Second Line Preview

The most important signing the Boston Bruins organization made this past summer was the contract-extension of David Krejci. GM Peter Chiarelli inked the center for 3 years at $3.75million a year. In his second year Krejci was one of the hottest players in the league and the Bruins have extremely high expectations for the Czech Republic center. Krejci tallied 73 points last season and some of his success can be attributed to his wings Michael Ryder & Blake Wheeler.

David Krejci C – In his second year Krejci is listed as Probable for Thursday night’s opener vs. Alexander Ovechkin & the Washington Capitals. Krejci is a playmaker and he knows his job is to set up goals.

Blake Wheeler LW – After a successful rookie season, the 23-year old out of Minnesota has reportedly put on 10-15 lbs of weight to enhance his physical play. The Bruins express the importance of having a Power forward-Playmaker-Shooter; it is a strategy and system of hockey that works in Boston. Blake Wheeler is still going to be able to dangle around defensemen throughout the league and if I were them I would think twice about going into the corner with him.

Michael Ryder RW – Ryder was picked up two summers ago coming from the beloved Montreal Canadians. Ryder, a previous 40 goal scorer, wants to exceed that plateau again after producing only 27 goals for the Bruins last season. Ryder took some time to get into a groove last season but every shot served as a scoring opportunity. He joined the first powerplay group towards the end of last season, so look for him to be a go-to shot with a man-advantage.

Check out the first line preview.

Patriot Play Call

It was 4th and 1 on our own 24-yard line with 5:19 remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Pats lead only 16-10, but Belichick decided to go for it. The play-call was a hand-off to RB Sammy Morris who was lined up in the fullback posisition with Fred Taylor deep, and the play was good for two yards. The result after the conversion was a drive that took up most of the remaining time in the quarter and resulted in a Gostkowski field goal making it a two-possession game.

We all know BB loves to go for it on fourth down, but this was a pretty ballsy in a one-possession game deep in our own territory. Luckily the play call and execution resulted in a conversion, and it ultimately was the key play in the game as the Falcons did not score again.

Notes:
-Jerod Mayo is off crutches. Great news.
-The Patriots signed yet another former Raider to the squad: DL Terdell Sands. The 6'7" 335 pound lineman inked a two year agreement and will add depth on the d-line as perhaps Wilfork's backup. When Wilfork left the game this past week, rookie 6th round pick Myron Pryor took most of his snaps.
-To make room on the roster, newly acquired LB Prescott Burgess was waived and assigned to the team's practice squad. The Patriots will not send a pick over to the Ravens unless Burgess is active for X number of games, so we didn't give away a pick for nothing.
-It was a bit peculiar that the team only had three CBs listed as active Sunday. Jonathan Wilhite, who was not on the injury report all week, was a late scratch. Wilhite reportedly pulled his groin running from two men that were parked outside of his house on Sunday morning as he was running to a convenience store to call 911. That's pretty insane.
-Look for a Raven/Pats preview on Friday.

Red Sox Playoff Bound Despite Loss

Buchholz couldn't keep the ball down in the zone tonight and the results weren't good. Clay served up five homers in his worst outing in over a month. Although the Sox were in a deep hole, they nearly strung together a huge comeback with a five run seventh inning that included RBI doubles by Youk and Papi and a three-run homer by JD Drew. However, in the end they came up a run short despite making it interesting in the ninth. The offense did have opportunities putting up 14 hits, but ultimately shot themselves in the foot with four double plays.

Texas, however, lost to the Angels (our first round opponent to be) again and they are mathematically eliminated from Wild Card contention. Now that we have clinched, look for the team to rest players more the final few days.

NOTES:
-The pitchers going the next few days: Wakefield tomorrow, Lester Friday, Beckett Saturday. Hopefully all three get through their outings without any setbacks to their respective injuries.
-The Sox today called up RHP Fernando Cabrera from Triple-A Pawtucket. Perhaps the only reason he wasn't already up was because he was not on the 40-man roster because he had some great numbers for the PawSox this year (1.71 ERA in 52 2/3 IP). He should eat some innings the rest of the way and could get a look in the pen in '10. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Sox moved 1B Aaron Bates to the 60-day DL.
-Lowell should get one more day off after he recieved his cortisone shot and be back in the lineup on Thursday. Casey Kotchman has been drawing some starts with Lowell out, as he continues to try and find his stroke while adjusting to his bench role.
-Nick Green's knee is still bothering him. Hopefully he can get back out there before the season's over because the team could use a healthy Green on the postseason roster. Lowrie still hasn't batted right-handed since returning from the DL, and his wrist is not 100%.

Inside Boston Sports News

Dear readers,

It's been a crazy couple of months to start off the blog.

First off, I would like to thank those who have been reading and those who continue to join and make the site part of their daily reading.

I would like to introduce the staff of the site as well, as we are just about rounding off the crew that will be writing for you.

Carl Desberg (that's me): I will be writing about the Red Sox, Celtics, and Patriots

Joe Bliss: Joe will be writing about all things Red Sox.

Ryan Gold: Ryan will be the editor of the site and will be reading over mostly every post to make sure it is a smooth read for all of you. Ryan also will be contributing to Patriots posts when he can.

Paul Roth: Paul just joined us, and he will be writing about the Bruins when he can.

It is a pretty solid group, and we will do our best to continue to make this a one-stop spot for all things Boston sports in between our school work.

Also, if you have any questions, comments, ideas, etc, please email us at insidebostonsports@gmail.com anytime!

Thank you,

Inside Boston Sports

Boston Bruins First Line Preview

My name is Paul and I will joining insidebostonsports.blogspot.com as a Bruins correspondent. I am very passionate about the B's and I hope to share my feelings about the B's with you.

As the Boston preseason has come to a close, Claude Julien’s roster seems to be taking shape. Widely talked about is who will fill the spot of recently traded RW Phil Kessel. Kessel was the leading scorer for the Bruins last year with 36 goals. He was dealt for a 1st and 2nd pick in the 2010 Draft along with another 1st round pick in the 2011 NHL draft. Depth is a factor leading to Kessel’s departure making Marco Sturm a good candidate for the first line along with Lucic & Savard.

