Scutaro and Lester are not exactly murderer's row. And while the top of the order got hits, there were no timely hits. The evening was capped by Papi's frustrating pinch-hit deluge in the eighth. Jon Lester was forgettable again, rapidly becoming the most inexplicable nine-game winner in baseball.

All in all, a humiliating 3-1 loss for the thousands of Sox fans at PNC.

Poll: Should A-Gon Play The OF?

Please vote in the latest FenwayNation POLL, which asks whether the Red Sox should play Adrian Gonzalez in the outfield in NL cities. VOTE HERE.

The Face of Intestinal Turmoil

What the heck are the Red Sox going to do about John Lackey? As one of the unfortunate thousands in attendance at yesterday's debacle, I can confidently state that the rain was the least of our problems. It was the guy on the mound who was giving us all "intestinal turmoil".

After getting two strikes on the game's first batter (the very un-scary Will Venable), Lackey offered up a cupcake that was deposited deep into the right-field seats. Nice start. Several rain delays later, Lackey plunked a few, walked a few, and gave up some key hits to balloon the deficit to 5-0. Game. Set. Match. Series. Padres.

Were it not for the ridiculous "panic sign" contract, he would have been released weeks ago. As it is, he is a serious problem in a rotation that has only two (and maybe three) solid fixtures.

And, now they're off to a 9-game, DH-free road trip. Let's see how they emerge on the other side.

FN Travels To Pittsburgh

FenwayNation will offer readers on-site coverage of the Red Sox on their inter-league journey to Pittsburgh. FN will provide reports from the Friday and Saturday games at PNC Park as well as photos from both contests. If you're a Red Sox fan traveling to the game, look for us! Be sure to check the site often over the weekend for these exclusive reports.

Walk-Accine Alfredo

The Red Sox lost tonight for one simple reason: Alfredo Aceves walked 5 straight batters after getting the first two outs in the second inning. The Sox bullpen gave up the game winner, but it was Aceves' meltdown that decided the game—which the Sox ultimately lost, 5-4.

The loss overshadowed Kevin Youkilis' 4-5 performance and the first stolen base by Papi in 3 years. The Empire was rained out, so the Sox are just 1 game up in the AL East.

Stay Lassie, San Diego

Think Pit Bull versus Collie. The Red Sox toyed with "Lassie" for about six innings, then went in for the kill last night, mauling the Monks, 14-5.

Adrian Gonzalez had the key go-ahead double (along with two other hits and three RBI) to lead Boston past his old laundry. Andrew Miller pitched a serviceable six innings before being lit up by the first jack of the year by the gregarious Orlando Hudson (which at the time tied the game at three).

The Padre bullpen (and we use that term advisedly) allowed four runs on bases-loaded walks and hit batsmen in the 10-run 7th. The most amazing part of this blowout? The Sox had zero home runs.

FN Poll: Trade For Beltran?

Please vote in our latest FenwayNation Poll, which asks if the Red Sox should trade for Carlos Beltran to play right field. VOTE HERE.

Wake Like Fine Wine

Tim Wakefield inched closer to catching Cy Young (and some guy named Clemens) as the all-time Sox win leader by tossing 8 solid innings in a 12-3 Boston rout.

Kevin Youkilis paced a 6-run first inning off Yovani Gallardo with a three-run jack (his 11th of the year to go with 50 RBI). Dustin Pedroia also homered and drove in two. Marco Scutaro also drove in two with a HR.

Boston took the series from the Brewers and now have moved to 15 games over .500 (43-28).

Strange Brew

The Red Sox fell behind early to the Brew Crew tonight, and then turned on the afterburners to cruise to a 10-4 victory. After John Lackey had a shaky 1st inning, giving up 2 runs, the Sox stormed back to tie it and eventually go ahead 4-2. Lackey coughed up that lead, but went on to dominate through 8 innings—at one point retiring 15 Brewers in a row.

Adrian Gonzalez had three more hits—including his 15th HR. Papi also had three hits. Dustin Pedroia turned in three defensive gems that, had they not been made, could have resulted in a quite different outcome.

On the downside, Carl Crawford tweaked a hamstring beating out an infield hit. An MRI showed a Grade 1 hamstring strain, and his prognosis is unknown. Also, Jed Lowrie was placed on the DL with shoulder problems, Clay Buchholz will have his next start delayed and Kevin Youkilis left the game with stomach issues.

The Trip Fantastic

Ten days ago, we opined as to the significance of the just-ended Red Sox road trip. Our most optimistic scenario had the Carmine Hose winning 6 of 9. Of course, they actually captured 8 of 9, and have solidified their position as the best team in the American League—winning at a blistering .603 clip. At this pace, they will win 98 games—not far off the 100-win projection made by many in the media. Of course, this is all the more remarkable given that they started 0-6 and 2-10.

Last night, Clay Buchholz and his aching back could only give the team five innings—but what a five! He gave up only two hits, a run and struck out five. Aceves, Bard and Papelbon kept the Rays at bay the rest of the way, winning, 4-2. A-Gon went yard again, but did we even need to tell you that? Just assume monster performances from this guy from here on out.

