Call me a jerk but I honestly hope Dice-K and Lackey never return

When did the 2011 Boston Red Sox become such a wagon?

Holy shit, they've won 12 out of their last 14 games after a tidy 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers last night at Comerica Park.

As I said yesterday about Alfredo Aceves, spot starter Tim Wakefield (2-1) is doing an excellent job and at this point, I hope John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka never return. It's much more satisfying to watch two guys with low expectations succeed as opposed to overpaid bums that were never good fits here anyways.

The Red Sox (29-22) are also alone in the American League East after the Yankees lost last night in Seattle. The Tigers (25-25) haven't shown much of a pulse yet against Boston this season, falling to 0-4.

Wakefield went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Detroit's Rick Porcello (4-3) only lasted three innings as he allowed six earned runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits, stolen base) gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the first as he scored on wild pitch by Porcello.

Miguel Cabrera tied it up in the first with an RBI single which scored Austin Jackson. The Tigers took their only lead of the game in the second when Jhonny Peralta hit a bomb (solo) off Wakefield.

Any thoughts of a win for the miserable people in Detroit was quickly extinguished as the Red Sox hung five runs on Porcello in the third. Ellsbury hit a solo homer (his sixth), Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run double and Carl Crawford hit a two-run homer (his fourth of the season).

Daniel Bard threw a scoreless 1-2-3 eighth on six pitches but Peralta hit an RBI double off Jonathan Papelbon (non-save situation) in the ninth but who cares?

Clay Buchholz takes the mound tonight for Boston against Detroit rookie lefthander Andy Oliver (who was called up when Phil Coke rolled his ankle the other night). Good luck to you guy, Red Sox are mashing right now.

Alfredo Aceves is better than John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka, true story my friends

Baseball is a funny game. When you're a big market team like the Boston Red Sox you can afford terrible hiccups in free agency like John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka and then you luck out with a scrap heap pickup like Alfredo Aceves.

I'm not exactly sure about his medical history, I assume the New York Yankees let him go because he had an arm issue or something but whatever the reason, I'm psyched that he's crossed over to their bitter rivals.

Yesterday afternoon, he submitted his second good start in a row after being added to the rotation (for the injured Lackey and Dice-K). The Red Sox (28-22) won their 11th game out of their last 13 and it was another laugher, 14-1 in the series opener at Detroit's (25-24) Comerica Park.

Aceves (2-0) went six innings, allowing five hits, one earned run with two walks and six strikeouts in a game that was called off after 7.5 innings because of rain.

Max Scherzer (6-2) entered as one of the AL's top pitchers so far this season but he left with a bruised ego as the Red Sox put up 14+ runs in the second straight game for the first time since 1998. Scherzer lasted only two innings, allowing seven hits, seven earned runs with two walks and a strikeout.

Jacoby Ellsbury (2 runs, 2 walks) had the most memorable hit, a three-run homer (his fifth bomb of the season). Moved up to the No. 6 spot, Carl Crawford continued to erase his terrible start. He went 4 for 5 with two triples, three RBIs and two runs.

Recent callups Josh Reddick (3 hits, 3 RBIs, 2 runs) and Drew Sutton (2 hits, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) also had big days that no doubt they'll be telling their grandkids or bums at the homeless shelter about in a few years.

Tim Wakefield (Boston's other substitute in the rotation) starts tonight against Tigers youngster Rick Porcello.

Sorry Justin Verlander, even you cannot stop the Boston Red Sox right now

Another game, another win for the Boston Red Sox. Carl Crawford continues to toil at the bottom of the lineup but he still delivered his third walkoff hit in May as Boston beat Detroit 4-3 last night at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox (23-20) have won a season-high six in a row thanks to contributions from everybody: great starting pitching, timely hitting, excellent relief and plain old luck.

The Tigers (22-21) came into Boston hot but left after a two-game sweep with interleague play starting for everybody this weekend.

A pitcher's duel between Detroit ace Justin Verlander and Red Sox stud Josh Beckett was overshadowed by Crawford's heroics. With the bases loaded and one out in the ninth, Crawford (2 hits) crushed a single over the head of Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson which plated pinch runner Darnell McDonald. Detroit porn star and reliever Al Alburquerque (0-1) was charged with the loss.

Neither starter got a decision as Verlander went eight innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs with nine strikeouts. Beckett departed after six innings (with a stiff neck, man baseball players are warriors), five hits, one earned run, two walks and three strikeouts.

Andy Dirks (what is with these names?) gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the second.

J.D. Drew tied it up in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice fly which scored Kevin Youkilis.

