AL east - season thread

[rich1uk]

First topic message reminder :

first series of the season between the two and despite being very very early it could be a big one for the redsox

having been swept in both series so far they really need a good weekend, i am not suggesting they would be out of it if they have a bad weekend, it is way to early for any knee jerk reactions like that, but they wont want to fall too far behind early and the longer the remain winless the more pressure they will be under.

one good thing for the redsox is they are going to be facing the back of the yankees rotation

yankees have had a good start at 4-2 but really should have swept the twins but blew a 4-0 lead in game 2. probably best sign for the yankees is that their big players have made good starts at the plate and russell martin looks like he is the player he was before his injury.

lets hope for a good weekend and for the redsox to remain winless

[teassoc]

Scary moment for Romero last night. Good win for the Jays who seem to be finding form again after some re-shuffling.

First game I ever saw live was Jays - Yankees in 1993. Supported the jays ever since. Go Jays.

[rich1uk]

yankees had a load of chances to win last night but couldn't convert them , bautista is proving to be a real difference maker for toronto and showing last season wasn't a fluke

[teassoc]

yankees had a load of chances to win last night but couldn't convert them , bautista is proving to be a real difference maker for toronto and showing last season wasn't a fluke

Bautista's new contract was a big talking point amongst the Jays fans. Many thought it was going to haunt them like the one for Wells' was starting to look like. Right now he seems even better than last season. The team as a whole will have to contribute more otherwise pitchers will just pitch round him. In that respect a lot is now expected of Lind who is batting right behind Bautista.

As far as last night's game was concerned, I didn't expect Romero to get away with a bases loaded, nobody out Jam, that followed yet another fielding error by Encarnacion.

[rich1uk]

the yankees were quite lucky in one way that the game did not really get away from them early , garcia allowed alot of base runners in the early innings but managed to avoid the big innings

as the game went on tho it was reversed and the yankees kept getting men on but couldn't get the clutch hit that was needed

for me thats one of the big differences between the team since the start of last season , damon, matsui and melky cabrera were very very good clutch hitters , and while overall the guys we have replaced them with put up better numbers , we miss those crucial hits at times i think.

[calamity jane]

Yay! Got tickets for the Red Sox vs the Cubs in a couple of weeks.

[HHealer]

Yay! Got tickets for the Red Sox vs the Cubs in a couple of weeks.

Nice. Hope you didnt pay too much for them, . Wicked hard to get? Where are the seats?
Hoping to get along myself later in the summer when Im 'home', we usually try to visit family around Lawrence/Methuen, head to Cape Ann (The better Cape, imo) and catch the Sox. If we dont do it this year, will try to go a couple of times next year, it being 100rd year of Fenway and all. Enjoy the game Jane. Hey, Bruins on a roll, lookin good!

[HHealer]

The Red Sox faced 3 of the AL's best the last three days, Hernandez (Sea) Weaver and Haren (Angles) and won all three games! 3-0 for the month of May. Bats are getting hotter and hotter, Gonzo is starting to look like he's made for Fenway. Looking forward to a good month from the Sox.

[calamity jane]

The Sox have looked really solid so far this month. Hope they can keep it up.

I'm not too sure where we'll be sitting when we go. My husband just casually mentioned last night that he'd booked the tickets. It's our wedding anniversary that weekend so he thought that would be a fun way to celebrate it (birthdays and anniversaries always involve sporting events). I've promised myself that one day I'm going to watch a game from the Green Monster.

The Bruins are indeed looking good, but after last year's epic collapse, I'm not allowing myself to get too excited.

[rich1uk]

how long can the yankees keep faith with posada as everyday DH , the switch has just not worked for him and surely sentimentality can only go so far

he has more strikeouts so far this season than hits and walks combined , is sitting on a batting average of .150 and an on base % of .238

i know hes in the final year of his contract and unless he has a miraculous turnaround wont be re-signed but can a team afford to carry someone at DH with those numbers

[HHealer]

Any Rays fans on here? Even if your not, do you think the Rays are for 'real' and can they keep it going all season?
The AL East is looking extreamly tight this year, should be a white knuckle ride from now till Sept. I wonder who will break first? The Yanks maybe! Or have they already but its probably the O's as usual, then ??.