Milan Lucic LW – Luc kept himself busy this summer training/ trying out for the Canadian Olympic team. Milan was restricted in his physical play during camp but is just trying to represent his country during the 2011 Winter Olympics inside of his hometown Vancouver. Aside from staying in shape, look for Lucic to flash more shades of Cam Neely this season, while displaying his combination of goals and bone-crushing hits.

Marc Savard C – Savard was being used cautiously due to a knee injury in the preseason, but is 100% going into the season. Savy accumulated the most points for the B’s last season with 88, including 63 assists. He is one of the games most prolific passers and a huge threat on the Boston power play. Expect another All-Star performance out of 91 this year because he is craving a Stanley Cup.

Marco Sturm RW – Marco Sturm is making his return back into the Bruins limelight after missing last season after having to undergo knee surgery. Sturm, a short and swift winger, is a fan favorite in Boston for his offensive promise in the past. Sturm wants to make up for last season, and he should be expecting a lot of passes his way from Savard, to put in the net.

Look for a second line, third line, fourth line and defensive preview before the season opener on Thursday versus the Capitals.

Patriots Win 26-10

It wasn't pretty, but a win nonetheless. The Patriots found themselves in a dogfight at halftime before an uncharacteristically animated Tom Brady delivered a inspirational halftime speech. Brady's antics must have worked because the team showed up big time in the second half. The Pat's dominated time of possession with 23:39 minutes to the Falcons 6:21. Assisting along the way was Fred Taylor who continually pounded out tough yards to help the Pat's finish 7-10 on 3rd and short and 3-3 on fourth down (including a critical 4th and 2 on our own 24 in the 3rd quarter in a six point game).

Now, let's take a look at last weeks preview and see how the Pat's fared.

Keys to the game:

5. Matt Light vs. John Abraham (CHECK)

Not only did Matt Light hold John Abraham to zero sacks and two total tackles but collectively the Patriot's offensive line had there best game of the season. They yielded zero sacks and only two QB hits all day long. The O-line will look to build on this performance when they face a stout Baltimore Ravens front.

4. Beware of Tony Gonzalez in the red zone. (CHECK)

I wrote in my preview "look for Coach Belichick to hit Tony at the the line of scrimmage and shade a safety over the top." Thats exactly what Belichick did. Coach routinely had someone hitting Gonzo at the line of scrimmage and utilized various double team schemes to limit Tony to 1 catch for 16 yards.

3. Pressure Matt Ryan. (MISS)

Despite an average pass rush that generated no sacks and only three QB hits, the Pat's were able to keep Ryan uncomfortable all day. They took away his new favorite target Tony Gonzalez, and eliminated the run game. The defense managed to hold Ryan and the offense to two total first downs the entire second half.

2. Establish the run game. (CHECK)

Fred Taylor had his best game as a Patriot and is proving to be a worthy off-season pickup. Sammy Morris contributed with hard fought yards all day and Kevin Faulk was his reliable self seeing 9 total targets on the day. Look for the Pat's play calling to be more run-oriented in the future.

1. Don't let Michael Turner get going. (CHECK)

The run defense came to play early on and forced the Falcons to abandon the run in the second half, where Turner saw only three total touches. Good work by the big guys up front for playing physical football and holding a strong running team to 58 total yards rushing.

The Patriots executed 4/5 key match-ups. That is a recipe for success against any team. The Patriots will take on a strong Baltimore Ravens squad next Sunday and look to build on this win.

Props to the entire defensive and offensive lines. The O-line gave up no sacks and had its first 100 yard rusher of the season. The D-line forced no sacks, but it was a solid preformance against a good offensive line.

Celtics Media Day

Now that's motivation (from CelticsBlog.com)

Ah, basketball is back. There will be much anticipation over the next month until the Celts tip off for real.

KG is practicing 5 on 5 and has 'no restrictions.'

Tony Allen will be limited early as he recovers from a torn tendon in his ankle suffered this summer.

The team has until October 31st to extend Rajon Rondo. IF they do not do so by that date then he will be a restricted FA after the season. Danny Ainge said today that he wants Rondo to be the team's PG 'for the next 10 years.'

Rondo added 11 pounds of muscle in the off-season. Awesome.

No point guard was brought in to compete for a backup spot, so it appears that it is rookie Lester Hudson's job to lose for the 15th roster spot.

Thick Michael Sweetney was brought into camp. The former Bull and Knick has reportedly slimmed down, and wants to rejuvenate his career.

Training camp starts tomorrow in Newport, RI.

First preseason game is October 7th at Houston.

Sox Lose Again

Michael Bowden drew the start tonight after Beckett was a late scratch and the youngster did not impress. The 23-year old right-hander gave up seven runs in three innings of work, and he clearly needs yet more seasoning at the Triple-A level. The terrible outing brings his season ERA to 10.80 in 16 1/3 innings of work. Hunter Jones entered in a 7-3 game and gave up any hope of a comeback in the rain yielding four runs in 1 1/3 innings. Dustin Richardson, who was just called up today, got into the action too. With the pen heavily used over the weekend and Bowden moving into the rotation, the Sox called up the 2006 5th round pick. The 6'6" Richardson is intriguing and had great success this season between Double and Triple-A (2.55 ERA). Delcarmen finally pitched a clean inning to finish off the loss.

The offense put up five runs tonight mainly with the help of the long ball. Youkilis went deep twice on the night and brought his season totals to .305-27-90. Papi also went yard again and is up to 28 long balls and 95 RBIs.

It's tough to judge these past few games. The pitching hasn't really been reflective of the pitchers we will be using in the postseason, so we have been working from behind. The offense is starting to get into a nice groove though, and the line-up is becoming deep.