Things looked to be turning in Boston's favor as Drew hit a solo homer in the fourth and David Ortiz (3 hits, quietly having a very solid season) followed with a solo shot of his own in the seventh.

Matt Albers got a scoreless seventh (1 hit, 2 strikeouts) but Detroit hit a pair of solo homers off Daniel Bard in the eighth. Brennan Boesch and Miguel Cabrera did the honors.

No worries though, the Red Sox are finding every possible way to win right now and this time, it didn't even take extra innings. Just another ho hum walkoff.

The Chicago Cubs come to Fenway for a three-game series which kicks off tonight. It's the first time since the 1918 World Series (remember that classic?) that the Cubbies have been to Boston. I can feel the collective boners from all the baseball nerds across the world. It promises to be a memorable weekend in Boston.

Red Sox are finally getting used to this winning thing

Rain, mist or fog can't stop the Boston Red Sox right now as they won their fifth straight game last night, 1-0 against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park.

Clay Buchholz got a no-decision but he had his fourth straight superb start for Boston (22-20). He went seven scoreless innings with a season-high 127 pitches. He allowed four hits, walked one and struck out seven.

Phil Coke was the unlikely Detroit (22-20) pitcher that matched Buchholz pitch for pitch. He also went seven scoreless innings, gave up three hits, one walk and struck out four.

It was a weird night with terrible weather, including a 26-minute rain dealy in the eighth inning, so it makes perfect sense that Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia came up with the biggest hit of the game.

After Carl Crawford walked in the eighth, Saltalamacchia delivered with an RBI double which plated the winning run.

Daniel Bard (1-3) picked up his first win of 2011 with a 1-2-3 eighth, including a strikeout.

Jonathan Papelbon gave up a leadoff double to former Red Sox Victor Martinez to start the ninth but settled down to get the last three outs (including two strikeouts) for his eighth save of the season.

Justin Verlander and Josh Beckett is the exquisite pitching matchup tonight in the series finale. It's too bad Bruins-Lightning Game 3 is tonight as well (starting at 8 p.m.) since this could be one of the best games of the year.

Red Sox do nothing meaningful at deadline but produce two straight walk-off wins

As expected, the Boston Red Sox did nothing substantial (sorry Ramon Ramirez, you bum) at the non-waiver trade deadline (Saturday) but that mundane news was tempered with the excitement of two straight walk-off wins over the Tigers on Saturday and Sunday.

I was lucky enough to be sitting on the Monster with some buddies from college on Saturday night as David Ortiz came through with a bases-loaded, three-run double. It's the first walk-off I've seen in person (as far as I can remember) so it was a cool moment.

Yesterday's didn't have quite the same panache since it came when Marco Scutaro (2 hits, steal) bunted and Tigers (52-52) reliever Robbie Weinhardt threw it away, allowing Darnell McDonald to score for the 4-3 Red Sox (60-45) win.

Truthfully, it shouldn't have come to that since Clay Buchholz (8 innings, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts) completely silenced Detroit until the ninth when a lucky bounce led to an infield hit and he walked the last batter he faced.

Jonathan Papelbon (4-4) was summoned and on the first pitch, Miguel Cabrera cranked a two-run double (that missed being a homer by a few feet) as Detroit cut it to 3-2. Then Papelbon blew his fifth game of the season when Jhonny Peralta tied it with a groundball up the middle.

Making the win even more impressive is that the Sox beat Tigers ace Justin Verlander (7 innings, 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts).

Eric Patterson gave Boston a 1-0 lead in the second with an RBI single and Adrian Beltre (2 hits) doubled the Sox advantage with an RBI single in the third. Rookie Ryan Kalish (who went 2-for-4 in his MLB debut on Saturday) added a sacrifice fly in the third for the surprising 3-0 lead.

The time is now for the Red Sox, they're still 6.5 games behind the Yankees and 5.5 in back of the Rays for the wild card. The good news is that the miserable Indians come to Fenway for four games beginning tonight. For any chance to make the playoffs, Boston has to pretty much at least split every series and when they play garbage like this, they need to win three or sweep them.

Tonight John Lackey takes on Fausto Carmona as Lackey tries to keep his streak of three straight great starts going down the stretch.

The definition of a .500 team

It's bad enough that the 2010 Boston Red Sox are no good (currently in fourth place in the AL East, baseball's best division), but they are supremely boring with no true superstars in either ability or personality.

After losing in 12 innings on Saturday night on a bases loaded walk, the Tigers (22-16) won their second straight over Boston (19-19), 6-1 yesterday afternoon at Comerica Park.