[HHealer]

Went to sleep in the 6th last night, down 6-0 to the O's, annoyed.
Woke this morning to an 8-6 win for the Sox! Gonzo walk-off.
let the good times roll..... Over .500 now, Gonzalez for MVP !!!

[calamity jane]

So you went to sleep just as the comeback started? Great timing.

It was a fantastic fightback. Pedroia was amazing. Really looking forward to going to the game against the Cubs on Sunday. We're in the stands behind first base. And looking at the weather forecast, I'm glad we're far enough back to be under cover.

[HHealer]

So you went to sleep just as the comeback started? Great timing.

It was a fantastic fightback. Pedroia was amazing. Really looking to going to the game against the Cubs on Sunday. We're in the stands behind first base. And looking at the weather forecast, I'm glad we're far enough back to be under cover.

Yes, missed the comeback. It was just like the 'Mothers Day miracle' game from a few seasons back.

Grandstand tix on Sunday night right? Last time I sat in the Grandstand my back was stiff for the rest of the day! As the seats were these small old uncomfortable ones from circa 1912. Well maybe not that old But 'throwbacks' none the less. I think these have now been pulled and are been sold on Redsox.com so you should be fine in the new seats Enjoy the game hope the weather stays good.

[calamity jane]

I've seen that Mothers' Day game so many times on NESN. It seems to be on a permanent loop with the Clay Bucholtz and John Lester no-hitters. Actually, Thursday is the anniversary of the Lester no-hitter, so no doubt we'll be seeing it again.

I'm not convinced they've changed all the seats yet. I'm pretty certain some of them are originals. And you're right; they're extremely uncomfortable. We try and catch a couple of games a year, and I reckon I must have sat just about everywhere in the ballpark over the last four years. Not had seats on the Green Monster yet though.

[calamity jane]

And no baseball from Fenway Park tonight. Game postponed because of the rain (it is absolutely vile here). Which means I can concentrate on watching the Bruins (after Saturday night's performance, this may not be a good idea)

[teassoc]

Jays are currently the hotest team in the MLB. So watch out Boston!

I've tickets for their game on 10th June.

[calamity jane]

Cool! I've seen the Jays play the Red Sox a couple of times at Fenway, and they were both high scoring games. Very entertaining for me as a relative newcomer to the game, but probably not one for the purists who enjoy a good battle between the pitchers.

Right, back to a very foggy Fenway Park where the Red Sox are playing Detroit. Currently 0-0 at the top of the second.

[rich1uk]

better couple of days for the yankees after a bad run

long game last night and i was worried we had blown it after rivera blowing the save in the 9th , was a little surprised girardi took colon out of the game and didn't give him the chance at the complete game, his pitch count was very low for the 8 inings he went, i always feel a bit sorry for a pitcher who doesn't get the win in these games

colon really was very good last night and has been a bit of a revelation for the yankees, if he keeps this up he must be an absolute certainty for the comeback player of the year

[Gaelic-Warrior]

Dissapointing for the Yanks last night as the Mets edge it 2-1 in the first game of the subway series. Some good pitching from RA Dickey limited the Yankees to 4 hits and a single run. We took the lead in the 3rd inns with Tex's home run but Martinez tied the game at 1-1 in the top 4th and in the 6th Danny Murphy sealed it for the Mets with his homer.

Really frustrating atm, we have good performances against the orioles and in our second game against the rays but seem unable to replicate that in games like these. We can't afford to keep having these slumps in form when it really matters, especially with us slipping down the AL East table as TB & the sox are on fire right now, Boston beat the cubs 15-5 last night.

[teassoc]

A bit of a meltdown by the Jays bullpen last night gave Houston the win. It would otherwise have given Jo Jo Reyes his first MLB win since 2008!

Horrible way to lose but great of course if you are the beneficiary.

The only consolation was that the Rays and Yankees both lost.

[calamity jane]

It's all very close now.

Tim Wakefield was immense last night for the Red Sox against the Cubs. Hard to believe he's 44 years old.

The whole series against the Cubs made for a great weekend with the Sox blowing out the Cubs in the first game, but followed that with an eighth inning collapse in the second. For that one, both teams were wearing throwback uniforms from 1918 and many of the announcement were done via a megaphone rather than through the PA system.