NOTES:
-The game went just seven innings due to rain.
-Francona hoped after the game that Beckett could go on Saturday. As it stands now, if the Sox make the playoffs (which they most likely will) they will open up on Thursday. That would put Beck on normal (not extra rest). I'm sure they won't let him throw more than 80 pitches if he goes Saturday though.
-1B/OF Chris Carter was designated for assignment to make room for Richardson on the 40-man roster. Carter was reported one of the players that was supposed to be going to the Mets as part of the Wagner deal.
-Texas is losing 8-0 in the fifth inning. If they lose the magic number will one. Any Sox win or Ranger loss would result in a clinching of the Wild Card.

Red Sox Notes

-Michael Bowden will start tonight versus the Jays, as Josh Beckett was scratched due to back spasms. Hopefully the back is OK, and this will give Beckett the rest that he had previously requested heading into the playoffs. Tonight's lineup:

Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Martinez, C
Youkilis, 3B
Ortiz, DH
Bay, LF
Drew, RF
Kotchman, 1B
Gonzalez, SS

-Mike Lowell received an injection in his hip today. This is the second one he has had this season to held subside pain in the area. He will sit for a couple of days and get a few more at-bats before the postseason.

-Jon Lester was able to throw his side-session today in between starts. There was some concern after he was hit in the ankle against the Yankees, but it does not appear to be a lingering problem.

Also, please look for a recap of the Patriots game tomorrow.

Patriot Inactives and Preview

WR Wes Welker, LB Prescott Burgess, CB Darius Butler, RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis, LB Jerod Mayo, OL Rich Ohrnberger, OL Kendall Simmons, and CB Jonathan Wilhite.

Edelman will try and do his best Welker imitation again. With Butler and Wilhite out, the Patriots will be a bit thin at CB today too.

It's raining at Gillette, so hopefully we can run the ball and stop the run. Interestingly, Michael Smith just reported on ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown pointed out this is Atlanta's first outdoor game all season (including preseason).

Re-post of today's preview:

Atlanta Falcons (2-0) vs. New England Patriots (1-1)

Sunday 1:00 PM - FOX

Favorite: Patriots -4

Over/Under: 46 1/2

After a tough divisional loss last week to rival the New York Jets the Patriots will look to rebound this week against a hard-nosed NFC squad in the Atlantic Falcons. The Falcons are off to a impressive 2-0 start under second year man Matt Ryan and there is no question they are going to make us earn the win come Sunday.

Keys to the game:

5. Todd Light.....wait no I mean, Matt Light's match-up against John Abraham must not go under the radar. The winner of this match-up could very well be the difference in the game. Abraham is a savvy-vet whose adept at stripping the ball. During week one he abused 2008 first overall pick Jake Long for two sacks. Lights pass blocking has diminished over the last three seasons but we'll need him to manage Abraham in order to win.

4. Beware of Tony Gonzalez in the red zone. The future hall of famer is at it again. At 33 years old he's proving he can still play at a high level. Gonzalez has quickly developed chemistry with Ryan and has caught one touchdown in each game this season. Gonzo's best stuff usually appears near the goal line where he remains one of the best in the league at any "jump ball" situation. In the red zone look for Coach Belichick to hit Tony at the the line of scrimmage and shade a safety over the top.

3. Pressure Matt Ryan. Ryan is capable of more than managing the game. If the Patriots allow him to sit in the pocket untouched, he will pick them apart. Ryan is developing into a star, but still needs to prove he can win against upper-echelon teams who hit and pressure the quarterback well. If the Patriots can fluster "Matty Ice" the Pat's will be in good shape.

2. Establish the run game. The Falcons have a lot of change over on the defensive side of the ball. They'll look to replace veterans, Keith Brooking, Michael Boley, Lawyer Milloy and rookie 2009 first round pick, Peria Jerry (defensive tackle) who is on the I.R. With all this turn-over in personnel the run defense has suffered, giving up 120 yards per game. If the Pat's can get Maroney and Taylor going early Atlanta will have to stack the box allowing Brady to expose the one on one match-ups outside. If we win these match-ups, we'll win the game.

1. Don't let Michael Turner get going. Atlanta's offense is based around their ability to run the ball. Despite leading the league in carries last season with 377, Turner's usage has not been limited thus far. Through two games he's averaged 25 carries a game. Turner is a tough runner with great balance and a nose for the end zone. The Pat's will try to take him out of the game and make Ryan win his first career match-up against Tom Brady.

CC Sabathia is Pretty Good

The Red Sox got mowed down again today by CC Sabathia, mustering only one hit in seven innings against him and being set down on strikes eight times. He was dominant, throwing strike one to almost every hitter, mixing speeds, and placing the ball effortlessly wherever he wanted in the strike zone. He earned that 19th win. Matsuzaka did his best to out-duel him, but came up just short, throwing seven innings and giving up just one run on a solo HR by Cano. He worked out of some serious jams with the help of great defense and more focus on location. The only down side of his stat line was the 3/5 K/BB. Luckily for him, he's untouchable with the bases loaded. One more game left in the series with Paul Byrd as our potential savior...I'm not holding my breath either.

NOTES:
-V-Mart managed to extend his hitting streak again.
-There were a lot of empty seats behind home plate and on the baselines at Yankee Stadium. Maybe the economy isn't getting better or maybe even no New Yorkers are willing to pay $500 a pop for Sox-Yankees tickets in September
-Lowrie got his first start this month today (0-2) and we'll see if he's the backup infielder on the playoff roster considering he's only hitting right handed right now.
-Boston is 7.5 games back of NYY, and 6.5 ahead of Texas, magic number still at 3 for the playoff spot.
-Sox clinched a losing record on the road for the year. Hopefully they'll still be able to win the big road game in October when it counts.

Please Don't Be Hurt

The Red Sox lost tonight's game 9-5 in New York against the Yankees. The loss isn't nearly as big a story as the fact that Jon Lester had to leave the game in the third inning thanks to a line drive off the knee from Melky Cabrera. Lester immediately went to the ground and rolled around in pain. If he can still pitch, then no big deal. We can disregard the 5 runs and 8 hits as long as he can make his next start on schedule and be 100% for game 1 or 2 against the Angels. If however he misses a start and is limping around on the mound like Tim Wakefield, we're in trouble. Big time. Here's hoping he's alright (apparently it's a quad contusion).

