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Well so far today's game has had a little fanfare with Dustin getting a nice double after #22 "Byrd" tried to dive for Dustin's shot, just missing. Jacoby who started the game popped up. I believe Dustin just hit his 42nd double today. Kotsay who has a .333 Avg with Boston, hit a nice shot deep but just short. Now Josh Beckett is ready to show us that he is ready to shine!
Josh Beckett comes out and strikes out the first batter. Michael Young who is 1 for 10 against Beckett is now 1 for 11. In less than two minutes Beckett has earned two outs. #18 seems to be having no problems. Josh Hamilton, the guy who has 31 HR's during this season was Becketts first real test. #32 has been a monster player this season and Beckett worked around the plate to ensure nothing would be easy for Hamilton. Josh Beckett then threw a pitch right down the middle, freezing the 30+ HR player and forcing the ump to call STRIKE THREE!
END OF 1st INNING
Leading off for Boston? I don't know, the Texas Rangers are too busy showing a Youkilis look alike who is living the highlift. The camera missed the first few pitches to start. Jason Bay has a .305 average with Boston but Millwood threw a nice slider on the outside corner to sit Bay down. Mike Lowell, just off the DL now faces Millwood. He was hurt against the Rangers. He has 67 RBI this season takes a huge swing at a pitch to drive it out to left field. What a shot! It would have been over the green monster easily. The pitch was a high strike. Now Jed Lowrie is up and ready to continue the cheers from the many Red Sox fans visiting in Texas. The Rangers who are 0-7 to Boston this season just do not have it. Okay Jed who has 3 hits in his last 22 at bats pops up the ball in foul ground for out number two.
As I was saying, the Rangers are hurting and with Kinsler out for the season, and Hamilton slowing down, they are going to have a hard time beating Boston. Jason V came up and strikes out to end the inning.
Boston 1 Rangers 0
Leading off for the Rangers in the bottom of the second inning is Milton Bradley who is 7 or 8 points behind Pedroia for the batting title. .327 avg and 22 HR's for Milton. Bradley gave the ball a ride to center for the first out. . Hank Blalock with a .269 average looked like he was ready to smash the first ball that was pitched to him and eventually did get the ball far enough for CoCo to catch it. Now Brandon Boggs comes to the plate ( no relation to the great Wade lol). For some reason Beckett was not pitching strikes to Boggs but with a 3-1 count, Beckett hugs the outside corner for strike two. When Josh threw one right down the middle, Jason Bay stood their for the easy catch and third out.
Boston 1 Rangers 0 End of Inning #2
With 20 games to go, the Red Sox have a nice wild card safety net but, that will not stop them from trying to take the lead for first place. Leading off the third inning CoCo tried to add to Boston leads with a line drive high shot that Boggs leaped in the air to catch. An easy double was taken away from CoCo with that catch. Jacoby Ellsbury, who fouled out in the first inning is at the plate again. I want to see Jacoby get on base so that he can steal against Millwood. I believe it would be easy to steal against Millwood. However the ball was once again popped up to Boggs in left field. Two outs. Now it is Dustin time. Dustin tries to bunt for a base hit. He has 17 HR and 76 RBI. What a hitter. The bunt attempt failed. Millwood threw his next pitch right down the middle, strike two. I love it when Pedroia hits a home run. Most of his HR swings are like golf swings. He made one of those swings in this inning. It is now 3-2 and Millwood sets, throws and Dustin gets a little tapper up to millwood who just throws out Dustin in time for out number 3.
While the Rangers offer all you can eat seating, in order to get people to their ballpark (for the red Sox series...go figure), Boston never has to result in lame promotions to garner our interest. Nelson Cruz is now battling. Nelson is a lifetime Minor league Babe Ruth who cannot seem to translate that talent into the Major Leagues. I see why as Beckett threw a pitch right down the middle while Nelson just looked on for strike three. Laird a .284 batter is now at the plate and quickly strikes out the forth batter out of the first eight he has faced. Davis to short and it is nine up and nine down for Beckett.