I went to the third game and it was a good one. As I said, Wakefield was right on the top of his game and the Red Sox won 5-1. Great seats right behind home-plate with excellent views of Wakefield's knuckleball, Bard's fastball and then Papelbon closing things out.

The Red Sox are in Cleveland tonight, but we're in a rain delay at the moment.

[kwinigolfer]

jane,
We might have some fun on here, what with me being a Yankee fan here in Red Sox Nation (God, I hate that phrase), but a Tim Thomas (and Martin St.Louis) afficionado.
Yankees got several guys punching way below their weight right now, make hay if the sun ever shines!
Haven't been to Fenway for a few years (decades?) but once missed Yaz's 3,000th hit by one day!

[calamity jane]

Timmy!!!! Love him to bits. In fact I've just turned over to the baseball while the hockey is in its first intermission. It's not looking good for my Bruins. Currently down 1-0.

Bad luck on missing Yaz's 3,000th hit. If it's any consolation, I missed John Lester's no hitter a couple of years ago because I went to Wrigley Field for my wedding anniversary rather than Fenway Park.

I'm an honorary Bostonian by the way. I moved here from the UK about four years ago initially on a six month contract, but decided to stay.

[kwinigolfer]

Sounds like Timmy T was standing on his head last night. We used to watch him when he and Martin St.Louis (and another Stanley Cup winner) were all playing for UVM, fifteen years ago! Still occasionally see MStL around town, apparently a great guy.
Haven't seen the Red Sox since the Expos got sent to Washington; my children were teenagers when the Expos were suffering their death spiral in Montreal - inexpensive tickets, easy to come by on the day of the game, seats behind homeplate to watch the nightly Vladi Guerrero and Orlando Cabrera exhibitions et viande fumee sarnies. Used to get to about half a dozen games a year. Went down to "The Stadium" last year, but the whole project is just too expensive from here - haven't been to Fenway since the 80's but my lad gets to a game or two each year.
Bad evening for both of us last night, Yanks just not hitting.

[HHealer]

Looking forward to the Red Sox taking over top spot in the AL East this weekend what with the Yankees tough West coast swing over the next ten days. They have Pineda, King Felix and Vargas in Seattle then Cahill, Anderson and Gonzalez in Oakland before going on to Anaheim for 3. The Sox have the Tigers for 3, Chicago for 3 at home then the A's for 3 at home also.

As for the Rays they face the Indians and Rangers at home before begining a west coast trip of their own against the Mariners and Angles. In fact that road trip is an eleven game trip on the West and East coasts. After the Angles they fly back East to Baltimore before going to Detroit for a make-up game then its back home for 3 against the Red Sox. The month ahead should show us just how tough the Rays are.

The Jays end May with the White Sox and Indians before going on the road to Baltimore and then Kansas for 4. Already four games back they cant afford to fall to far back even in June. The O's are another AL East team that head to the West coast this week, 3 games each versus the A's and M's before coming back to face the Jays and A's. Looks like the O's are heading to the basement for the Summer..... As usual this century. Poor O's fans!

[WhiteCamry]

As of today:

NYY 31-23 .574 -
BOS 30-26 .536 2.0
TBY 29-27 .518 3.0
TOR 28-28 .500 4.0
BAL 25-29 .463 6.0

[Gaelic-Warrior]

Aye, despite a 3-2 loss in Anaheim last night we are still top of the AL East.
Looks like we're not doing quite as bad in the west as you predicted, eh Healer. After re-finding our good form we convincingly beat the Mets twice before heading out west. Then we had a 7-1 win against seattle despite narrowly losing the 2 previous games then we swept the A's with relentless ease. TB not as hot as they have been recent with a 3 game losing streak.

[calamity jane]

Anyone watching the Red Sox vs. Angels game? The game was moved to an afternoon start so that fans could watch it and then watch the Bruins game in the evening.

It's currently 8-8 and just about to go into the 13th inning.

[CFCNick]

No, they're showing Cubs @ Cards on ESPN America and USA vs Spain on ESPN

[CFCNick]

It's 4-4 headed to the 10th

[calamity jane]

Red Sox won 9-8 in the 14th.