NOTES:
-V-Mart extended his hit streak with a solo HR.
-Michael Bowden came in after Hunter Jones and threw 2.1 innings. He looked good at first, striking out three, but left having given up 2 runs. He could be the fifth starter next year (with Wakefield) so his success against NY could be big.
-Lowell had the night off tonight, so expect him back in tomorrow.
-Tito said in an interview that Varitek would catch two of the three games in the series. Tek was awful tonight as much as I hate to say it. The Yanks, who don't even run much, ran all over him. Eck had some good commentary, saying Lester never lets guys run, but they ran all over Tek. There was a stat in Texas that Tek had only thrown out 8 in 102 runners and it's only gotten worse. He's hitting under .200 since the break and not even blocking balls behind the plate. I'm sorry but he's a backup at best at this point.

Final Red Sox - Yankees Preview of 2009 (Maybe)

The Red Sox make their final visit of the season to the new Yankee Stadium this weekend. The season series now stands at 9-6 in favor of Boston, meaning they've already clinched a split of the season series (despite losing six of the last seven). The Yankees seem to have the advantage heads up lately, but since the four game sweep in Yankee Stadium, Boston has the best record in the Majors at 29-13. Most of that is due to Clay Buchholz solidifying the third starter spot and the combination of Victor Martinez, Jason Bay, and David Ortiz all being hot at the plate. Honestly, this series matters very little in the grand scheme of things. The season series is settled, both teams are essentially locks for playoff spots, and both teams will probably be more focused on setting their rosters for the playoffs than anything. Obviously, Red Sox - Yankees is always big, especially with fans, but unless something big happens (benches clearing brawl, Joba trying to hit Youk again, injury, etc), the real action will be in the ALCS in October (hopefully).

Friday 7:10 NESN Jon Lester (14-7, 3.33 ERA) vs Joba Chamberlain (8-6, 4.72 ERA)

Saturday 4:10 FOX Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-5, 6.80 ERA) vs CC Sabathia (18-7, 3.31 ERA)

Sunday 1:10 ESPN Paul Byrd (1-2, 6.04 ERA) vs Andy Pettitte (13-7, 4.15)

GAME 1

Lester appeared a bit more human in his last start, giving up 10 hits in 6 innings, but there's no reason for concern. He's still a bonafide ace and big game pitcher and should certainly deliver another quality start, if not a gem. Joba has really struggled since August 1st when the Joba Rules kicked in, with a 7.87 ERA and barely 3 innings per start. The general consensus is that his confidence is shot not being able to pitch without one eye on his pitch count and the other on who's in the pen behind him. Even before the innings concern these past two months, Joba still didn't have good numbers against Boston, so a betting man would pick this game as the best chance for a Sox win.

GAME 2

Daisuke Matsuzaka has been a new man since his return from the DL, granted that neither of his two starts came against New York. In two starts, he's put up a line of 11.1 IP, 11 hits, 3 ER, 10/4 K/BB. Much better numbers and his pitch counts have been much more manageable. It's not necessarily about getting the W in this game for Dice-K, as long as he can mix up his pitches and hit his spots with regularity. The Bombers have an intense lineup and it's tough to imagine a guy with just a couple recent starts under his belt holding them scoreless (unless your name rhymes with Shmunichi Shmazawa). CC is CC; he'll probably finish the year with most wins in the AL and possibly steal the Cy Young away from a more deserving Zack Greinke, but none of it matters unless he does it in October.

GAME 3

Paul Byrd has been a decent innings eater for Boston lately, giving up big innings early, but working his way through five or six innings to save the bullpen. As long as he keeps from having to burn the bullpen, the results are secondary. Andy Pettitte pitches well against Boston, especially at home, so things don't look great for the Sox, but that's why they play the games.

Sox Escape KC with Two Wins

After dropping the first two games against KC, the Red Sox came back to take the final two of the series. Next, they will head to Yankee Stadium for the rivals' final match-up of the season.

Clay Buchholz, who has nine quality starts in his last ten outings was superb this evening. After 6 2/3 scoreless innings, Clay dropped his ERA to 3.21. Even more impressive was his 8/0 K/BB ratio. His wildness is beginning to subside and he is becoming more consistent in the strike-zone. Ramon Ramirez (3 ER in 2/3 of an inning) and Takashi Saito finished off the game and allowed the Sox to save the big guns for this weekend in the Bronx.

The offense went for 10 runs with the help of four KC errors. Ortiz and Ellsbury had 3 hits a piece, while Pedroia, V-Mart, Kotchman, and A-Gon each chipped in two a piece. Ortiz added a HR (26), and three RBIs (91), while Ellsbury swiped two bases (thats 66 on the year folks).

MORE:

-Youkilis and Drew got the night off. The Sox will continue to rest the regulars as they head into the grind that is postseason play.

-Wakefield will go Wednesday instead of Tuesday because the team is trying to align the rotation.

****Look for a postseason roster preview by early next week. Will the Sox keep three catchers? Who will be the fourth starter? Who will be the odd-man out in the pen? Questions to be answered soon!

Patriots vs. Falcons Preview

Former BC alum Matt Ryan will square off

against Tom Brady in their first career match-up.

Atlanta Falcons (2-0) vs. New England Patriots (1-1)

Sunday 1:00 PM - FOX

Favorite: Patriots -4

Over/Under: 46 1/2

After a tough divisional loss last week to rival the New York Jets the Patriots will look to rebound this week against a hard-nosed NFC squad in the Atlantic Falcons. The Falcons are off to a impressive 2-0 start under second year man Matt Ryan and there is no question they are going to make us earn the win come Sunday.

