Sweep

Our Red Sox are finally at .500, 20-20.  As underachieving as that is, it is very exciting news.  They have been the second hottest team in the last 15 days behind only the Tampa Bay Rays.  They also have moved up to third place in the A.L. East, only 3 games back of the Rays.  All this news comes after our Red Sox swept the <expletive> New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium.  This was the first Red Sox sweep of the Yankees since 2004, and we all know how that season ended up. 

Friday night, Clay Buchholz pitched 7 strong innings only allowing 2 earned runs and striking out 7.  Papelbon recorded his sixth save although he allowed one run.  Adrain Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis both homered for the Sox and Crawford added an rbi.  Final was 5-4 Sox with Buchholz getting the win.

Saturday night was quite the pitchers duel, or it should have been.  C.C. Sabathia, the Yankees ace, went against Josh Beckett.  Beckett outpitched C.C. with 6 scoreless innings only allowing 4 hits and recording 9 K's.  Gonzalez homered again, giving him four straight games with a home run.  Jacoby Ellsbury added a pair of rbi and Captain Jason Varitek had one himself as the Sox went on to win 6-0.

Sunday night, on ESPN, Jon Lester faced off against Freddy Garcia.  Lester struggled early giving up 4 runs in the first two innings, but Youkilis hit his 7th homer on the year in the top of the third to tie the game.  Lester took over from there not allowing any runs in the next six innings.  David Ortiz hit his 7th homer on the year and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (I did not look that up) hit his first homer on the year, and possibly ever, hes pretty bad.  Jed Lowrie added a sacrifice fly and the bullpen held their own as Lester won the 7-5 battle with Papelbon recording his 7th save.

One slight cause for concern is the lack of production from Dustin Pedroia.  He did have four hits, going 4-for-11, but had no rbi and left four guys on base.  Pedroia is only batting .247 with 2 homers and 10 rbi this season.  We need him to step it up before we really start celebrating about our record.  He has carried this team time and time again and not that there are other guys, like Gonzalez and a healthy Youkilis he should be able to relax a little and play like the Lazer Show that he is. 

In other Sox news, the Chicago Cubs are coming to Fenway Park for the first time in 90 years.  Two of baseball history's storied, yet cursed, ball clubs will meet in the oldest park in the nation, should be a great series.