Now watching the Cubs game. Bottom of the 10th, bases loaded, one out. Cubs are under a lot of pressure here.

[CFCNick]

I suppose you wouldn't of seen the Reds last night calamity. The Fox Ohio commentators were ribbing on this guy for 2 hours after he dropped a foul ball right on this girls back. Quite entertaining whilst I was fighting sleep.

[calamity jane]

haha, no I didn't see that. I saw one earlier this year where a guy ducked out of the way of a ball and his girlfriend got hit instead.

Are you planning on watching the Bruins v Canucks game tonight? I quite fancied going to the pub to watch it, but I've got a 10k road race tomorrow morning so thought I ought to lay off the beers and stay at home.

[CFCNick]

Yeah I'm planning on watching the Br**ns, but the longer the Cubs-Cards game goes on I think ESPN America will join it in progress to not tick off baseball fans. It's already gone 45 mins over. I'm missing NHL On The Fly LOL

[CFCNick]

Pujols couldn't have timed it any better

[HHealer]

Red Sox won 9-8 in the 14th.

The Sox nearly threw that one away. Papelbon had a 4 run lead coming on in the ninth and ended up being tossed out, as did Varitek, arguing the size of the strike zone. Pap was responsible for all 4 runs in the 9th inning. I was listening on radio and boy the innings 9 to 13 made for a hard listen before they won it in the 14th.

This was a must win game IMO, as the Sox have Lackey V. Anderson tomorrow Lackey's first game since coming off the DL, so it's fingers crossed for a good outing.

[Gaelic-Warrior]

Good win for us against the angels last night. We won 5-3 and outhit LAA by 11 to 10. Two good homers from Tex in the 3rd inns and in the 5th with granderson coming home, then swisher hits his 5th of the season in the 8th inns. We're on a good wee streak here winning 6 of our last 7 games.

That win leaves us at 33-24 at the top of the division and we've got a chance to extend that lead with the 3 game home series against the red sox starting tomorrow night.

[kwinigolfer]

Been a Yankees fan for almost 35 years but am sick and tired of the Red Sox throwing at our hitters with impunity. Never mattered when they were useless, but Pedro Martinez started it and now everyone's doing it including John Bloody Lester.
Good for the Red Sox if they can get away with it and they always have done except when Don Zimmer got off his frame and tried to take down Martinez. Not a peep from Girardi, not a warning from the umpire, not a retaliatory pitch thrown in anger. Pathetic.
Boston surely, rightly, whine when Nathan Horton is incapacitated, what's the difference?

[HHealer]

Been a Yankees fan for almost 35 years but am sick and tired of the Red Sox throwing at our hitters with impunity. Never mattered when they were useless, but Pedro Martinez started it and now everyone's doing it including John Bloody Lester.
Good for the Red Sox if they can get away with it and they always have done except when Don Zimmer got off his frame and tried to take down Martinez. Not a peep from Girardi, not a warning from the umpire, not a retaliatory pitch thrown in anger. Pathetic.
Boston surely, rightly, whine when Nathan Horton is incapacitated, what's the difference?

What are you talking about!! Lester, (correct spelling of first name is Jon) was eratic tonight plus if Tex is going to put his knee over the plate it will get hit. Those 2 HBP's were not intentional. Get over it. "Not a peep from Girardi", yeah because he knew it was not the norm from Lester. What about when Joba was hitting Youk every chance he got for no reason? Bet you didn't mind pitchers hitting batters then! Go have another piece of cheese my green mountain friend, take a deep breath....and relax.

[kwinigolfer]

Joba only throws at Youkilis so that's OK!
Yes, sorry about Lester's spelling, extra H for hit batter.

[HHealer]

Joba only throws at Youkilis so that's OK!
Yes, sorry about Lester's spelling, extra H for hit batter.

I did think the Yanks were going to come back and hit Youk for the Tex plunking, just because he's Youk. But they know better, "dont make the Youk angry, you wouldn't like it, if he's angry". It can get very ugly!