Keys to the game:

5. Todd Light.....wait no I mean, Matt Light's match-up against John Abraham must not go under the radar. The winner of this match-up could very well be the difference in the game. Abraham is a savvy-vet whose adept at stripping the ball. During week one he abused 2008 first overall pick Jake Long for two sacks. Lights pass blocking has diminished over the last three seasons but we'll need him to manage Abraham in order to win.

4. Beware of Tony Gonzalez in the red zone. The future hall of famer is at it again. At 33 years old he's proving he can still play at a high level. Gonzalez has quickly developed chemistry with Ryan and has caught one touchdown in each game this season. Gonzo's best stuff usually appears near the goal line where he remains one of the best in the league at any "jump ball" situation. In the red zone look for Coach Belichick to hit Tony at the the line of scrimmage and shade a safety over the top.

3. Pressure Matt Ryan. Ryan is capable of more than managing the game. If the Patriots allow him to sit in the pocket untouched, he will pick them apart. Ryan is developing into a star, but still needs to prove he can win against upper-echelon teams who hit and pressure the quarterback well. If the Patriots can fluster "Matty Ice" the Pat's will be in good shape.

2. Establish the run game. The Falcons have a lot of change over on the defensive side of the ball. They'll look to replace veterans, Keith Brooking, Michael Boley, Lawyer Milloy and rookie 2009 first round pick, Peria Jerry (defensive tackle) who is on the I.R. With all this turn-over in personnel the run defense has suffered, giving up 120 yards per game. If the Pat's can get Maroney and Taylor going early Atlanta will have to stack the box allowing Brady to expose the one on one match-ups outside. If we win these match-ups, we'll win the game.

1. Don't let Michael Turner get going. Atlanta's offense is based around their ability to run the ball. Despite leading the league in carries last season with 377, Turner's usage has not been limited thus far. Through two games he's averaged 25 carries a game. Turner is a tough runner with great balance and a nose for the end zone. The Pat's will try to take him out of the game and make Ryan win his first career match-up against Tom Brady.

Extras:

- Atlanta's kicker Jason Elam is dealing with a hamstring. Its worth noting he missed two field goal attempts in the opener.

- Wes Welker returned to practice Thursday but appear limited.

- The Patriots traded a conditional seventh-round pick for Prescott Burgess (LB). He will contribute on special teams and add depth at linebacker.

Just Saw This on NESN

Looks like Josh Beckett won't be getting the rest he wanted before the postseason. The Sox will most likely slide him into a spot where he can start game one of the postseason on five days rest.

Check the post below for an entire recap of last nights game.

Finally a W in KC

A night after being completely shut down by perennial Cy Young winner Zack Greinke (one run, three hits) the Sox exploded tonight.

The fifth inning included a two-RBI triple by Jacoby (his 10th of the season), a two-run single for J-Bay (he's up to 115 RBI's after a strong September), and RBI singles by Pedroia and Papi. The Sox entered the inning down 2-0 and finished it up 6-2. Papi added a 3-run BOMB in the ninth for insurance, and is now up to 25 homers and 88 RBIs.

Beckett, who recently expressed he would like some extra rest heading into the postseason walked a tight rope tonight. He only allowed two runs in six innings, but scattered 12 hits while striking out seven and walking one en route to his 16th win. Oki, Wagner, and Paps combined for three scoreless innings to finish off the the win.

We'll go for the series split tomorrow night.

NOTES:

-The Sox reached 90 wins for the third consecutive season.
-V-Mart has a 22 game hit streak; he's batting .349 over that stretch.
-Last time V-Mart caught Beckett his line was seven runs in 5 1/3 IP.
-Reliever Hunter Jones who saw action earlier this season was added to the roster today. The team needed more depth after using mop-up guys the past two nights. No corresponding move was necessary because of the expanded rosters.
-Jed Lowrie has not batted left-handed since returning from the DL with a troublesome wrist. He'll be the main backup infielder this weekend with Nick Green (leg) out. The Sox also have Chris Woodward as insurance. Lowrie will need to step it up because if Green's injury lingers, Jed will most likely find himself on the postseason roster.
-The Sox will give Wake the start on Tuesday in Toronto. It would be unfair to judge Wake on his last rain-plagued outing. As a result, the Sox will give him another turn.

Celtics Training Camp Soon

Celtics notes.... six days away from the opening of camp:

-Its clear the Celtics are going to baby Garnett this season. He has yet to play in full contact drills, and it seems the team will continue to keep him at 30 minutes per game like they did last year before he went down. With Baby and Sheed backing up KG and Perkins look for the C's to limit KG's minutes early on.

-Ainge has stated publicly that he will open up contract negotiations with Rajon Rondo. Despite many trade rumors this offseason, the Celtics know they must lock up the well-rounded Rondo. On the contract negotiations Ainge added that, "those conversations won't take a long time." Sounds like music to our ears.

-Where will newly acquired G/F Marquis Daniels' value lie? The 6'6" Daniels won't be relied on to shoot the ball much, but hopefully can contribute on the defensive side of the floor...... James Posey anyone?

-Scal has avoided basketball drills this offseason to avoid further concussions. He suffered at least two last season, so it was obvious he needed to take it easy. Despite filling in for KG and Powe last year during the postseason, the team has better depth this year and Scal could find himself packing his bags due to his expiring contract.

-The team has 14 players under contract with the league max being at 15. The team has three options in my eyes: a) stay at that number which will give the team flexibility b) sign a veteran backup PG or c) sign second round pick G Lester Hudson. Tough choice.


This is the beginning of our journey back to the top. Here we come championship banner number 18.

A Less Than Forgettable Game

The Red Sox are in the midst of a four game series with the Kansas City Royals and everyone outside of Kansas City (and some inside) expected four wins from the Sox. It looked like a foregone conclusion after Boston took a 6-0 lead with Jason Bay's three run home run off old friend Lenny DiNardo. DiNardo surrendered eight runs in five innings, but was bailed out by his offense and a Boston issued 11 walks.


