Jon Lester (10-4) held Philadelphia scoreless for seven innings as the Red Sox avoided a sweep with a 5-2 decision over the Phillies on Thursday. Lester allowed just two hits in those seven innings and had five strikeouts.
1
more ›
Results tagged “jasonvaritek”
The Red Sox (38-26) won their eighth game in a row with a resounding 16-4 display against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Boston dropped seven runs on Toronto in the fifth inning to highlight an 18-hit attack. The Sox are appearing to be as good as advertised in their current hot streak and are now have the best record in the American League.
The Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-2, for the first time in four games in 2011. The Sox (26-22) are a half-game behind the Yankees in the A.L. East. Boston's battery provided the power last night. Josh Beckett (4-1) was the leader from the mound with 6.2 innings of work that included just one run on five hits. He struck out six and lowered his ERA to 1.69. Jason Varitek belted a two-run home run in the seventh inning to deliver the winning run. Varitek also threw out two baserunners trying to steal.
The Red Sox website gave us a 'Tek Check today. He's going strong at 38 and counting. Jason Varitek has anchored the Red Sox for a decade and has embraced being the backup/mentor to catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and an extra coach in the locker room. He's worked hard to stay fit enough to contribute inhis 14th year. "You can only play this game for so long, and as long as your body holds out and you can be productive and do things, I love playing," he said.
The Red Sox played two games on Saturday, both exta innings, and broke even. Considering J.D. Drew was the only startng player in the 7-6 nightcap win who was on the roster for Opening Day, a split might be a success. Saturday was really memorable because Mike Lowell was honored for five seasons in Boston. The Globe says that Carl Yastrzemski was the last Sox player honored like Lowell.
The other shoe has dropped. After weeks on life support, the Red Sox learned once and for all last night that their presence will not be expected in the 2010 postseason. Sigh.
The Boston Red Sox claimed Johnny Damon off of waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Really.
- Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics have agreed on a new contract, just days after the captain opted out of his contract. The Herald reported the new deal, which can't be signed until July 8, is a four-year agreement worth $61 million. Pierce joins Doc Rivers in deciding to stay in green.
- Jason Varitek is the newest addition to the Red Sox disabled list with a fractured foot. He's gone for 4-6 weeks. He joins, well, almost an entire team on the DL. Kevin Cash was acquired from the Astros for shortstop Angel Sanchez.
And, for only the second time this year, they've won two straight games against two different teams! Things are startin' to come together. We reserve the right to backpedal tomorrow or at any point.
Step aside, Boston Bruins. Your reign as winners of the "Most Half-Assed and Lethargic Performance In A Playoff Game" award didn't even last for 24 hours.
Because for about eight minutes last night, the Celtics played sloppy and graceless basketball. Then they looked up at the scoreboard and noticed Cleveland was playing right there in the muck with them. Then they turned it around, seized every opportunity, and hammered the Cavs 120-88. LeBron James? As much of a factor as Shelden Williams - the King was 3-for-14, listless, and didn't score a field goal until well into the second half. Cavaliers adjustments to James' poor play? Well...we're still waiting.
After 200 pitches, over 3+ hours of baseball, and an hour-long rain delay, nothing was accomplished as the first game of 2010 between the Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays was suspended until Saturday because of rain. The game begins again tonight at 7:10 p.m., according to the Globe.
Josh Beckett earned his new, Texas-sized paycheck on Friday. The ace of (the) Sox completed seven innings and allowed one run on four hits, and allowed no runs or hits in the ninth. Unfortunately, for Beckett, his effort got him no decision.
We've got wins to cover. We've got a playoff matchup set, and another one developing with some bad blood. We've got near-injuries and shocking displays of power. And we won't mention T---- W---- or golf once, except for just now. Let's get started.
The Celtics AND the Bruins? Both winning in solid fashion against inferior opponents on consecutive nights? Has the world turned upside-down?
He wasn't the man of the hour - we'll get to that - but we're not going to pass up a trip through the headlines on a night when Miroslav Satan scored the game-winner for the Bruins. The Globe: "Satan has a hand in Bruins' win". ESPN: "Satan scores lone goal in SO...". And probably more, but it's hard to Google his name without getting sucked into the Internet for hours.
Sure, he may be the most expensive backup catcher in history. And maybe his stats aren't what they used to be, and even those stats aren't what they were a few years ago. But even if Jason Varitek the catcher is past his expiration date, Jason Varitek the heart of the Red Sox and the captain is still around. And still, we hope, worth the $3 million he decided to accept yesterday.