Sorry for infering that Vermonters only eat cheese, I know you also eat your other State food, Ben & Jerrys quiet a bit also (any flavor will do)

[WhiteCamry]

As of today:

NYY 33-25 .569 -
BOS 34-26 .567 -
TBY 32-29 .525 2.5
TOR 31-30 .508 3.5
BAL 28-31 .475 5.5

***

I'm disappointed - nay, shocked - at the O's failure so far. When Buck Showalter took over last year they were 32-73, a .304 percentage; after he took over they went on a 34-23 run - a .596 percentage! A turnaround like that from a simple change of manager could only portend a serious threat to the established order in the next year.

Well, it's next year ... ain't it?

[kwinigolfer]

Healer,
Actually an admirer of Lester, especially with all the health stuff he's bounced back from - relatively quick game last night, 3 hrs 24 mins, good for Yanks / Red Sox. Apparently the first time in 25 years that Red Sox won the first four of the season series at the Stadium.

[HHealer]

I'm disappointed - nay, shocked - at the O's failure so far. When Buck Showalter took over last year they were 32-73, a .304 percentage; after he took over they went on a 34-23 run - a .596 percentage! A turnaround like that from a simple change of manager could only portend a serious threat to the established order in the next year.

Well, it's next year ... ain't it?

It's still close in the standings and earlyish in the season but I do agree the O's have been disapointing. Let down by pitchers again it seems. Their the kinda team that will win 3 or 4 maybe sweep a series then go and lose 6 in a row and look really bad doing it.

[WhiteCamry]

I'm disappointed - nay, shocked - at the O's failure so far. When Buck Showalter took over last year they were 32-73, a .304 percentage; after he took over they went on a 34-23 run - a .596 percentage! A turnaround like that from a simple change of manager could only portend a serious threat to the established order in the next year.

Well, it's next year ... ain't it?

It's still close in the standings and earlyish in the season but I do agree the O's have been disapointing. Let down by pitchers again it seems. Their the kinda team that will win 3 or 4 maybe sweep a series then go and lose 6 in a row and look really bad doing it.

And the sad thing is, Showalter will most likely take the fall for it rather than that cheap George-Steinbrenner-wannabe, Peter Angelos. At least Steinbrenner knew how to pry open his wallet and spend the money.

[Gaelic-Warrior]

Good win coming back from the red sox debacle with an 11-7 win against the Indians. Interesting I've mentioned before how every time I see the red sox play us we always seem to have our batters being hit with Boston pitches. We've been hit a few times at the plate in that last series and now Cleveland is at it too with FC getting stuck into Tex with a fastball after the graderson homer . No wonder, I think Girardi had had just about enough of it.

Thankfully Tex came back after the punishment he got from Carmona and Lester before that in the red sox series in the 7th to hit against Durbin.

KEEP IT UP YANKS!

[HHealer]

And the sad thing is, Showalter will most likely take the fall for it rather than that cheap George-Steinbrenner-wannabe, Peter Angelos. At least Steinbrenner knew how to pry open his wallet and spend the money.

I hope Showalter doesn't get the chop come September, he is a fine manager, but of course wouldn't be surprised if Angelos gave him the boot.
They have won their last 4 (as of Friday 10th) but have a really tough road ahead. After a home stand V. the Rays (won first game 7-0!) They have 9 road games versus Jays, Nats and Pittsburgh, then its home to face the Reds, Cards before going away for 10 more games against the Braves, Rangers and 4 in Boston! One hell of a tough run which will take them up to the halfway point in the season.
This could break the O's and may usher the start of Showalter been shown the door in Camden Yards.

[kwinigolfer]

Colon on the 15-day DL, Joba scheduled for Tommy John surgery Thursday; Yankee pitching potentially decimated.
Time for Burnett to stand up and be counted; haven't heard much about Hughes - he could be the answer if his head's right.

[HHealer]

Good night for the Sox, Yanks lost 1-0 to Cleveland in NY while Tampa Bay were beaten 2-1 in Detroit.
Sox lead AL East by 2.5 over NY (one game in hand)

[Gaelic-Warrior]

Good game in our series against the Texas Rangers with another 12-4 victory last night. Tex led the way hitting two home runs from both sides of the plate taking his homer tally to 21 for this season.

Boston still in the lead in AL East with their 3-0 win against tampa.

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