Wakefield was barely able to finish 5 innings, leaving with an 8-5 lead after giving up a three run homer to Mike Jacobs. It seemed Tito tried to leave him in long enough to qualify for the win, normally this is a bad decision. Delcarmen replaced Wake going just 0.2 innings before being bailed out by Bard to finish the sixth, but not before giving up a walk, three hits, and four runs. Bard took the loss because he allowed two runs on two hits, but to his defense he was brought into a tough situation thanks to MDC. Boston couldn't muster much offense after DiNardo left, finishing with just one run in four innings against Yabuta, Wright, and Soria who got the save.

Paul Byrd is on the mound tonight against Zack Greinke... the series sweep isn't looking to good.



NOTES:
-Victor Martinez extended his hitting streak to 20 games.
-SoxProspects.com released their minor league season award winners and all stars this week. I'll do a post entirely devoted to these players and their seasons, but the winners are:

Offensive Player of the Year: Ryan Lavarnway (C, Greenville)
Pitcher of the Year: Casey Kelly (P, Greenville/Salem)
Breakout Player of the Year: Ryan Kalish (CF, Portland)
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Westmoreland (CF, Lowell)
Comeback Player of the Year: Anthony Rizzo (1B, Salem)


All-Stars:
Luis Exposito (C, Portland)
Anthony Rizzo (1B, Salem)
Ken Roque (2B, Lowell)
Derrik Gibson (SS, Lowell)
Jorge Jimenez (3B, Portland)
Ryan Kalish (OF, Portland)
Ryan Westmoreland (OF, Lowell)
Daniel Nava (OF, Portland)
Chris Carter (DH, Pawtucket)

Casey Kelly (P, Salem)
Junichi Tazawa (P, Pawtucket)
Clay Buchholz (P, Pawtucket)
Fabian Williamson (P, Greenville)
Daniel Bard (P, Pawtucket)
Fernando Cabrera (P, Pawtucket)
Derrick Loop (P, Salem)

Sox Blow Six Run Lead

Full recap of this blown ball game tomorrow.

The Yanks lost too and it would have been a great opportunity to pick up a game on them. We remain five back (four in the loss column).

The Patriots' Offense

Putrid performance yesterday. However, we must give credit where credit is due; the Jets outplayed us and kicked our asses.

No one played well, but it started with the offensive line. Rex Ryan's defense was explosive and confusing. With numerous sets featuring one or two down lineman, the Pat's o-line continually left holes when picking up pass rushers. As a result, Brady was forced into throwing balls too early, and was often inaccurate. Not to mention the dumb delay of game penalties that occurred when Brady was calling out blocking assignments. Perhaps a contributing reason for this was the lack of a rushing attack. Maroney started well and then disappeared, Taylor subbed in and out while Morris and Faulk played sparingly.

Some would say the running game was not prominent in the perfect '07 season, but this is NOT the '07 offense; at least not yet. In '07 everything looked easy. We were spoiled. We could pass every play, even when other teams knew it was coming, but there was nothing they could do about it.

How can we get back to that?

Like I stated previously, it starts with the protection up front. There is a direct correlation between pass protection and Tom Brady's ability to get back to his cool, casual self in the pocket. Receivers not named Moss and Welker have to step up as well. Galloway and Welker's replacement Edelman dropped too many passes yesterday. How long will it take to fix? Time will tell, but when this machine is well oiled, we all know it's one of the best.

Until then, the Patriots need to do whatever it takes to find ways to win, even if that means running the ball. Hopefully this was just a blip on the radar screen, because I can't watch that every week.

Red Sox - Royals Preview

Monday 8:10PM NESN Wakefield (11-4, 4.22 ERA) vs. Dinardo (0-1, 5.22 ERA)
Tuesday 8:10PM NESN Byrd (1-1, 5.79 ERA) vs. Greinke (14-8, 2.14 ERA)
Wednesday 8:10PM NESN Beckett (15-6, 3.80 ERA) vs. Hochevar (7-10, 5.79 ERA)
Thursday 8:10PM NESN Buchholz (6-3, 3.49 ERA) vs. Hughes (0-1, 4.38 ERA)

GAME 1

Yes, that is the same is the same Lenny Dinardo that was with the Sox years ago (he last pitched here in 2006, after three seasons here). He has spent much of the year in the minors and this will only be his third start. Wake will be making his first start since since September 5th and only his third since July 8th. He pitched well last time out, but his back didn't hold up, and the club's plan is to already give him 10 days off after this appearance. Lets hope his back holds up during this outing, or it may be his last.

GAME 2

Byrd hasn't been spectacular, but has pitched well enough his past two times out to deserve wins. Against a weak Royals lineup, he needs to keep his walks down, and miss enough bats. Zack Greinke is in the midst of a Cy Young season and he is not wearing down as the season is ending. He has allowed three earned runs over his last 37 innings, while posting a 42/6 K/BB ratio.

GAME 3

Beckett has pitched better this month after a terrible stretch of four games in August. However, he has not won in eight starts, and will need to be less susceptible to the home run ball. Like Byrd, this is a good time to figure things out against the Royals. Luke Hochevar is coming off a complete game shutout against the Chi-Sox, but before that he had allowed 18 runs over three starts. Which Hochevar will the Sox see?

GAME 4

Buchholz has been in a groove. The young righty is putting together a nice run right now (over his last three starts he's allowed two runs in 20 innings). He has been facing some weak offenses, and will again here so hopefully this is building his confidence as he prepares to enter the postseason as the club's #3 starter. After a September call-up, Dusty Hughes was used as a reliever four times before being used as a starter last time out. The Sox aren't typically good against pitchers they haven't seen.

Tough, Tough Loss

Ouch. I don't even want to write about this game, so I'll give a quick synopsis and get into more depth in the next few days.

-The Patriots couldn't find the end zone today. The team was in the red zone three times and came away with three FGs. You can't win when you don't score any touchdowns.

-Although Brady wasn't sacked today, Brady was under a lot of pressure all day. This was the second straight week the o-line struggled to give Brady enough time, and as a direct result the Pats could not experiment with the deep ball.