Not to get all curly-headed boyfriend on you but this next 10 games (13 if you counted Detroit) should tell us all we need to know about the Red Sox this season. They're all against good, playoff caliber opposition (Yankees, Twins, Phillies, Rays) and eight of the remaining 10 games are on the road. Oh and they don't have an off-day until Memorial Day. So yeah, this could get real ugly, real soon.

Armando Galarraga (1-0) had just been called up from Triple A before yesterday's game but he pitched well enough to get the win. He went 5.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

John Lackey (4-2) didn't have it for the Sox. He pitched seven innings, but that was because the depleted bullpen needed a break after the late-night work the day before. He allowed five earned runs on nine hits with four walks and four strikeouts.

Detroit scored twice in the second on an infield single by Danny Worth (making his MLB debut) and a bases loaded walk by Johnny Damon (2 hits, 2 walks, run, RBI), who will still be effective for another ten years.

Boston's only run was courtesy of Jeremy Hermida's RBI double in the third which scored Jonathan Van Every. Sadly, that was not a misprint and this is May, not a Grapefruit League game in March in front of a bunch of blue-hairs.

The Tigers got another run in the third and two more in the fourth on Ramon Santiago's two-run homer.

The Sox have two games in the Bronx beginning tonight with Dice-K vs. Phil Hughes. Both have pitched well lately but I'm not feeling good about Dice's chances in that launching pad.

This Verlander guy can pitch

I went to Fenway Park yesterday afternoon, hoping for a Red Sox sweep but knowing full well that Tigers ace Justin Verlander is one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Therefore it wasn't shocking (especially since Kevin Youkilis is currently serving his suspension and Dustin Pedroia got the day off) that Verlander completely silenced Boston's (65-49) bats as the Tigers (60-54) salvaged the fourth game, 2-0.

Verlander (13-6), who is Josh Beckett's biggest competition for the AL Cy Young this season, threw eight shutout innings before giving way to Detroit closer Fernando Rodney, who recorded a 1-2-3 ninth for his 24th save.

Verlander allowed just four hits, he walked one and struck out eight with a manly 123 pitches. Most impressive, on his last two pitches of the day in the eighth, he made Jason Bay swing and miss at 100-mph fastballs.

For the second straight outing, Clay Buchholz pitched well enough to win but unfortunately he faced another team's ace (C.C. Sabathia was the last one). Clay (1-3) lasted seven innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

In the fourth, Ryan Raburn provided all the offense the Tigers needed as his infield single drove in Miguel Cabrera.

With a solo homer over the Monster in the seventh by Raburn, everybody knew it was game set, match.

After the game, Boston departed for Texas where it has a pivotal three game series with the Rangers. The Red Sox lie half a game ahead of Texas in the AL wild card standings so hopefully last weekend's no-show against the Yankees is a distant memory.

Nothing like a baseball "brawl"

If you're not a fan of the Boston Red Sox, Kevin Youkilis is probably the Sox player you hate the most. He talks a lot of shit, complains a ton about balls and strikes (he does have a Rainman like eye at the plate) and on top of it all is one ugly mofo.

It's no surprise then that Youk was in the middle of the action last night as the Red Sox beat the Tigers, 7-5 at Fenway.

In the second inning, Tigers (59-53) starter Rick Porcello hit Youk on the shoulder with a pitch. It was clearly intentional since Detroit star Miguel Cabrera was hit in the first inning by Red Sox rookie Junichi Tazawa (not intentional, it was 0 and 2).

Youk had also been hit the night before and he is always near the top of the league lead for hit by pitches so it was enough to set him off. He charged Porcello, threw his batting helmet at him and then took him down with a tackle before they rolled around on the infield grass.

Baseball fights are usually pretty weak (lots of posturing and talk) and this was no exception. However, it seemed to spark the Red Sox (64-48) who were down 3-0 at the time.

After Youk and Porcello were tossed and order was restored, a few batters later Jason Bay tied it with a three-run homer over the Monster seats.

MIke Lowell, who was subbed in for Youk, hit a solo homer in the third then a two-run bomb in the fifth.

After the disastrous first inning, Tazawa settled down and stuck around for five innings, grabbing his first win in his first start (and second appearance). Only one run was earned, he gave up four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Jacoby Ellsbury scored on a balk in the seventh and the Sox looked they were cruising after enduring the fight delay and a rain delay.

Curtis Granderson hit a two-run homer in the ninth off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. I guess the rationale for him being in there in a non-save situation was that he needed the work.

Boston tries to make it three in a row tonight with ace Josh Beckett going against Armando Galarraga.

