Boston Red Sox News

Red Six Sky-high after this victory
Comment
July 29
Boston Globe
 columnist Dan Shaughnessy
"I'm in. I believe. I just saw Marco Scutaro hit a grand slam to complete a three-game Red Sox sweep of the Angels. The Sox look like they are ready for a big stretch run. The Sox just played 10 games in 10 days in three cities. They won six, lost four, and ordered room service 214 times. They looked dead in Seattle, and now they are coming home with bounce in their step and real hopes for August and September. The injured Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, and Victor Martinez returned to the active roster while the Sox were away. Someday we'll see Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury at the top of the lineup again. There's nothing crazy about the notion that this team can make up 4 1/2 games on"
Josh Beckett deals like an ace
Comment
July 29
Boston Herald
 columnist Scott Lauber
"Yesterday, for the first time since April 10, Josh Beckett was credited with a win. More importantly, he looked like a top-of-the-rotation starter. "I liked that. I liked that," David Ortiz said after Beckett, with help from Marco Scutaro's eighth-inning grand slam, pitched the Sox to a 7-3 victory and their first three-game sweep at Angel Stadium since July 31-Aug. 2, 1998. "I think the first game he pitched seemed like he was trying to go back to pre-injury. "But today, I like the Beckett I saw today." For the Red Sox, there was a lot to like. Making his second start since coming off the disabled list last week, Beckett allowed three runs, all made possible by defensive miscues (left"
Marco Scutaro's slam a welcome blast
Comment
July 29
Boston Herald
 columnist Michael Silverman
"When the Angels had to scratch starter Joel Pineiro just a couple of minutes before first pitch, the odds suddenly switched in the Red Sox' favor. Somebody in the Sox lineup, everyone figured, was going to strike a big blow at some time. Everybody figured right, but odds are the guy least expected was shortstop Marco Scutaro. It took a while for it to happen, but Scutaro blasted a tie-breaking, game-winning grand slam off of Fernando Rodney in the eighth inning. Scutaro, as low-key as they get on this roster, simply was thrilled that he could connect on the pitch he was looking for from Rodney. "Well after two strikes I was just reacting, looking for a pitch to hit. I got a changeup," said"
Time is gaining, Red Sox are not
Comment
July 29
Boston Herald
 columnist Michael Silverman
"No pain, no gain for the Red Sox. The fact that nobody cracked a rib, tore a muscle - J.D. Drew's mild hamstring issue does not count - or hurt themselves throwing a shaving-cream pie made the Red Sox' 10-day, nearly 7,000-mile journey to - and up and down - the West Coast cause for celebration. That glow, along with the 6-4 record capped by a trip-ending sweep of the Angels yesterday, should be short-lived. The truth is that even with two months left in the season, the Red Sox could use more time, yet there is nobody who can assure them there will be enough of it to right the ship and sail into the playoffs. When they left town, the Red Sox trailed the Yankees by 6 1/2 games, the Rays by"
Lackey returns to Angel Stadium, outduels Weaver
Comment
July 28
L.A. Daily News
 
"It was vintage John Lackey, right down to the scowl he makes when he sees his manager headed toward the mound with the hook. But by the time he reached his Boston Red Sox teammates in the dugout, amid mostly boos from the 40,120 at Angel Stadium on Tuesday, the former Angels ace could relax, knowing he had done his job like he had so often for the Angels. Lackey outlasted his close friend and former teammate Jered Weaver, who took a shutout into the seventh inning before a two-out, two-run double by Jed Lowrie turned the game upside down for Weaver and the Angels. Lackey, who received a mix of cheers and boos before the game, battled his way through a season high-tying 124 pitches in 7 1/3"
Pedroia is jolted by news
Comment
July 28
Boston Globe
 
"Dustin Pedroia, much to his dismay, is human. Dr. Lewis Yocum examined the injured Red Sox second baseman yesterday and informed him that the broken medial navicular bone in his left foot will need at least six weeks to heal, not the five weeks Pedroia was hoping for. "He kind of scared me a little bit,'' Pedroia said last night before the Sox played the Angels. "There's nothing really that I can do. Just time's got to heal me. He kind of told me I can't play unless I feel no pain, which isn't good."
Sox ailing on airwaves, too
Comment
July 28
Boston Globe
 
