Every week, The Lineup will take a comprehensive, numerical and often uproarious look back at the previous week of Red Sox action both on and off the diamond. We'll go one through nine, from top to bottom in the order, covering all you need to know about your favorite team.
Without further ado, let's get this party started:
Roller-Coaster Ride
After sweeping the Orioles in Baltimore, getting swept in Tampa and New York, and being now on the verge of a four-game sweep against the Tigers at the Fens, the Red Sox have experienced more ups and downs than a ride on Mind Eraser at Six Flags.
"There's streakiness, and I guess this would be defined as that," said left fielder Jason Bay, who (as you'll see below), after sitting out several games last week with an injury, has returned to the lineup with a vengeance.
And whether it's returning to their home park — at which they're 38-17, second in the majors at home behind only the Yankees — simply having the Tigers' number, or a bench-clearing brawl that's seemed to bring back their mojo, it's like a switch has been flipped, reigniting the Red Sox' collective passion.
"Boy, what a different team we look like!" manager Terry Francona said about his squad after Wednesday night's 8-2 victory over Detroit, crediting Bay and Mike Lowell, among others, for having gotten back into the swing of things.
"If I had a better explanation [for the slump], it wouldn't have happened. Sometimes this game can confound you a little bit. … But [winning] is certainly a better feeling."
Suspended Animation
Perhaps the most influential factor in the Sox' reawakening was a series of beanballs early in the Detroit series.
On Monday, Brad Penny hit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera with a pitch in the top of the fourth. Detroit starter Edwin Jackson returned fire in the bottom of the inning, nailing Kevin Youkilis.
The next night, though, things got out of hand. After erratic Sox starter Junichi Tazawa pegged Cabrera again in the top of the first on an 0-2 pitch, Tigers rookie Rick Porcello seemingly took offense, throwing a pitch high and tight to Victor Martinez in the bottom of the frame. Martinez stared back at the 20-year-old righty with disdain before striking out a few pitches later.
In the second, the Tigers turned the disrespect level up to 11. With his first pitch of the inning, Porcello popped Youkilis right between the numbers on his back. Youkilis, with nary a second thought, tossed his bat away and charged the mound as Porcello backtracked like a frightened toddler before dropping his glove and half-hip-tossing the onrushing third baseman to the ground.
A brief melee ensued and both Youkilis and Porcello were thrown out of the game.
"It looked like there was intent there," Youkilis said later. "And [after] two days in a row of getting hit, at some point you have to do something to protect yourself as a hitter."
Whether it was protection, pure reaction or simply standing up for his teammates, the fracas helped the Red Sox bats almost immediately come alive.
After Mike Lowell pinch-ran for the departed Youkilis and David Ortiz followed with a single, Jason Bay blasted a three-run homer over the Monster in left, tying the game at 3. The Sox went on to win that game 7-5 and followed it up with an 8-2 triumph on Wednesday.
For his role in inciting the scuffle, Major League Baseball suspended Youkilis for five games. He decided Wednesday afternoon not to appeal the decision and will be out of the lineup through the end of the weekend series in Texas.
Bay Back
"Jason Bay looks like he's trying to get hot again," said Francona following Wednesday's victory. "And that's very welcome."
His solo homer on Monday was the first step.
Tuesday's three-run shot to tie things up in the chaotic second inning was an even better sign.
But Wednesday's 3-for-3 night with another homer, two doubles, two walks, two runs and two ribbies was the final straw: Jay Bay is back, baby!
Yes, he hit a morbid .192 in July with just one home run and a wretched five RBIs, but he's come back in a forceful way, hitting safely in each of his last seven games, going 10-for-23 (.435) with four dingers, seven RBIs and six runs.
But what's making Bay so hot right now?
"Right now I feel like I'm getting to the pitches I need to get to, and I'm not missing them."
Lowell on a High
Can you imagine a more ironic choice to pinch run for Youkilis on Tuesday after his charge of Porcello?
OK, so the 34-year-old Lowell wouldn't be your choice for the anchor leg of your 4×400 relay team, but he did leg out an infield single Wednesday. (During the postgame news conference, Francona chuckled to himself when asked about Lowell hustling down to first, saying, "Yeah, that was everything he had.") And after his 3-for-4 night, he has now homered in two straight games (after going deep twice on Tuesday) and — along with Bay — has personified the resurgent nature of the team in recent days.
But Lowell's success hasn't been limited to just recent days. Since coming off the disabled list on July 17, he's raking at a .393 rate with four dingers and 18 RBIs in 18 games.
Cy Beckett?
"It's that da–ed Beckett," opposing hitters must be saying. "He's so hot right now!"
Seriously, how good is this guy? After a hard-luck no-decision in going seven scoreless innings against the Yankees last Friday, Beckett became the majors' first 14-game winner of 2009 on Wednesday by twirling a seven-inning masterpiece.