Home cookin', sure sounds good, to a country boy like me

To say the Boston Red Sox limped home after losing all six games on their road trip (to Tampa Bay and New York) would be an insult to cripples and drunks everywhere.

The Sox (63-48) can't hit and the bullpen is falling apart but all those troubles were forgotten for an evening as they beat Detroit (59-52), 6-5 last night at Fenway in the start of a four-game series.

The Yankees lost to the Blue Jays last night and the Rangers were idle so Boston moved up to 5.5 games behind New York in the AL East and a half game up in the Wild Card.

It only took two innings for Boston to double its output from the last three games combined against the Yankees.

Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run homer in the first off Tigers All-Star Edwin Jackson. In the second, Nick Green hit a solo shot and David Ortiz knocked in Jacoby Ellsbury (2 hits, 2 runs) with an RBI single.

Brad Penny gave his usual six inning performance and it was better than most of his recent outings: six innings, three earned runs on six hits, one walk and two strikeouts.

Magglio Ordonez (3 hits) tripled home Miguel Cabrera in the fourth and Brandon Inge scored Ordonez with a single.

An inning later, Detroit cut it to 4-3 when Marcus Thames knocked in Curtis Granderson with a sacrifice fly.

Jason Bay hit a solo homer in the fifth that just stayed fair down the line in left.

What would a Red Sox game be without the bullpen giving up a lead? Manny Delcarmen did the honors last night in the seventh. Placido Polanco (3 hits) had an RBI single and Marcus Thames' RBI double tied the game at five.

Nick Green, who has been an automatic out for the last month and a half, knocked in the winning run (J.D. Drew) with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

Jonathan Papelbon came on in the eighth with runners on second and third, two outs and Granderson at the plate. Papelbon got him to pop out to catcher Victor Martinez and then he recorded a 1-2-3 ninth for his 28th save of the season.

23-year-old rookie Junichi Tazawa gets his first MLB start tonight against Tigers rookie Rick Porcello.

Whatchu talkin' about (Dontrelle) Willis?

Remember when Dontrelle Willis was one of the best young talents in baseball? The D-Train won the 2005 NL Cy Young award as a Marlin and with a great personality, he seemed poised to be around for a while.

Dontrelle hasn't become a drunk or drug addict (as far as I know) but he has completely lost his abilities as an elite pitcher. Since he was traded to the Tigers along with Miguel Cabrera, his stay in Detroit has been nothing short of a disaster. Willis was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder but unlike Zach Grienke, he hasn't comeback and been better than ever.

In yesterday afternoon's series finale, Willis only lasted 2.1 innings as the Red Sox (32-22) swept the Tigers (28-24) with a 6-3 win at Comerica Park.

Dontrelle (1-3) unraveled, walking five men who all came around to score. He left a game in which he didn't give up a hit. Yikes.

Boston is pretty much the last team that a wild pitcher wants to face. As it has been well documented under the Theo Epstein regime, the Sox work counts and make pitchers throw strikes.

Tim Wakefield (7-3) was the main beneficiary of the Sox's patience. He was down 3-0 after two but suddenly had a 6-3 lead in the third and cruised to the win. He went 6.2 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 14th save as Boston salvaged the trip with a 6-4 record.

In the second inning, the Tigers took a 2-0 lead after a two-run single by Brandon Inge. Adam Everett scored Inge with a ground out.

Then the Sox pushed across all of its runs in the third. J.D. Drew (4 walks) and Kevin Youkilis walked with the bases loaded and Jason Bay delivered a two-run double. Mike Lowell's ground out scored Youk and Rocco Baldelli hit an RBI single which scored Bay.

The AL West leaders, the Texas Rangers, come to Fenway for three this weekend, followed by three with the Yankees, who are currently tied with the Red Sox atop the AL East.

There's only one legit pro team in Detroit and it ain't the Tigers

How shitty is the American League this year? Even in the beginning of June, all signs are pointing to the Red Sox and Yankees being the only two powerhouse teams that will probably meet once again in the ALCS.

The Rangers lead the West and the Tigers lead the Central but as we've seen the last two nights, Detroit is not particularly good. Granted, we have been lucky to miss the rejuvenated Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson (who's been outstanding this season).

Boston (31-22) won 10-5 last night in a game where Josh Beckett (6-2) no-hit Detroit (28-23) until there were two outs in the seventh and Curtis Granderson (2 hits, 3 RBIs) singled to right.

Beckett's stuff was filthy. He lasted 7.2 innings and gave up only three unearned runs. He allowed just two hits, two walks and struck out nine in a 119-pitch outing that was almost as manly as the picture of him above.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first when J.D. Drew hit his 200th home run of his career, a two-run shot that scored Dustin Pedroia (2 runs, 2 hits).