"A lackluster season is taking its toll on the Boston Red Sox — on and off the field. TV and radio ratings have fallen dramatically this season, along with many of the team's marquee names. As the injured list has grown and the Sox have settled into third place in the American League East, more listeners and viewers seem to be finding other ways to spend a few hours on a summer evening. The shrinking audiences could affect business — for the team as well as for other companies that have long relied on Red Sox fervor to drive revenues."
No good reason for no-nos
Comment
July 28
Boston Globe
 columnist Dan Shaughnessy
"Welcome to the No-Hit Zone of Major League Baseball, 2010. Must be the season of the pitch. Red Sox players stopped in their tracks a few times while warming up for the series opener against the Angels Monday night. Shagging in the outfield, Jon Lester found himself checking out the big video board in center where Tampa Bay's Matt Garza and Detroit's Max Scherzer were locked in a double no-hit bid in the sixth inning at Tropicana Field. "Yeah, I was checking it out,'' said Lester, who threw a no-hitter against the Royals at Fenway two years ago. "You always stop and look when a guy is throwing a no-hitter.''"
Lackey return stellar
Comment
July 28
Boston Globe
 
"John Lackey arrived at Angel Stadium four hours before the first pitch was thrown last night, headphones wedged into his ears and a look of grim determination on his face. Monday had been his day to say hello to old friends at the park. Now it was time to go to work. In his return to the stadium he once called home, Lackey was booed long and loud by fans who chose to remember he left as a free agent and not the eight years he was their ace, or the World Series he helped win."
Not so fast on Dustin Pedroia's recovery
Comment
July 28
Boston Herald
 
"In Dustin Pedroia's mind, he would be cleared Friday to ditch his walking boot. And by the end of next week, he'd be back playing second base for the Red Sox only six weeks after fracturing a bone in his left foot. Not so fast. Pedroia had his scheduled appointment yesterday with renowned Los Angeles-based orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum, who offered the following advice: Slow down. Pedroia hasn't suffered any setbacks, and he remains on track to return to the Red Sox' lineup within the next few weeks. But Yocum cautioned that Pedroia must wait until he's pain-free before he tries to play. "I thought, 'Oh, if it hurts, I can just play through it,'" Pedroia said. "But you really can't do that"
Jonathan Papelbon shifts gear into overdrive
Comment
July 28
Boston Herald
 
"Life is a NASCAR Ford Taurus for Jonathan Papelbon [stats] right now, and we're all just along for the ride. One of the great things about getting a chance to discover how Papelbon views and goes about his business is that he usually employs vivid, high-definition terminology and amplifies his thoughts with big-dog woofers. After enduring two of the worst back-to-back outings of his career in Denver a month ago, Papelbon has responded with one of the finest stretches of his career. He is in Ricky "If You Ain't First, You're Last" Bobby mode from "Talladega Nights." "I had a tough turn there in the speedway in Colorado, on the back end," Papelbon said yesterday, warming to his own analogy."
John Lackey outduels former understudy Jeff Weaver
Comment
July 28
Boston Herald
 
"John Lackey and Jared Weaver were good friends while they were teammates on the Angels and they remain good friends. Last night, in Lackey's first-ever return to Angels Stadium in an opposing jersey, each pitched as if nothing were more important than triumphing over the other. They wound up in a dead heat, but with the Red Sox coming out on top, 4-2, Lackey was the clear victor. "It worked out well -- we obviously needed a win, and him being a friend, you want to see him do well, too, and he's thrown the ball great,'' Lackey said. "Weave's the man, Weave's really come into his own and really had a tremendous year. He was great last year, he's really put it together and is one of the top"
Red Sox focusing on improving bullpen
Comment
July 27
ESPN.com
 
