The Red Sox scooped up a win against the Houston Astros Friday by a score of 7-3. Ryan Dempster, free agent acquisition in the offseason, notched his first win in a Red Sox uniform, going 6 innings giving up 2 runs and striking out 10 batters.

Astros pitcher and former Sox pitcher Erik Bedard was rocked, only going 3 innings giving up 8 hits and 5 earned runs. Continue reading Ryan Dempster Notches First Win in Red Sox Uniform »

On paper, the match up between the American League Cy Young award frontrunner in Clay Buchholz and far from perfect Philip Humber looked like a potential Boston blowout. And at least on this Thursday night at Fenway Park, the reality was close to those expectations.

The Boston Red Sox improved to an impressive 15-7 mark as they soared past the lowly Houston Astros 7-2. The win was highlighted by the first home run of 2013 by David Ortiz, as well as more filthy stuff from Buchholz, who struck out 10 Astros over 7.2 innings of work. The right-handed pitcher improved to 5-0 on the young season, though his ERA increased all the way up to 1.19. Continue reading Buchholz, Red Sox Breeze by Astros as Ortiz Hits First HR »

It’s hard to believe that the season is already almost an eighth over with everyone at or around 20 games played so far. The NL Central is suddenly getting a lot stronger. The Orioles, Royals and now Twins continue to do well. The Tigers and Angels continue to struggle. Many teams are makings noise and have been all season long, so let’s look at what would happen if the playoffs started as of Tuesday, April 23 at 7:05pm: Continue reading If the Playoffs Started Today – MLB Week 3 »

Before the beginning of the Red Sox game on April 20th, 2013, the day following the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, David Ortiz gave an emotional speech (caution one expletive):

In an excellent showing of understanding, Julius Genachowski, the chairman of the FCC, tweeted his approval of Big Papi’s words: Continue reading VIDEO: David Ortiz Pre-Game Speech after Boston Bombings, FCC Approves »

Jon Lester (3-0) threw seven strong innings on Thursday night while allowing two runs, four hits and striking out five in the 6-3 Boston Red Sox victory over the Cleveland Indians. The Red Sox have won six in a row and are now 11-4 on the season. The Indians are 5-9.

The Red Sox scored first for the fifth straight game thanks to a RBI single from Daniel Nava after Mike Napoli led off the second inning with a triple to right.

The Indians came back to tie the game 1-1 with a RBI groundout from former Red Sox infielder Mike Aviles in the bottom of the inning.

The Red Sox then started to pull away with a solo shot from Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the fourth and a RBI single from Dustin Pedroia that scored Jacoby Ellsbury in the fifth to make it 3-1. The first three runs were charged to Zach McAllister (1-2), who lasted five innings while giving up three runs and striking out seven. Continue reading Jon Lester, Red Sox Complete Three-Game Sweep of Indians with 6-3 Win »

The Boston Red Sox are in line to sweep the Cleveland Indians on the road after a 6-3 victory on Wednesday night. The Red Sox have now won five straight and stand 10-4 on the young season.

The game started off great as the Red Sox’ first five hitters got on base against Justin Masterson (3-1). Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a single which was followed by Shane Victorino being hit by a pitch.  Dustin Pedroia loaded the bases with a single before Mike Napoli and Daniel Nava both drove in runs with singles. Napoli drove in two and Nava one. Masterson was able to escape any further damage by forcing Will Middlebrooks to ground out to short, getting Jarrod Saltalamacchia to ground out and Napoli out at home and striking out Stephen Drew. Continue reading Red Sox Win Fifth Straight as Mike Napoli, Daniel Nava Drive in Two Runs Each »

Last week, the Red Sox made the inevitable decision that most fans disapproved of. The team sent 23-year-old Jose Iglesias back down to the minor leagues in order to activate shortstop Stephen Drew from the 7-day disabled list as the veteran returns from a concussion.

In six games with the Red Sox, Iglesias had shown off his abilities to the extreme, hitting .450 (9-20) while playing extraordinary defense. Despite his hot start, which was essentially perfect, the team knew that Drew was the 2013 starting shortstop to begin the year.

Boston signed Drew this offseason to a one-year deal worth $9.5 million, a large investment for a man to lose a starting job to a 23-year-old. And whether it be by simple association with older brother J.D., or the great start Iglesias gave the team, fans largely may have preferred to leave Drew on the bench. However, a closer look at the situation shows why Drew belongs at shortstop, as well as why Iglesias hasn’t proven anything offensively quite yet. Continue reading Red Sox Correct to Send Jose Iglesias to Triple-A »