The Sox now start an abbreviated six-game home stand as the inane interleague schedule kicks in for its second intrusion into the real races for the post-season. Oh, well.

Nearly Perfect Josh

Were it not for Reid Brignac’s third inning squibber down the third base line, Josh Beckett would have pitched the most over-looked perfect game in baseball history.

As the Sox ace was mowing down the Rays to the tune of "one over the minimum", his sporting compatriots on skates were capturing their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. We haven't seen the NESN ratings for Beckett's gem, but they have to be among the lowest in franchise history.

Thanks to Beckett's efforts—and a three-run home run by Youk about 30 seconds after Bergeron scored the first goal—the Sox defeated the Rays, 3-0. The Carmine Hose stay a game and a half up on the Evil Ones in the AL East.

Meantime, Mayor Menino is deciding when to let the Duck Boats sail—for their seventh championship run in ten years.

Silence Of The BAMS

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Boston's nine game winning streak came to an abrupt halt last night in Tampa, as the Red Sox fell to the Rays, 4-0. It just goes to show you that when you run into a hot goaltender, uh, I mean a solid starting pitcher, all bets are off. Even the best offense can be stymied by a guy that can make the glove save top-side. Uh, I mean that can locate all his pitches with precision.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The writer of this blog post is suffering from a rare abnormality knows as 'Ursus Addictus' rendering him unable to prevent the use of hockey-related references in a baseball story. We apologize for any inconvenience.

FN Poll: MLB Realignment?

Please vote in our latest FenwayNation Poll, which asks if you favor or oppose a proposal to regionally realign MLB into two 15-team leagues, with no divisions and added Wild Card teams.

Cast your VOTE HERE.

A-Gon Passes Teixeira

Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has passed Mark Teixeira in All-Star balloting. The Boston superstar now has 2,027, 537 votes to 1,774,024 for the Empire's first sacker.

Keep voting to insure victory for the right player!

Canadian Clubbing

Jon Lester took us of the hook. Had he not hurled an 8-inning, 2-hit gem, it would have been very difficult to choose an FN Player Of The Game on the offensive side. First, four guys hit home runs: Pedroia, Gonzo, Youk and Papi. Ortiz and Youk each knocked in four; Pedey and Gonzo, two each. Youk and Salty had three hits apiece, while Ellsbury and Youk scored three runs. Yikes.

The 14-1 drubbing was the capstone of the second consecutive road series sweep for Boston, and represented their ninth straight win. They still sit atop the AL East by 2 games as they head to the final three road games in Tampa. This is fun.

POLL: Which Red Sox On Bruins?

Please vote in our latest FenwayNation Poll, which asks which of seven Red Sox players (Varitek, Saltalamacchia, Pedroia, Youkilis, Papelbon, Jenks, Beckett) would fit best on the 2010-11 Boston Bruins. VOTE HERE.

Seventh Heaven In Bronx

While New England slept, two wonderful things occurred: LeBron James choked again and the Red Sox stormed back against the Empire to complete another sweep in the Bronx, 8-3.

Josh Beckett once again out-dueled the Large Loser, who coughed up 6 earned runs in the seventh (6 of 7 the Sox would score in that frame).

David Ortiz, after being "hit" for the first time by an Empire hurler, got two clutch hits in the 7th—including a two-run double.

Pedroia Has Bruised Knee

The Nation let out a sigh of relief as word came from Boston that Dustin Pedroia will not need knee surgery after all. Tests showed a bruised knee, and the feisty second baseman could be back in the Red Sox lineup on Friday in Toronto.

Pedroia May Need Knee Surgery

Multiple reports indicate that Dustin Pedroia may need right knee surgery and be out a month. The Sox second baseman is returning to Boston tonight to have his knee looked at by team doctors, and will not be available for Thursday's game against the Empire.

Sox Surge Into First Place In Bronx

After facing 0-6 and 2-10 records this year, the Red Sox have battled all the way to the top of the toughest division in baseball. The Sox smoked the Evil Ones for the second straight night, scoring an 11-6 win at The Concrete Bunker on 161st Street.

Tim Wakefield lasted 5 1/3, giving up 5 earned runs—but bravely played the attrition game after being staked to a 7-0 lead. Papi, Drew and Crawford homered in the win, which saw the Sox pummel the Tattooed Twit (A.J. Burnett) for 8 runs in 5 2/3.

Boston can go for their second road sweep at Baghdad by the Hudson as Beckett faces off against Sabathia tomorrow.

FN Poll: Sox SP Trade Targets

Please vote in our latest FenwayNation Poll, which asks which of four available starting pitchers (mentioned in press reports as Boston targets) the Red Sox should pursue. The starters are Edwin Jackson, Erik Bedard, Kevin Slowey and Derek Lowe. VOTE HERE.

The Empire Slides Back

Shutting up the front-running Yankee faithful is sweet enough. Doing it while getting a sub-par performance from Jon Lester and another shaky save from Jonathan Papelbon is even better.