"Two teams that have spoken to the Red Sox say that, outside of trying to tweak their bullpen, they're not likely to do anything major this week. They, too, were focused on DeJesus and Werth. But now, with Jacoby Ellsbury on the verge of returning and the prospect of their roster actually getting healthy for the first time all year, they're likely to just wait, monitor where they are in the standings and see what's out there in the August waiver market."
Dunn or Willingham still likely to be traded
Comment
July 27
ESPN.com
 
"As our buddy Tim Kurkjian reported Monday, the chances of the Nationals trading Adam Dunn (likely to the White Sox) seem to be increasing with every day that goes by that they fail to make progress on an extension. But we're hearing the Nationals, in the end, could wind up trading Josh Willingham instead of Dunn. Among the many teams interested in Willingham: Atlanta, Boston and Tampa Bay. If the Nationals do deal a bat, they would either trade Dunn or Willingham, but not both."
Lackey hoping to hear cheers
Comment
July 27
Orange County Register
 
"Hope. It's really all Mike Scioscia and John Lackey have when it comes to Tuesday's game at Angel Stadium. See, Lackey is going to make his first start as a member of the Boston Red Sox in front of the fans that cheered for him for the first eight years of his career. And Tuesday, Scioscia and Lackey hope to hear those cheers again. "I hope he's welcomed very warmly by our fans," Scioscia said. But does he really think they won't boo him mercilessly for leaving the Angels in free agency to sign with rival Boston this past offseason? "I hope he's received warmly," Scioscia said. Lackey said he wasn't going to be too hyped up pitching at Angel Stadium for the first time since last year in"
Red Sox need relief, dangle Lowell
Comment
July 27
MLB.com
 
"The Red Sox's primary need at the trade deadline came into clearer focus on Sunday when Hideki Okjaima again couldn't get the job done with the game on the line. Manager Terry Francona only has two relievers he can truly count on in any situation -- Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard. The problem is that the cost for relief help around the game is exceedingly high when it comes to pitchers like Toronto's Scott Downs, but perhaps the price will drop a bit in the final hours leading up to July 31. As for players the Red Sox might part with, Mike Lowell continues to top that list. The veteran corner infielder is continuing his Minor League rehab assignment at Triple-A Pawtucket this week and"
Boston's Lackey is eager for Anaheim return
Comment
July 27
L.A. Daily News
 
"John Lackey tonight will return to the same mound where he started the most important game in Angels history. But eight years - and an $82.5 million contract from the Boston Red Sox - since winning Game 7 of the World Series for the Angels, Lackey will face his former team for the first time at Angel Stadium. "It's different here on the other side," said Lackey, who beat the Angels at Fenway Park on May 5. "I wasn't exactly sure where the clubhouse was over here. ... I had a lot of good years here and I still have friends here." Lackey was a rookie in 2002 when he earned the victory in Game 7 over the San Francisco Giants, and he went on to go 102-71 for the Angels before signing a"
John Lackey returns to familiar place
Comment
July 27
Los Angeles Times
 
"The stadium where John Lackey helped secure the most momentous victory in Angels history seemed a bit foreign Monday afternoon. Unsure of the location of the visitors' clubhouse, the pitcher entered the field from an opening in right field before descending into the dugout along the first base line. He eventually found his clubhouse locker beneath the stadium and slipped on the gray uniform of the Boston Red Sox. But the right-hander plans on making himself at home again here Tuesday, when he starts against his former team at Angel Stadium for the first time. "I won a lot of games in this stadium," said Lackey, who was 102-71 in eight seasons with the Angels and was the winning pitcher in"
A trip to see Sox' ship
Comment
July 27
Boston Globe
 columnist Dan Shaughnessy
"Reading Red Sox dispatches from Oakland and Seattle was depressing. The estimable Amalie Benjamin and indefatigable Pete Abraham kept me up to date as the Sox stumbled out West, but I had to come out here to see for myself. The SS Francona is taking on water, listing badly, and I wanted one last look before it sinks into the Pacific, under the Theo Epstein Bridge to 2011. Presto, change-o. The Sox got seven stellar innings out of Clay Buchholz and two homers from David Ortiz and beat the Angels, 6-3, last night. They are still eight games behind the Yankees and five behind the Rays, but the rotation is aligned and Victor Martinez is back and maybe there's hope. "There's no do-or-die games"
Ellsbury takes his first step back
Comment
July 27
Boston Globe
 
