Francona Wins Big in Return to Fenway

Connelly’s Top Ten: Rask Falls on Face

Bruins Lose 4-3 in OT as Rangers Fight to Stay Alive

For the Bulletin Board: Lundqvist’s “Lucky Bounces,” Savard’s “#ByeByeTorts”

More Abysmal Pitching Crushes Red Sox

That’s eight starts, and the only really good pitching performance wasn’t backed up with offense. This time, Clay Buchholz couldn’t even get out of the 4th inning, and the Yankees crushed their arch rivals 9-4. Once again, they were outclassed, this time by a much better Yankees team, starting pitching aside. Despite Derek Jeter getting caught stealing in the 1st, an error, a walk and two doubles in the 2nd put Boston up 2-0.

Boston cut the deficit in half in the 3rd, but in the 4th, Russell Martin, a very good pickup in the off-season for New York, blasted a homer over the Green Monster when Buchholz threw a curve ball right over the middle of the plate. After alternating two outs and two singles, Buchholz was lifted in favor of Felix Doubront after just 3.2 innings.

In the bottom of the frame, Boston had runners on the corners with one out, and Robinson Cano had a chance to pick up a double play, but couldn’t handle the ball out of his glove and only got one force out, resulting in a run scoring. The resulting single and double afterwards plated two more runs, making it 5-4 when it should have have been just 5-1. Still, the extra two might not have scored anyway, but with Jacoby Ellsbury running, Derek Jeter covered the bag, enabling Carl Crawford to single where Jeter would have been standing otherwise.

But in the 5th, Curtis Granderson got to Felix Doubront with a two-run homer to New York up by three. Despite chasing starter Ivan Nova from the game after 4.1 innings, Boston couldn’t capitalize. Former Yankee Alfredo Aceves gave up homers to Cano in the 6th and Martin in the 7th, making it 9-4, before Tim Wakefield shut New York down. But despite attempting runs against Luis Ayala in the final two innings, it was simply too late, and Boston dropped to 1-7.

Sox’ Stud of the Game: Tim Wakefield

Wakefield threw two perfect innings (including a strikeout) in what was otherwise a mostly terrible game. Dustin Pedroia and Jed Lowrie each had three hits (three doubles and two RBIs for Pedroia), but in the end that meant next to nothing.

Sox’ Dud of the Game: All the Other Pitchers

Game Notes:

W: David Robertson (1-0)
L: Clay Buchholz (0-2)

• Boston was 1/17 with RISP and left 10 men on base. NY was 2/7 and left eight on base.
• Jed Lowrie started at short in lieu of Marco Scutaro.
• In the latest lineup shifting moves, Jed Lowrie was in the 7th spot while Ellsbury slipped down to 9th.
• Four Red Sox starters (Crawford, Youkilis, Salty, Ellsbury) have sub-.200 averages.
• Only two Boston starters (Pedroia, J.D. Drew) have averages above .300.

Tags: Alfredo Aceves, Carl Crawford, Clay Buchholz, Dustin Pedroia, Felix Doubront, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jed Lowrie, Marco Scuatro, New York Yankees, Red Sox, Tim Wakefield