Have the Bruins turned the proverbial corner?
After a solid month of alternating ups and downs, followed by a couple of weeks of unqualified downs, the B's finally notched their first honest-to-goodness winning streak of the season, beating the staggering Penguins 3-0 last night at the Garden
It's a busy time for Boston sports. The Bruins are preparing for tonight's game against the Penguins, most likely sterilizing everything any player could possibly touch while hoping that Saturday's absolutely brilliant play wasn't just a fluke. The Patriots are gearing up for Sunday's showdown with Peyton and Company, curious about how Dan Koppen could - or could not - factor into that equation. The Celtics, while off to a 7-1 start, are working on fixing what has appeared recently to be some pretty Shaq-like free throw skills.
Man. It seems like it's been forever, doesn't it? At least a week and a half since we had very much local to talk about.
Tazawa's arm, Youk's bat keys to victory
The day after a historically bad pitching performance overwhelmed a more-than-adequate offense, the Red Sox pitching and hitting came together for a rout of their own as they dominated the Yankees, 14-1, in an important win for the team.
While Terry Francona has managed to avoid the full brunt of Red Sox fans' fury over the years - that's what winning a couple of world championships will do for you - he is not immune from the way Red Sox fans love to backseat manage. We all know that there are times at which there are at the very least two philosophies at play in Red Sox Nation: What Would Terry Francona Do (WWTFD1) and What Would the Fans Do (WWTFD2).
It sounds like Bob Ryan wants to be able to watch baseball while keeping his head buried in the sand. Steroids may be more of a Hall of Fame/legacy issue and the reason that is the case is because the history of baseball occupies a much larger place in the present and future of the game than other sports. Bostonist keeps hearing that from people like Ryan, anyway. Sox fans can still follow steroid-scandal news and a box score, Mr. Ryan. Steroids are a fact of life in baseball now, and nothing is going to change that for quite some time.
The Sox are home, everyone's pumped for the Fourth of July, the weather is finally something not to be suicidal about...everything's great. Except that the Sox can't seem to beat Seattle.
Some days you win, some days you lose, some days you can't buy a hit off a guy suffering from the flu.
Tommy Hanson, who started for the Braves and shut down the Red Sox 2-1, told his roommate/carpool friend Kris Medlen to be ready to start, because he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it. The Braves waited for Hanson between inning with wet towels and plenty of fluids. Then he went back out and humbled the Sox again. "If he was sick," said a grim Terry Francona, "I really don't want to see him when he's not sick."
Five of the six RBIs for the Red Sox came from David Ortiz and Jason Varitek? Is it 2003 already?!?
The Red Sox rotation is going through a little upheaval right now. But not Josh Beckett. This guy's job isn't going anywhere.
This was the kind of Red Sox game we've been waiting for. Well, mostly.
On the strength of a no-hit bid by Josh Beckett (he got into the seventh untouched) and some powerful offense, the Sox dusted the Tigers 10-5. A two-run J.D. Drew homer in the first got things started, and it was a 4-0 lead when the wild and crazy eighth inning started. In the top half, the Sox sent ten men to the plate and scored six of them, with back-to-back RBI doubles by Ortiz(!) and Varitek putting the game out of reach.
Unless they meet the Twins in October, the Red Sox played their final game in the unlovable Metrodome, and Terry Francona couldn't be happier. "I think this place stinks. This ballpark stinks." Between the plastic roof (colored the same as a baseball), the giant A/C vents, and the listless crowds that are there 90% of the time, it's hard to disagree.
Well, Red Sox fans - it's OK to hate instant replay now.
For the first time since it was hurriedly instituted late last season, the umps went to the tape last night at Fenway, reviewing what was called a double by Omir Santos, realizing that it hit the angstrom unit between the top of the wall and a ledge, and called it a home run. A game-winning, pefect-Jonathan-Papelbon-season-spoiling home run. 3-2 Mets. Papelbon on instant replay: "No. Not a fan of it."
Whew. All the crisis counselors can go back now. All the newspapers ready to print articles like "How To Talk To Your Kids About David Ortiz" can run something else instead. Rosary bead sales will be down today. Big Papi's finally put one out.
Sometimes, you just have to tip your hat. And that's what we're tipping this morning, to Carolina goalie Cam Ward, after he survived 36 furious Bruins shots to shut out our home team and tie their series 1-1. It's too early in the series to tip anything else, but local packies are on notice.