"You'll never guess who played in an actual baseball game yesterday. Jacoby Ellsbury started his minor league rehabilitation assignment, going 1 for 3 as the designated hitter for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox. Facing a team of Tampa Bay prospects in Port Charlotte, Fla., Ellsbury flied to right field, singled to left, and grounded to the pitcher. It was his first game since May 24."
Red Sox regain punch
Comment
July 27
Boston Globe
 
"David Ortiz belted 32 home runs to win the Home Run Derby at Angel Stadium July 12. He returned to the scene of his triumph last night and hit two more. Only this time they counted. With his team desperate for a victory, Ortiz delivered two rockets to right field that helped give the Red Sox a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels before a crowd of 40,364. Victor Martinez added an RBI single in his long-anticipated return to the lineup as the Sox improved to 4-4 on their 10-game trip. Clay Buchholz (11-5) went seven strong innings for the victory."
Daniel Bard: Red Sox 'pen may not need relief
Comment
July 27
Boston Herald
 
"Like everyone who follows the Red Sox, reliever Daniel Bard is aware that general manager Theo Epstein wants to upgrade the bullpen before Saturday's non-waiver trade deadline. But, despite evidence to the contrary, Bard isn't sure it's necessary. "It's hard to say whether adding that piece is going to help us or not," Bard said before last night's series-opening 6-3 Sox win at Angel Stadium. "A guy could have success for another team and could struggle for us. It's happened in the past. Whether or not they feel they need to make an improvement, it's not up to us. We'll welcome someone if they do bring them over. Otherwise, we have the ability with the guys we've got out there to be a good"
Home Run Derby continues for David Oritz
Comment
July 27
Boston Herald
 
"The anemic Red Sox offense could still stand to eat a couple of thick, juicy steaks. But if they can get the iron of their batting order going like they did in last night's 6-3 win over the Angels, they could finish strong. Returning to the site of this year's Home Run Derby championship, Sox DH David Ortiz belted a pair of home runs, the second a two-run shot that gave the Sox a decidedly helpful cushion as they walked away with a series-opening win. Catcher Victor Martinez, back in the lineup after missing a month with a broken thumb, also made his presence felt by delivering an RBI single on the first pitch he saw in his first at-bat in four weeks. "Like I said the other day, you have"
A good place to start
Comment
July 27
Boston Herald
 
"The Red Sox have needs to address - boy oh boy, do they - and there is no doubt about that. But with Dan Haren throwing the first pitch for the Los Angeles Angels last night and John Lackey going for the Red Sox tonight, it was a stark reminder that with just a couple of days left before Saturday's trading deadline, at least the Sox do not have starting pitching to worry about. This day and age, that is a very big deal not to have to make. Recent days have seen two excellent starters - the elite Cliff Lee to Texas and the near-elite Haren - go to contenders (Rangers, from the Seattle Mariners) or wannabe contenders (Angels, from the Arizona Diamondbacks) with one big fish - the Roy Oswalt"
Yankees, Red Sox eye Jays lefty
Comment
July 27
New York Post
 
"The Yankees and Red Sox were separated by eight games and one team in the AL East going into last night's action. However, the blood rivals are nose to nose in the race for Blue Jays' lefty reliever Scott Downs. "It's the Yankees and Red Sox," said a source with knowledge of Toronto's plans. "And he is clearly the best reliever out there." With Damaso Marte on the disabled list due to a shoulder problem, manager Joe Girardi's lone lefty option in the bullpen is Boone Logan. Thus, the interest in Downs. Fellow lefty Will Ohman is also available, but one talent evaluator said, "It's not even close between Downs and Ohman, Downs is far better."The Yankees have a scout following the Astros and"
Matsuzaka can't control when he's lifted
Comment
July 26
Boston Globe
 