The Red Sox took an early 6-1 lead against the guy who used to be Freddy Garcia, and then fell asleep offensively against his successors. The Carmine Hose went down like lambs to the slaughter against the painfully no-name Pinstripe Pen.

Jacoby Ellsbury lead off the game with his 7th home run, followed shortly thereafter by a run-scoring triple by A-Gon. David Ortiz smacked his 14th HR for the 6-1 lead in what should have been the nail in the proverbial coffin. But the vampire-like Empire tried a comeback, only, inevitably, to fail, 6-4.

Ten Telltale Days

Ten days from today, the Red Sox will return home to Fenway to play the Milwaukee Brewers. Between now and then they will play 9 road games against their closest AL East rivals—three with the Evil Empire, three with the Jays and three with the Rays.

How they emerge from that tunnel of torment may go a long way toward deciding how they will fare in 2011. Winning six of nine would likely vault them into a dominant position in the division approaching the All-Star break. A 5-4 record (the most likely result) would be a good way to solidify their role as one of the legitimate contenders. 4-5 would be problematic, but not fatal. Anything less would call into question whether they can truly compete with the 'iron' of the division.

And returning to Fenway Park is not necessarily a panacea this year—they just split a six-game homestand—so they need to continue to do well away from Yawkey Way. These ten telltale days will be interesting.

Red Sox Score Big In Round 1

The Red Sox selected 2 dominant starting pitchers (one LHP/one RHP), the top-rated catcher in the entire draft, and an outfielder who was the MVP of the 2010 College World Series. Not bad.

Boston selected UCONN RHP Matt Barnes (a devout Yankee fan) with the 19th overall pick; C Blake Swihart, a HS catcher rated the number one backstop in the draft by Baseball America with pick #26; LHP Henry Owens, a HS pitcher with the 36th pick; and CWS MVP OF Jacky Bradley, Jr. of South Carolina with the #40 selection.

Buchholz To Miss Bronx Start

According to ESPN.com, Clay Buchholz will miss his scheduled start against the Evil Empire due to back issues. Tim Wakefield will take his place on Wednesday.

Sox 'Pick 4' In Today's Draft

The Red Sox will hold 4 of the top 40 picks in today's MLB draft—mostly due to the fact that they lost top free agents Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez. Boston will have picks 19, 26, 36 & 40.

Of course, Theo Epstein has built much of the current team through picks—and has also strategically dealt a few for key trades (hello, Adrian Gonzalez!). Trust in Theo and watch the draft tonight on MLB Network—it's better than NESN's Hockey Pre-Game anyway.

The Right Field Conundrum

As the year wears on, it becomes painfully evident that the RF position is a huge problem for the Red Sox. A grand total of 10 RBIs have come out of the position—with J.D. Drew seemingly playing out the string on his Boston contract. His predictable weak ground-outs to second have become laughably inevitable.

So, what's the solution? Talk has centered on trades for Houston's Hunter Pence (.314, 8 HR, 43 RBIs) or NY's Carlos Beltran (.288, 9 HRs, 32 RBIs). Of course, the internal options are a combination of Kalish and Reddick, or (the worst of all worlds) a continuation of the current Drew/Cameron quasi-platoon.

It seems clear that Boston needs to do something different. Whether they have enough in the system to land Pence or Beltran is questionable. But they need to try.

Hottovy Era Begins!

With the loss of Rich Hill to Tommy John surgery, the Red Sox have called up 29-year old LHP Tommy Hottovy from Pawtucket. This year, he has struck out 28 in 27 innings at AAA.

FN Poll: Dueling 'Tommy Johns'

Please vote in our latest FenwayNation POLL, which asks which of the two Tommy John surgeries is worse for the Red Sox: Dice-K or Rich Hill. CAST YOUR VOTE HERE.

Dice-K To Have Tommy John

ESPN's Gordon Edes is reporting that Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka has decided to have Tommy John surgery and will inform the team of his decision today. Dice-K will likely miss an entire year or more due to the elbow surgery, which transfers a ligament from the forearm to build a new ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. While the Red Sox hoped that rest would do the trick, UCL strains quite often result in Tommy John.

Of course, this seriously complicates the Red Sox pitching rotation going forward. Tim Wakefield will replace Dice-K and Lackey will return Sunday. However, the 4-5 spots are now a total crap shoot. Look for Boston to make a deal for a real starter—beyond the Kevin Milwood circus.

In the longer term, this could spell the end of Dice-K's Boston career—even though he is signed through 2012. The bottom line is his performance never came close to the hype that produced a $103 million price-tag.

White-Washed!

What a home-stand! The Red Sox blew an early 3-run lead and capped off a sweep by the suddenly invincible White Sox, 7-4. Tim Wakefield could not hold the lead, and the bullpen finished the deal—as Albers and Papelbon coughed up an additional 3 runs.

David Ortiz continued his torrid hitting, clouting his 13th home run—which at the time tied the score at 4. Jarrod Saltalamachhia singled in two runs early, but this team is starting to regress to its early April template: lousy pitching, un-timely hitting, poor defense. Not a prescription for first place.

The Empire could pull two games ahead with a win today in Oakland.