Travis Denker knocked in the winning run for the PawSox in the 14th inning last night. Photo taken by Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.net in April 2009 and used with permission.

Red Sox win handily in Baltimore.  PawSox have to claw out a win in Pawtucket in fourteen freaking innings.  Both games were so different but ended the same way…with me happy.  And, some days, it’s all about me…if I’m happy, everyone is happy (at least, everyone around me!).  The only sour note of the night came out of Buffalo where my man Kyle Snyder had a rough night, giving up two hits and two earned runs – including a home run, in just over an inning pitched.  The Bisons drop another (this one in extra innings) and it bums me out to see Kyle (and the team) struggle.

Triple-A rookie Tobi Stoner threw six shutout innings in his first home start and the Bisons built a 5-0 lead through seven. Then came the most epic bullpen meltdown in Coca-Cola Field’s 22 seasons — four relievers combined to get torched for 12 runs and 15 hits in the final three frames.

With closer Elmer Dessens gone to the New York Mets, there was no relief for the crowd of about 1,200 (5,358 tickets were sold). Kyle Snyder and Jon Switzer gave up three runs in the eighth. Eddie Kunz gave up four runs in the ninth as Charlotte pulled even at 7-7 and Tim McNab yielded five after a 16-minute rain delay in the 10th.

Ouch.  Guess it wasn’t a good night for pitching around the International League North.

Michael Bowden also struggled in Pawtucket.  He couldn’t make it through five innings and in those four plus innings he gave up eight hits and four earned runs (including two home runs).  Let’s just chalk it up to having a bad night.  Old friend Javier Lopez also pitched an inning and gave up one hit, struck out one and didn’t give up any runs.   Good with bad, right?

I’ll be heading to Pawtucket Tuesday night to see Enrique Gonzalez pitch against the Syracuse Chiefs.  It’s been a while since I’ve hit McCoy and I’m really looking forward to it.  I won’t be taking a camera – it’s strictly a fun night out with friends – but I’m hoping to bring back news of a great game and another win!

On Wednesday the baseball gods have blessed us with an afternoon game!  The final game in this Sox/Orioles series is at 1:35pm – and I’ll be live blogging it – Josh Beckett v Brad Bergesen.  I’m looking forward to it as it’s been a while since I got to live blog an afternoon game.  But before we get there we have to deal with the next game:  John Smoltz going up against Rich Hill at 7:05 Tuesday night.  I won’t be around for the game but intend to get the most out of my technology to keep up with what’s going on.

Congrats go out to Jonathan Papelbon.  Who might make me uneasy most every time he takes the mound but you still can’t deny he’s a damn fine pitcher.  Monday night he got his 132nd save (which ties him for the Red Sox save record with Bob Stanley).  As much as he makes me reach for the Tums, I really do hope he gets his 500th save with the Red Sox.

And I leave you with this random bit of information.  Maybe you already knew it…it’s news to me.  Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan?  The cousin AND Godson of one Lou Pinella.  Small world, huh?  I guess now we know where Dave gets his hot-headedness from.

Tonight John Smoltz is going to show us that the first inning of his last outing was an aberration*.

Right?

(* I wanted to make sure I spelled aberration correctly, so I looked it up.  Next to the spelling was this sentence:  “In 1918, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and the Red Sox have not won a World Series since.”  I think it’s time that Ask.com updated their entries!)

Michael Bowden – waiting patiently. Photo taken by Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.net in April 2009 and used with permission.

Well he didn’t get to pitch last night but Clay Buchholz still has everyone talking about him.  Well done, Clay, well done.

Clay told NECN’s Mike Giardi that he wanted to pitch in the bigs, whether it was for Boston or another team.  The nerve, huh?

Do I think maybe it would have served him better to say the things Michael Bowden did?  Sure.  Everyone wants to hear “Id rather stay in the minors an extra year or so to play with Boston, and to play in Boston at Fenway, with that group of guys.” instead of “If not that team, then I want be in the big leagues and I do want to go where I’ll be able to play and go and pitch every fifth day.”.  But, really, the bottom line seems to be that both pitchers want to play – and isn’t that what you want to hear?  Don’t you want your players to be eager to jump into the fray?  I sure as heck do.  Is there a small part of me that would have preferred Clay to use all the cliches you learn when dealing with the media?  I suppose.  But I agree with those who think it’s refreshing that the kid isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind.  He didn’t disrespect anyone or insult anyone he just told Giardi how he felt and where his mind is at right now.  I don’t have much of a problem with that.  (NESN’s headline “Bowden willing to wait longer than Buchholz” killed me.  Bowden’s younger than Buchholz and has less time in the bigs.  It would make sense that he’s more patient.  Not too hard to figure that out, NESN.)