"It wasn't a particularly efficient performance by Daisuke Matsuzaka against the Mariners yesterday. He walked five, threw a wild pitch, and needed 110 pitches to get through six innings. But it was effective, as the Mariners scored only one run. Matsuzaka handed a 2-1 lead to the bullpen then watched it vanish, as the Red Sox were beaten, 4-2. Afterward, Matsuzaka questioned the decision by manager Terry Francona to take him out of the game."
Hesitation pitcher
Comment
July 26
Boston Globe
 
"As his Red Sox teammates packed their bags for Anaheim, Hideki Okajima sat facing his locker in the far corner of the visitor's clubhouse. He barely moved, instead staring into space, as a club official asked him if he would speak with the media. The answer, as it has been for most of his career with the Sox, was no. So it went unexplained exactly what Okajima was thinking in the eighth inning as he glanced back at third base, then glanced back again, missing a chance to get an out at first on a bunt attempt, which eventually led to a loss to the Mariners. Even his teammates were interested in Okajima's explanation for not getting a key out in the 4-2 defeat, which meant the Sox only got a"
Wild Dice K good enough to win
Comment
July 26
Boston Herald
 
"A bullpen blowup cost Daisuke Matsuzaka a victory yesterday, so perhaps that was why he cut his media session a little short. Had he been able to maintain the command that he had recently found in his starts, he probably would have been more in a mood to dissect a Red Sox victory rather than the 4-2 series-splitting loss to the Seattle Mariners. Matsuzaka issued five walks and allowed four hits - three singles, one double - in his six innings, allowing just one run. He required 110 pitches, with the bulk of them coming in the early innings - he was at 86 pitches after four innings. Manager Terry Francona pointed to the obvious issue of the free passes as to why Matsuzaka labored through"
Red Sox bats running on empty
Comment
July 26
Boston Herald
 
"Blame it on the bullpen's inability to hold a slim lead or the defense's collective failure to successfully field a bunt, but the Red Sox' disappointing split of a four-game series against the last-place Seattle Mariners boiled down to one thing: Not enough hits. After leading the majors in runs through the season's first half, the Red Sox offense has gone eerily quiet since the All-Star break. And during the four games at Safeco Field, the Sox went 35-for-150 (.233) and scored only 13 runs, eight of which came in the series opener Thursday. "It's a little bit of everything," center fielder Mike Cameron said yesterday, when the Sox went hitless after the fifth inning and couldn't hold a"
Sox must find relief for weak spot in 'pen
Comment
July 26
Boston Herald
 
"So let's get this straight: The cloud of injuries that has hovered over the Red Sox all season mostly has avoided the bullpen, but as yesterday reminded us all, the bullpen is the Red Sox' weakest link? That not only makes the accomplishments of the injury-riddled lineup and rotation more extraordinary, but it also adds urgency with the non-waivers trade deadline Saturday for the Sox to make at least one move to bolster their relief. And if a trade comes at the expense of Hideki Okajima, so be it, because the seemingly magical pixie dust that had coated his Red Sox tenure has all but disappeared. Okajima's performance in yesterday's painful 4-2 collapse to the Mariners was reminder No. 47"
Help arrives, with a catch; Martinez return to be limited
Comment
July 26
Boston Globe
 
"Hope remains on the horizon, in the form of Victor Martinez, Dustin Pedroia, and Jacoby Ellsbury. There is the sense that the injured who have left the Red Sox' offense in tatters soon will return. Until then, manager Terry Francona has been forced to make do with a lineup that thins out dramatically. And it hasn't gone well. The Sox have scored more than four runs only once in their last 12 games, here Thursday night, and batted just .233 (35 for 150) over the four-game split with the Mariners. "A little bit of everything,'' Mike Cameron said. "We didn't get the big hit when we needed it. There were a few times when we hit the ball well and there's nothing to show for it. It's been a"
Michael Saunders' homer leads Mariners past Red Sox, 5-1
Comment
July 25
Seattle Times
 