End if Inning #3
Starting out inning #4 is David Ortiz who puts up a towering fly ball to Hamilton. Big Swing with no positive result. He has 20 runs batted in, in 7 games against the Rangers. Kotsay hitting behind Ortiz is not favorable to Boston fans and yet Kotsay reaches first with an error by the second baseman. Jason Bay now has a runner on first to move. He hits a hot shot down third and allows Kotsay to reach third easily. This was Bay's 8th double of the season. He hit a fastball in, he kept his hands to allow for his hit. Bay is now at second and Kotsay at third. Lowell tried for another home run with a huge mammoth swing. The ball flew past him into the catcher glove. Lowell, wipes his brow and set himself again and hits a shot to left fielf for a base hit. Both runners score and a bad throw to home allows Lowell to take second. Lowell has scored all three runs for Boston. Still with only 1 out, here comes the man named Jed. A high strike was called against him and he just shook it off. The guy has some serious focus. Millwood almost took Jed's head off with a pitch that ended up walked him. It looks like Boston is getting to Millwood early. The double play is in order for the Rangers and Jason V will have none of it. He hits a seeing eye single towards right field to load the bases.
Note as this game goes on Tampa is trailing. Whoo hoo
Coco has the bases loaded but is now at an 0-2 count. He pokes the ball toward center and Arias drops the ball. #4 is having a difficult day. It was a difficult catch. It was a base hit which scored two runs. The lead is now 5-0 Boston. Millwood is rattled as he sees Jacoby up again for the third time in only 4 innings. Jacoby needs to relax. He does and watches strike one go by. He swings at another high pitch and slams the bat toward to ground because he knew he should not have swung. With two outs Dustin is up again. Dustin is .333 now and has a man in scoring position. Some day Dustin is the next Fred Lynn but not this time, he flys out to right for out number 3.
Boston 5-Rangers 0
The first Ranger runner gets on with a bad throw to first. Arias now on first base to start the bottom of the 4th. It should have been an error. It was a ground ball to the SS that was thrown high. Lowrie makes up for the "error" by turning a nice double play. Now it is Beckett verses Hamilton, the two high school players who went head to head in the minds and hearts of baseball fans everywhere. "Which player would be taken first" was the question back then. Now here they are facing each other. Funny how things work out. It is now 3-2 for Hamilton. He is now 9 for 14 in September with a nice single to right. Milton Bradley has hit close to .400 in his last 20 or so games. Pedroia is hitting near .400 in 300 at bats. That is hot! This is our batting race between these two players. With a hit and run, Bradley sends a shot up the middle allowing Hamilton to reach third. Now is a chance for Blalock to help the Rangers and Josh Beckett who knows no fear throws the first pitch right down the middle. No need to fear Blalock. Blalock swings and misses for strike two off of a beautiful sinker and another swing and miss for strike three.
End of the 4th Inning
Prior to the 5th inning some goober proprosed to his future bride at the ball park and meanwhile one out took place with a pop up to somewhere. Folks don't watch Boston Baseball via the Rangers. Okay now it is Kotsay's turn and he quickly strikes out. Quickly we have a 1, 2, 3 inning with another quick pop up. The loose pitch count for Beckett is being look at now.