Yes, the Sox have struggled of late, but not Beckett, and especially not at home. He is 8-0 with a 2.58 ERA in 11 starts (76 2/3 innings) at Fenway this season, the most consecutive undefeated home starts to begin a season since Curt Schilling's 11 in 2004.
Wednesday's win was Beckett's sixth straight start of pitching at least seven innings and it was the fifth time this year that he's gone seven while allowing three or fewer hits, the most in the majors.
The fifth-inning home run he allowed to Detroit's Carlos Guillen on Wednesday broke an 18-inning scoreless streak against him, the longest this year by a Boston pitcher.
"It's the same guy he's been the last three and a half months," said Bay of his All-Star teammate. "He's dominating with his fastball, he's not walking anybody and he's going after guys. You get a little bit of a lead for him and — boom — it's Cy Young stuff.
"Every team needs that guy — that stopper, that ace. Right now, he's that and then some."
Seriously, if these performances continue, the 29-year-old Texan could be creeping toward his first major individual postseason award.
'Taz' a Real Devil
Japanese sensation Junichi Tazawa didn't have the finest of major league debuts last Friday night, taking the loss after giving up Alex Rodriguez's game-winning homer in the bottom of the 15th inning at Yankee Stadium. But the 23-year-old, who had never played professional baseball prior to this season, pitched his heart out, laboring through an inning and 2/3 before A-Rod's fateful blow.
Tuesday at home, Tazawa rebounded from a rough first inning to earn a 'W' in his first major league start, becoming the first member of the Red Sox to accomplish that feat since Michael Bowden last August.
After allowing three runs in the first, two of them unearned, and sitting through the aforementioned brawl, Tazawa retired the final eight batters he faced, five coming via the strikeout.
"Under the circumstances," Francona told the Herald, "I thought he was exceptional. I thought he showed exceptional poise. There were a lot of things that happened out there and he stayed out there for five [innings]."
"It starts first and foremost with his emotional control," said pitching coach John Farrell, "and [mound] presence and no fear. He showed us that every time he went to the mound in spring training and again tonight. A year ago, he was pitching in the [Japanese] Industrial League. To walk into Fenway Park and do this is really remarkable."
So remarkable, in fact, that Tazawa has earned at least one more start with the big club. He'll get the ball on Sunday when the Sox take on the Rangers in the series finale at 2:05 p.m. ET.
The Pen Must Be Mightier
Through Wednesday night, Red Sox starters had combined to allow three runs or less in each of the last six games, going 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA during that stretch.
But the bullpen has been a slightly different story. Yes, Takashi Saito, on one hand, has not allowed a run in nine of his last 10 appearances and Hideki Okajima has allowed opponents to score just once in his last seven games. My heart starts to beat a little more quickly when Jonathan Papelbon jogs in from the pen, but despite an occasional blow-up, he remains one of baseball's steadiest closers.
All of a sudden, though, Manny Delcarmen is arrhythmia-inducing as well. His 6.14 ERA in July has worsened to 8.44 in August. Ramon Ramirez can look unhittable one night, then like a batting-practice pitcher with little control the next. It's clear, too, that Daniel Bard (two blown saves in his last four appearances) still has some growing pains through which he'll have to suffer.
I liked the look and poise of recent call-up Fernando Cabrera, but if the Red Sox are going to be able to cut into the Yankees' 5 1/2-game lead in the AL East, Boston's shaken bullpen stalwarts must be stirred to step up their stability down the stretch.
Stalling in the Clutch
While several members of the Boston lineup seem to have gotten themselves back on the right track, there is one notable ingredient that remains missing.
Despite a midseason surge that saw David Ortiz's numbers spike back in the direction of respectability — and 14 home runs between June 6 and July 31 — Papi appears to be on the down slope yet again.
As the weather heats up and the Sox face some of their toughest opponents, Ortiz is hitting a miniscule .125 in the month of August with no home runs and just two RBIs.
Maybe the pressure of the New York Times allegations is finally getting to the lovable Red Sox DH, maybe not. But whatever it is, Boston will need as much pop as possible from Big Papi as the season proceeds and the playoff race tightens.
Sayonara to Smoltz
The Red Sox designated future Hall of Famer John Smoltz for assignment last Friday following a disastrous start against the Yankees. Now, after clearing waivers, Smoltz has reportedly told the team that he won't accept a temporary demotion to the minors, despite the possibility of being recalled when rosters expand on Sept. 1.
Trading the 42-year-old righty remains an possibility for the Sox, but given the fact that other teams would be skeptical of taking on much of his $5.5 million salary or $1.665 million in potential bonuses, simply releasing him outright seems the more likely route.