"Before Saturday's game against Boston, all the talk from the Mariners was about moving forward. Their goal was to take Friday's very public dugout altercation and treat it as an internal matter, brushing it aside to keep the focus on winning a baseball game. Facing Jon Lester and the Red Sox at Safeco Field, there seemed little chance of forward progress. Lester, the left-handed Tacoma native, took a perfect game into the sixth inning before the Mariners caught a break. It led to Michael Saunders' two-run homer and a 5-1 victory in front 43,694. "There's a lot of people who care in this clubhouse and no one feels worse than we do when we don't play up to our expectations," Mariners manager"
Mariners get to Lester, win 5-1
Comment
July 25
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
"Another looming zero chased the Mariners throughout Saturday night. Jon Lester had done this before, throwing a no-hitter back on May 19, 2008. Saturday, the Mariners looked feeble and vulnerable through the first five innings, striking out nine times in 15 at-bats against Lester. That changed thanks to an error and Seattle's developing left fielder Michael Saunders resulting in a 5-1 Mariners win in front of 43,694. Saunders' two-run home run in the sixth cleared the decks. Gone was Lester's no-hitter, shutout and lead. It was only the second batted ball by the Mariners to leave the infield at the time, following Jack Wilson's fly to center that Eric Patterson overran. That went down as"
Here comes Cameron
Comment
July 25
Boston Globe
 
"Mike Cameron has started four straight games for the first time since the first four games of the season. In his last 10 games, the center fielder is at .361/.455/.722 with three home runs, four doubles, six RBIs and five walks. He is up to .289 on the season with a .350 OBP and has an OPS+ of 107, which means he is an above-average offensive player. Slowly but surely, the lower abdominal tear that wrecked the first half of his season is healing and Cameron is becoming a force again. This is the guy the Red Sox signed, the player who covers ground in center and hits for power. Cameron made several plays last night that he could not have a few weeks ago because his body would not have"
It all falls apart for Lester, Red Sox
Comment
July 25
Boston Globe
 
"As Jon Lester walked off the mound at the end of the evening, leaving his teammates three outs to redeem themselves, his head remained down until he reached the steps, when he took his glove and slammed it on the bench. The disappointment and anger was understandable, the game having spiraled from brilliance to ERA-expanding frustration. Not only had Lester exceeded his career high with 13 strikeouts, but he had allowed the Mariners just four hits over 7 2/3 innings. And he could be excused for being slightly off his game in an at-bat that followed one of the most disappointing moments a starter can experience. He allowed a two-run home run to Michael Saunders after Eric Patterson"
Thumbs up for Victor Martinez
Comment
July 25
Boston Herald
 
"It was the verbal equivalent of a thumbs up. Asked how the fracture at the tip of his left thumb responded to catching right-hander Clay Buchholz' bullpen session yesterday, catcher Victor Martinez said he's hoping to return to the lineup when the Red Sox play in Anaheim, Calif., this week. "I feel pretty good," Martinez said. "I'm pretty much there. Almost there." The final step may come today when Martinez watches the series finale against the Seattle Mariners from the bullpen and helps warm up the relievers. If he's able to tolerate the pain from fastballs hitting his mitt, he may be activated from the disabled list before tomorrow night's opener against the Angels. "It's not in"
Rotation armed for fight to finish
Comment
July 25
Boston Herald
 
"In winning 3-of-5 games to start this West Coast trip, the Red Sox flexed their most powerful muscle: their arms. Despite a stumble here and there, including last night's 5-1 loss to the Mariners, the rotation primarily, as well as the bullpen, had showcase moments that remind one and all that the Red Sox do possess what it takes to make the playoffs. Their pitching will take them there, plain and simple, so forget about the slumps and swoons or the surges and streaks that are going to come from the lineup. Hitters usually get more streaky than pitchers, and in the Red Sox' case, their pitchers are starting to settle into a groove out here on the Left Coast that promises both more"
Plea to Theo Epstein: Hold your horses
Comment
July 25
Boston Herald
 columnist John Tomase
"The floundering Red Sox need help. Their bullpen is thin. They lack outfield depth. They could probably use a catcher. General manager Theo Epstein certainly knows all this. His Red Sox have been dealing with it all year. But with the trade deadline less than a week away, here's what Epstein should do over what are sure to be six frenzied days: Nothing. The Red Sox, as currently constituted, are simply too flawed to make a serious run at the World Series, and any deal that negatively impacts the team's future in even a minute way should be avoided at all costs. There are no quick fixes here. The Red Sox are either going to win when the cavalry returns, or they're not. Picking up a spare"
No craps in Daisuke Matsuzaka rolls
Comment
July 25
Boston Herald
 