Boggs starts off in the bottom of the fifth. Manny Deldcarmen is throwing after Beckett now has 66 pitches. I suspect this might be Beckett's last inning. Boggs ran the count 3-2 and strikes out again with a 93 mph fastball that tails away from the hitter. Nelson Cruz and his .250 average is now up. He had his one HR when he arrived and has done nothing since. He pops up to right on the first pitch. Two outs. Laird has 33 RBI and with a 2-2 count he gets a single to left. Beckett has given up four hits. Francona wants to give Beckett a chance to win the game and so he will be kept in to finish the fifth inning. He is now at 77 pitches. Chris Davis who has 14 home runs is now at the plate. Josh gets his seventh strike out against Chris Davis and that should do it for Josh. Great Job Baby
End if the 5th Inning
Millwood is still in the game at the top of the 6th. #12 starts the inning for Boston and Lowrie strikes out looking. Millwood has now retired seven straight batters. Jason V hits one up and over Arias and he gets a nice base hit. Crisp swings at the first pitch he sees and splits the outfielders toward the warning track. Crisp reaches third base and sees Jason V score for Boston's sixth run. Jacoby now swings at the first pitch and hits it right down the first base line. Back to back triples for Boston both on first pitch swings. Crisp scores. Now Dustin Pedroia is up. Will we see three triples in a row? Josh Rupe gets up in the bullpen for Texas. Pedroia cannot get Ellsbury in and the inning is over.
Now the Rangers are selling "advertising" Angus Burgers at SONIC. It can't get any worse than this folks. Manny D is now pitching. Number 17 has 63 games under his belt and holds a 3.90 era and he quicky strikes out the first batter. Young now at the plate and young off the plate as he strikes out. Josh Hamilton tries to keep his batting average above .300 but flies out to center,
End of the 6th inning
Boston 7- Rangers 0
David Ortiz begins the 7th inning who hits right into the shift, it is 6 to 3 play, even though the SS was playing at second base. Kotsay is now up, he has yet to produce a Home Run for Boston. He hits a flat ball to the first baseman for out #2. Jason Bay is now up. It seems both teams just can't wait for this one to be over. Bay takes a walk. Now a pop up and the inning is over.
To move things along nothing happened in the 7thing inning. The score remains 7-0. In the top of the 8th Lowrie strikes out, Varitek walks and crisp moves the runner to second while he takes first. Jacoby Ellsbury creates the second out by hitting the ball to the first baseman again. Pedroia now takes the plate with two men on and two outs. Meanwhile the Rangers commentators start talking about fat heads. Dustin walks during their talks. Now David Ortiz comes to the plate with bases loaded and the Boston fans in Texas make some noise. Ortiz swings for the fences strike one. They pitched around Pedroia to get to Ortiz and Ortiz leaves three behind with a pop up.
Masterson comes in, in the bottom of the 8th and lets Dustin P take care of the first two outs. #63 throws a few sliders and a few pitches way off the plate to walk Davis. This was a reunion for these two players. Masterson is getting wild now so Jason V comes out to settle him down. Yet Masterson walks his second batter. Michael Young is 0-3 but against Masterson he hits the ball to Pedroia this time...lol for the final out of the inning.
Now for the top of the 9th inning. Bill White comes in to pitch and on the very first pitch Mark Kotsay hits the ball to center. One out.Bay takes a walk. Lowell is up and strokes a nice shot but foul. His next swing goes deep in left center. Bay scores and it is an 8-0 ballgame. This was Lowells 26th double of the season. No further runs in the top of the 9th.
Okajima comes in to finish things off. 8 runs on 12 hits with no errors for the sox tonight. Hamilton loops the first pitch and it is caught by Jed Lowrie. The Rangers get a man on first and second now with Okajima pitching. Duran on Second with a walk and Blalock with a hit. Boggs is up and is ripe for a double play pitch. He strikes out but Cruz gets a base hit and helps the Rangers avoid getting shut out.
I love hearing "LET'S GO RED SOX" chants in opposing ballparks. Which is what we heard up to the final out which was a K. Final Score Boston 8-Red Sox 1!
Draftaholic!!!
-Redsoxfan4evr
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At work and can't make the call.
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Lenny and Paul for instant Fantasy help. We're working around the clock for you. 
I have nothing against the guy Lenny, but he flat takes away from your show. You have votes on all sorts of things...put a poll up about limiting Tony's comments to the written word.