-Edelman (98 yards) and Galloway (53 yards) put up decent numbers, but they were thrown to a lot. With Moss (24 yards) doubled, they should have been better.

-The defense could not get pressure on Sanchez today. Sanchez was given all day to find open men, and our D did not look particularly good.


Championships aren't won or lost in September. Belichick will find numerous ways to build upon this pathetic performance and the team will be stronger for it.

By the way, we face the Jets at home on November 22nd and we best not forget those 'Brady Sucks' chants.

Red Sox Sweep the O's

Good thing I had two TVs to watch today........or maybe not so much.

The Sox's offense was on today. They put up three runs in the first, and seven total through four innings. J-Bay and Jacoby each homered and had three RBI's a piece. Every starter besides JD Drew had a hit today. V-Mart extended his hitting streak to 19-games and has raised his average from .284 to .298 since being acquired by the Sox; he's hitting .333 in those 42 games.

Dice-K's line was a bit deceiving. Yes, he gave up three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, but he probably should have been yanked after five when he was on the cusp of 100 pitches. Instead he was sent out for the sixth and he gave up two hits, a walk, and a run that were added to his line. He did finish with five strikeouts and one walk in the game which was encouraging. He'll continue to build upon today's positive performance. Ramon Ramirez, Hideki Okijima, and Takashi Saito combined to give up one hit and no runs over the final 3 2/3 to finish off the game.

MORE:

-The Sox are now 37-37 on the road. We need to continue to improve our road performance because we will be the wild card come postseason.
-Ortiz got the afternoon off, as the Sox continue to shuffle their C/1B/3B/DH positions.
-Bay has three HRs and seven RBIs in his last five games; he's getting hot.

No Welker today

Jerod Mayo, Matthew Slater, Terrance Wheatley, Dan Connolly, Rich Ohrnberger, Michael Matthews, and Kendall Simmons are the other inactives.

I guess Welker's leg was more of a problem than I, or anyone, thought. Look for Julian Edelman to step into the 'Welker' role.

They Are Who We Thought They Were

It took a little longer than expected to break through, but the Red Sox took down the Orioles tonight 11-5. Boston had to play a little small ball against David Hernandez to muster three runs in six innings, but feasted on the bullpen. The Sox strung together hits by Pedroia, Youk, Ortiz, Drew, Lowell to put up three runs in the 7th and take a 6-3 lead. After an inning-ending double play ball went through Ty Wigginton's legs for an error in the 8th, Boston proceeded to put up five more runs, including a three run homer by JD Drew and a solo homer by Brian Anderson. As mentioned, it took longer than expected, but when you're facing the worst pitching staff in the AL, you know you're gonna put up your fair share of runs sooner or later. Delcarmen did his best to make it interesting in the 9th, but there was no doubt on who deserved this game, even when it was close early.

The one guy who was not who we know he is was Jon Lester. He never seemed comfortable on the mound, constantly adjusting his plant hole and landing hole on the mound and calling Martinez out to the mound for a number of conferences. He found himself in more three-ball counts than any game in recent memory but still managed to keep the game close for six innings and let the offense finish the job. Lester ended with a line of 6 innings, 10 hits, 3 runs, and 4 strike outs. Don't read too much into this. The playoff spot is essentially clinched, with now a 7 game lead on Texas, and the goal now is to get the team prepped and in line for the start of the series with the Angels. Lester brings it in big games and he'll be fine when the chips are on the table.

Sox Win 3-1

Despite having just one strikeout tonight, Clay Buchholz was able to spin six beautiful innings. While he walked three and gave up five hits, he allowed only one run in the outing. The bullpen did their job and Bard, Oki, and Paps finished off the game with three hit-less innings.

Casey Kotchman drew the start and delivered with an RBI single to put the Sox ahead 1-0. J-Bay then blasted his 32nd HR in the fourth before leaving the game with flu-like symptoms. Ellsbury, who had stolen his 62nd base earlier in the game, later added an insurance run.

MORE:

Wake will start Monday, moving Beckett back to Wednesday. With no more off days left in the season, this allows the team to strategically give Beck some extra rest (as they did for Lester last week). After he starts Monday, Wake will not pitch for atleast 10 days as the team evaluates how his back holds up.

Best case scenario is the Sox having to make a tough decision about who is the fourth starter in the playoffs if Wake can get back in the discussion with Dice-K.

Patriots - Jets Preview

Patriots @ Jets
Sunday 1:00 PM CBS
Patriots -4, 46 o/u

I will take you NFL.com's preview of the game. My expertise is better suited recaping the match-up.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2009092005/2009/REG2/patriots@jets

Red Sox - Orioles Preview

Back on the road where we remain under .500 this season (34-37)

Friday 7:05 PM NESN Buchholz (5-3, 3.66 ERA) vs. Guthrie (10-14, 5.06 ERA)
Saturday 7:05 PM NESN Lester (13-7, 3.29 ERA) vs. Hernandez (4-8, 5.40 ERA)
Sunday 1:35 PM NESN Matsuzaka (2-5, 7.020 ERA) vs. Berken (5-11, 6.08 ERA)

GAME 1

Buchholz is 3-0 in his last four starts and has only allowed four runs in 28 1/3 innings over that stretch. He's really in a groove and will look to keep things rolling tonight. His opponent, Jeremy Guthrie had strung together four straight quality starts before his dud against the Yanks last Thursday.

GAME 2

Lester is on a roll. The stud lefty has a 1.81 ERA in his last eight outings. Not to mention 53 Ks in his last 48 1/3 IP. Just two starts ago Oriole's pitcher David Hernandez gave up six runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Sox. He's susceptible to the long ball, so hopefully the Sox bats stay alive tonight.

GAME 3

Dice-K pitched well his last time out; his first start in months. He shut the Angels down over six plus innings and needs to stay accurate to remain successful. Jason Berken faced us two outings ago and his line was: 5 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 3 K, 4 BB.

EXTRAS:

-Youkilis is back in tonight's lineup.
-After a 40 pitch bullpen session today Tim Wakefield said he hopes to pitch Monday.