"In professional sports, many players get more credit than they deserve. A few don't get enough. Daisuke Matsuzaka [stats] is beginning to fall into the latter category. If you were to believe many of the things said and written about him you'd think Matsuzaka hadn't done a thing since he arrived on the Red Sox [team stats] with a $103 million price tag four years ago. While he has not become what the Red Sox expected, he has won two-thirds of the games where he gets the decision (44-24, .647 winning percentage), has gone 3-1 in five postseason starts and, with the exception of an injury-riddled 2009, has been a better pitcher than his critics want you to believe. Matsuzaka has become a"
Heathy return for Sox
Comment
July 24
Boston Globe
 
"As the question was asked, a hint of a smile played across Josh Beckett's face. He answered, his pause emphasizing what came next. "A long time,'' he said, when asked how much he'd been looking forward to getting back on the mound, to trying to rectify a season that had gone awry over the first month. It was with that anticipation in mind that the Sox watched Beckett throw a 94-mile-per-hour fastball to Ichiro Suzuki in the first inning last night, the first pitch he'd thrown in a major league game in more than two months. He was last seen walking off a rain-soaked Yankee Stadium mound May 18, a time when no one believed it would take until nearly the end of July to see him again."
Josh Beckett back at it
Comment
July 24
Boston Herald
 
"In what might as well have been his 2010 debut, Josh Beckett [stats] acquitted himself quite well last night. In 5 2/3 innings against a weak Mariners lineup, Beckett allowed just one run off five hits, striking out five but walking three. He earned a no-decision in the 2-1 Sox win. Considering he was just 1-1 with a 7.29 ERA when he last pitched May 18, and the Red Sox [team stats] had been a 20-20 at that time, Beckett's first portion of the season was a complete wash before he came down with a back problem. He missed 56 games, but the Sox went 34-22 and gave him all the time he needed to come back as close to 100 percent as any pitcher can in late July. To his credit, no real rust"
Not down on Michael Bowden
Comment
July 24
Boston Herald
 
"To be clear, the Red Sox' decision yesterday to send right-hander Michael Bowden back to Triple-A Pawtucket wasn't a referendum on what they think of his ability to help the bullpen. Quite the contrary, actually. "We're certainly not afraid to use him," manager Terry Francona said before last night's game. "When we called him up (last Sunday), we didn't want to send him back, but we're not allowed to play with 26 players." The Sox had to create a roster spot for right-hander Josh Beckett, activated from the disabled list to make his first start since May 18. Bowden or reliever Scott Atchison were the most likely to go, and the Sox have come to value Atchison for his ability to throw"
Dustin Pedroia's timetable unchanged
Comment
July 24
Boston Herald
 
"Circle, with a pencil, the dates of Aug. 6-9, the Red Sox [team stats]' series with the Yankees in the Bronx, for the return of Dustin Pedroia [stats]. He no doubt will try to come back sooner, like on the prior homestand against the Tigers and Indians, but sticking to a six-week minimum timeframe for the broken navicular bone in his left foot to heal appears to be the plan for the club's hobbled heart and soul. "Just time," Pedroia said before last night's 2-1 win against the Mariners about what is preventing him from playing right now. "The fracture's not going to be healed for six weeks. We're trying to push it as much as possible. My biggest thing is if it's not healed at six weeks, I"
Reborn starter a big deal for Sox
Comment
July 24
Boston Herald
 