The biggest disappointment yesterday regarding Clay was that the PawSox game got rained out.  Sure, they’ll play a double-header today but NESN won’t be airing it so many folks will miss getting to see what all the hub-bub is about.

I don’t think I’ve made a secret of how I feel about Buchholz.  When he finally comes up with the big team he’ll be on my list of “favorites”.  Getting to see his first two MLB appearances – including the no-hitter – has made me quite fond of the kid.  But I’m willing to wait as long as it takes (though I really hope it isn’t that long) for him to make his return.

Regarding another pitcher:  Ian Browne reminds us that Jonathan Papelbon is quietly coming up on breaking the Red Sox all-time saves record held by Bob Stanley.   At 129 career saves, Papelbon needs three more to tie and that extra one to go ahead of Bigfoot.  As Browne points out, how amazing is it that Stanley did it over the course of thirteen seasons in MLB and Papelbon will do it before he’s even through his fourth season in the league?  Papelbon might make me bite my nails down to the quick…but there’s no denying how impressive he is on the mound.

The Florida Marlins are in town!  The last time they were here, they began the series by losing25-8.  The losing pitcher?  Carl Pavano.  Even more amusing?  The winning pitcher was Byung-Hyun Kim.  Tonight, Tim Wakefield takes the mound against Chris Volstad.  That same kind of run support would be greatly appreciated fellas!

One of my favorite Bronson photos. Taken by Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.net and used with permission.

Randomly rambling:

Why does it annoy me that in the commercial NESN is running for the next Yankees/Red Sox series they use Don Orsillo’s “You kidding me??” from the Rangers/Red Sox game last year?  The implication is that he said it during some wild Sox/Yanks game.  He didn’t.  It was during a wild Sox/Rangers game.  No shame in that.  It isn’t Don Orsillo’s fault that the Rangers game was more exciting than the Yankees games last year.

I’m generally not a worrier.  I’m a procrastinator and that includes when it comes to worrying.  I think about worrying and then put it out of my mind until the time comes when it becomes a concern not a worry (or it just goes away!).  So I’m trying to not focus to much on it, but I’m damn worried about Jerry Remy.  Word is that he left Tampa to go home and won’t be back with NESN until next Wednesday. (Which means no Remy for the Yankees series.  I’m hoping this means we get Dave Roberts for the Yankees series because if I have to keep listening to Buck Martinez mispronounce the name ORTIZ I might kill someone.)  I don’t even want to think about what I worry is wrong with Remy so I’ll just say that I’m praying for him and hope everything is all right and all right very soon.

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Photo of Bowden that I took on my first visit to McCoy this season. So happy he had two clean innings against the Yankees!

I don’t know that I’m over Jacoby’s steal of home just yet.  I can’t stop watching it because it’s so damn beautiful.  I remember watching the Blue Jays/Yankees game when Aaron Hill stole home on Pettitte and actually feeling a little sorry for Pettitte.  And I remember Carl Crawford stealing home on Jason Johnson in 2006 and being devastated for the kid.  None of those feelings came out last night.  Last night, the team that has practically copyrighted meaningless curtain calls got shown what kind of play actually deserves one.  I was, literally, yelling “Take the curtain call!!!!!” and was so pleased that Jacoby did.

Papi knocking in the go-ahead run to make it 2-1 in the 5th  (and then JD Drew knocking in another after Jacoby stole home) made me so very happy but watching the young guys kick butt last night (Masterson!  Jones!  Bowden!) was so satisfying.  The Red Sox needed good pitching last night and they certainly got it!

As I write this, I’m watching Sports Desk and I just love Dustin Pedroia’s quote about his own base running:

“I’m done…I keep getting thrown out”

Good call, Dustin. Leave the running to Jacoby. You have other talents that endear you to us.

Regardless of their position in the standings and regardless of whether Alex Rodriguez was with them, watching the Red Sox sweep the Yankees has to be one of the sweetest feelings a Sox fan can get.

Sox are riding on a 10-game winning streak.  They just swept the hated New York Yankees and just about everyone on the team seems to be contributing whether it’s with defense or offense.  Having players who can pick each other up (Hello bullpen!) is pretty damn sweet as well.

And the best part?  We don’t have to wait too long to continue riding the high:  Tim Wakefield v Cliff Lee at 7:05 tonight!

(I’m editing this to add this link.  It’s where you can go and nominate my blog for a “New England Sports Blog Award”.  You all know how uncomfortable I am pimping myself out for votes…but what the heck, right?  Today is the last day to get your nominations in so I guess I’m okay with doing it for a day!)