Patriots Notes

-Jerod Mayo was spotted in the locker room today wearing a knee brace and on crutches. Cross your fingers on a speedy recovery.

-The Patriots had former New Orleans Saint defensive lineman Antwan Lake in for his second workout in two weeks today. The 30-year old out of West Virginia would add depth, questioning the progression of rookies Ron Brace and Myron Pryor (Pryor was inactive last week after being questionable).

-When asked if he was concerned about Brady's 53 attempts the other night, Belichick gave a 'Belichick' answer: 'We will do whatever we need to do to win.' I feel him.

-Welker was limited in practice again and is questionable, as he was last week; he'll play though.

Sox Seven Game Win Streak Snapped

Final 3-3

Another game, another passed ball by Varitek; this time it cost us the game. Beckett had pitched eight innings of three run ball, but this game was ours. After allowing two runs first the first seven we were ahead, Francona sent Beck out there with over 100 pitches (his first questionable move). He proceeded to give up the tying run in the next inning. Wagner then gave up the winning run in the ninth with Papelbon available to pitch in the tie game (Francona's second questionable move).

Jacoby and J-Bay went yard early to give us our three runs. With two outs in the ninth inning though and a runner on first, the Sox curiously pinch-hit Baldelli for Drew while putting Youk as a pinch hitter on-deck though (the third questionable move). Baldelli popped out to end the game.

Get the point? This game was mis-managed in my opinion. We had the chance to put the dagger in the Angels tonight; to sweep them and give them no hope of winning in Fenway in the postseason. Instead the took a close, playoff-type game. We'll be OK, but we had this one.

Quick Sox Notes

Tonight's lineup:

Ellsbury - CF
Pedroia - 2B
Martinez - 1B
Bay - LF
Ortiz - DH
Lowell - 3B
Drew - RF
Varitek - C
Gonzalez - SS
Josh Beckett - SP

-Nice to see V-Mart back. Hopefully that was a little refresher for him.
-Still no Youk who is battling back soreness. No need to rush the grinder back; we need him healthy for playoffs.
-Nick Green, who limped to first the other night after his 'walk', has a sore leg and will be unavailable for a few nights.
-Papelbon is available tonight.
-Since the acquisition of Alex Gonzalez, the Sox have gone from 10th in the AL to 5th in team defense and 17th to 10th in the majors. Defense wins like in '04.

Did That Really Just Happen?

Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis, and Jonathan Papelbon are unavailable tonight. Paul Byrd is on the mound. The lineup ends with Baldelli, Varitek, Kotchman, and Gonzalez. The bullpen gives up five runs, four of them unearned after Tek drops strike three with two outs and allows the Angels to keep circling the bases. The Sox are down in the bottom of the 9th with two outs and no one on. They end up pinch hitting both Jed Lowrie and Nick Green because those were UPGRADES over who was due up. Oh... and Nick Green took strike three and Alex Gonzalez ended the game by hitting a ball 175ft....

So we got blown out and we'll get 'em tomorrow with Beckett on the mound. Wait. What's that? We won that game? No way! Yeah, believe it. The Sox came from behind three times tonight, the last of which was a walkoff in the 9th. The Angels had a chance to put the game away early, but the winds blowing in from center kept a couple home run balls in play for Paul Byrd and Anaheim failed to turn a couple of double plays.

As mentioned, the Angels were able to regain the lead after Saunders fell apart in the 6th thanks to Varitek dropping strike three. It became 7-5 Angels, then a few bloops and walks helped Boston tie it up in the 8th. Bard had no one on and two outs in the 9th, then gave up three straight hits to give Brian Fuentes a chance to close out the win.

In the bottom of the 9th, Fuentes also had no one on and two out. Then he walks Ortiz, Drew bloops to center, and Lowrie hits what looks like the game-tying double down the line, only to see Figgins dive and keep the ball on the infield. Then Nick Green comes to bat. I love the guy, but it was tough to watch. He defensively fouled off a few 90 mph fastballs, then takes a high strike, remembers he's not required to swing, then takes ball three, and takes strike three down the middle...except that last pitch was called a ball and Green walks, allowing Drew to score the tying run. Gonzalez followed with a 175ft bloop off the end of the end of the bat and it's a walkoff. Gut-wrenching game to watch, but a win is a win I guess. Hopefully Beckett makes it an easy 6-0 win in two hours and we can all have a night off from worrying.

NOTES:

-Boston has now won 7 games in a row, and with a Texas loss tonight, have reduced their magic number to 11.

-Victor Martinez will reportedly be back in the lineup tomorrow.

-Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits tonight, his 54th game this year with two hits, 4th most in the AL.

-Papelbon's sore back isn't serious and we could see him tomorrow.

-Wakefield is scheduled to start on Monday.

-Alex Gonzalez took his first walk as a Red Sox tonight.

Red Sox Notes

Weak line-up tonight:

Ellsbury - CF
Pedroia - 2B
Bay - LF
Lowell - 3B
Ortiz - DH
Baldelli - RF
Varitek - C
Kotchman - 1B
Gonzalez - SS

V-Mart will be back tomorrow night.

Patriots and Red Sox News

PATRIOTS:

-Jerod Mayo has a sprained MCL. Some reports have said he could be out 6-8 weeks, while others are saying it could be less than that. Gary Guyton will wear the defensive headset and man the MLB position apparently while Mayo is out. While Guyton is fast, he was beat on Monday night, but with a full week of practice as 'the man' on the inside, he could be used differently.
-Will the Patriots take a look at veteran free agent LB Derrick Brooks with Mayo out? He could help fill the void.
-Tom Brady was named AFC player of the week.

RED SOX:

-Youk's back is still acting up and Kotchman will start at 1B tonight.
-V-Mart is still in Cleveland and there's no word when he will be back. Tek will catch again tonight.
-Wakefield's back is still an issue, although if he holds off any kind of surgery until later Francona said it won't affect him being ready for spring training next year.