"The Yankees can go get Dan Haren if they want. The Red Sox [team stats] got Josh Beckett [stats] back last night and from the looks of him after a two-month layoff, the late July acquisition rivals anything any other contending team outside of the Rangers and Cliff Lee could want. Sox manager Terry Francona put into perspective Beckett's start in last night's 2-1 victory against the Seattle Mariners with just two operative words. "So encouraging'' was the way Francona began to describe the 5 2/3 inning start by Beckett, who allowed just one first-inning run, five hits and three walks on 98 pitches and finished with five strikeouts. Given how thin the Mariners lineup is, the start was"
Beltre's reception lukewarm
Comment
July 23
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"Adrian Beltre's return to Seattle this weekend poses a quandary. When Beltre stepped up to the plate for the first time Thursday, the polite response from baseball's most polite fans would have been to enthusiastically applaud a two-time Gold Glove third baseman who gave the Mariners five solid if unspectacular seasons between 2005 and 2009. Then again, as Beltre's 2010 statistics flashed up on the Safco Field scoreboard (.339 batting average, 16 home runs, 61 RBI), another response – just as logical – would have been a sustained round of jeers toward the former free agent who never came close to delivering on the expectations associated with a $64 million contract. Beltre scored that"
Beltre says he wanted to stay in Seattle
Comment
July 23
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
"Hindsight so often is a damning process. So it is with former Mariner Adrian Beltre rolling into town with the Red Sox. After five seasons in Seattle, Beltre became a free agent, who, as he tells it, wanted to return to the Mariners. If he had returned to the American Leagues poorest hitting club, and had the same kind of season he's having for the Red Sox, he would lead the Mariners in every offensive category. That didn't happen. Beltre says he first wanted a multiyear deal with the Mariners, meaning two or more. Once he saw a team being assembled that he considered a contender, Beltre says he was willing to do a one-year deal. "Going back, when I saw what Jack did with the team, I"
Who could the Red Sox sell? Here's a list
Comment
July 23
Boston Globe
 
"The Red Sox are probably one loss away from panicked cries that they need to become sellers at the trade deadline. But there are two problems with that: 1. The Red Sox have sold an awful lot of expensive tickets for their remaining 31 home games. Giving up would not play well with the customers. 2. Who, exactly, do they have to sell? The first issue can be dealt with. The tickets are already sold and half the people walking in the park on a given day are there for the experience, not the pennant race. The second issue is much more tricky. Let's try and group the players:"
Beltre warmly embraced
Comment
July 23
Boston Globe
 
"The Red Sox piled out of their dugout two hours before they played the Mariners last night to stretch, then take batting practice. But Adrian Beltre was distracted from the usual routine. He hugged Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu. Then, after shaking hands with general manager Jack Zduriencik, Beltre pulled him into an embrace. Seattle center fielder Franklin Gutierrez was next in line, followed by several assistant coaches and even the trainers. "Adrian made a lot of friends here,'' Wakamatsu said. "You couldn't ask for a better teammate or a player who is more professional.''"
Ugly or not, it counted for the Sox
Comment
July 23
Boston Globe
 
"It was an ugly win, that's for sure. What else can you call a game when you lose a 6-1 lead in the ninth inning after your pitcher loses a no-hitter in the eighth? "That's a tough way to win," Terry Francona said. But the Red Sox are in no position to rate victories at this point. So the music was on the clubhouse and everybody was stopping by Eric Patterson's locker to congratulate him on his two-run double that won the game. Patterson has nine hits since joining the team, six of them for extra bases."
Extra special in Seattle
Comment
July 23
Boston Globe
 
"As the stadium rocked, as the Mariners celebrated, the reaction was the opposite in the Red Sox dugout, the defeat evident in their actions. Across the diamond, Mariners players stood on the top step of the dugout, their arms over the railing as the Sox batted in the 10th. Just one player stood at the railing in the visitors' dugout, Dustin Pedroia, flanked by Dave Magadan and a pair of trainers. Everyone else stood back. It only worsened by the 12th. The Sox' railing was empty, not a single player in view. It seemed as though they didn't want to watch any more. They likely weren't alone. The joy had nearly vanished from this game as night deepened in the Pacific Northwest, most of New"