Boston added two more in the fifth including an RBI double by Nick Green.

With six more runs in the eighth, the Sox put it away. Kevin Youkilis (2 hits, walk) started the barrage with an RBI double. Then David Ortiz and Jason Varitek both followed with two-run doubles of their own.

Detroit made it somewhat interesting in the eighth and ninth as they scored five in the eighth and had the tying run on deck in the ninth. Granderson had the big hit, a bases-clearing triple.

Tim Wakefield faces Dontrelle Willis this afternoon as Boston goes for its first road sweep (in a series over two games) of the season, in the last game of this long road trip.

Dice-K, the best five inning pitcher I know

It only took until the start of June but Dice-K finally got his first win of the season in last night's 5-1 decision over the Tigers at Comerica Park.

Sure I should be easy on Matsuzaka (1-3), he did miss some time on the DL but other than that, he had been terrible.

Last night, he went five innings, allowing one run on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts. In a sign that Dice-K might be feeling like himself again, he put a bunch of runners on but somehow stranded them.

The Red Sox (30-22) won their second in a row as they did enough against Tigers (28-22) rookie pitcher Rick Porcello.

Boston jumped out to the 1-0 lead in the first when J.D. Drew (2 hits, run) singled home Dustin Pedroia (hit, walk).

Stud Miguel Cabrera singled in Clete Thomas in the bottom of the first to temporarily tie it up for Detroit Rock City.

Jason Bay provided the winning hit as he hit a two-run shot to left off Porcello with Drew on base.

The Sox added two more in the sixth off reliever Ryan Perry. Pedroia walked with the bases loaded and Kevin Youkilis brought home a run when he was hit by a pitch.

Jonathan Papelbon made it interesting in a non-save appearance in the ninth. He gave up three straight hits then proceeded to strikeout the next three hitters. It took 35 pitches so he probably won't be available. Just like Terry Francona drew it up. Tito actually earned his 500th career win with Boston as well.

Josh Beckett goes tonight against struggling Armando Galarraga.

Red Sox escape Detroit with lives and series win

After suffering its most devastating loss of the early season (10-9 on Wednesday), the Red Sox exhibited the sign of a solid team as they bounced back with a 5-1 win last night in Detroit.

The win allowed them to take three out of four from the rudderless Tigers, the first stop on a three city trip for Boston (23-14).

What made Wednesday so disappointing was the fact that the Red Sox twice battled back from four-run deficits, only to have bums like Julian Tavarez and Julio Lugo hand it over to Detroit (15-21).

Wednesday's starter Clay Buchholz was hit hard, to the tune of ten hits in four innings. He allowed five runs (all earned), one walk and six strikeouts.

After cutting a 4-0 Tigers lead to 5-4, Tavarez gave up three runs in one inning of work. From there, Boston answered with five runs to take a 9-8 lead into the ninth.

Mike Lowell (3 hits, 3 RBIs, 2 runs) and Kevin Youkilis (2 runs, 2 hits, 3 RBIs) provided the heavy lumber as Youk homered twice (Comerica Park is the only place he's done that, now twice) and Lowell had a three-run shot. David Ortiz continued to swing the bat well as he collected two hits.

Placido Polanco was an on-base machine on Wednesday as he had five hits, three RBIs and two runs. Fittingly, after a Lugo error allowed a runner to reach in the ninth, Polanco had a broken-bat bloop that dropped right behind Lugo. It was that type of night for nobody's favorite shortstop.

Jonathan Papelbon (2-1) gave up two hits and two runs (neither earned) to pick up his first blown save and loss of the year.

In the dugout afterwards, Paps took out his anger on an unfortunate Gatorade cooler but most fans probably wish he just beat the hell out of Lugo. Did I mention Julio is useless?

On a brighter note, Josh Beckett (4-2) looked good last night. He went seven innings, allowing six hits, one run with eight strikeouts.

Boston got to supposed Tigers ace Justin Verlander early, scoring three in the third and two in the fifth.

Verlander fell to 1-6 on the year with a disgusting 6.43 ERA, making me glad I didn't have him on any of my fantasy teams. He's lost velocity from his dominant rookie season two years ago and like all Tigers pitchers right now, he's searching for answers.

Youk had a two-run shot off of Verlander while Coco Crisp (3 hits), Jacboy Ellsbury (2 hits), Lowell (2 hits) and Ortiz (2 hits) each had multiple hits.

Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen both pitched scoreless innings which is not something you see everyday.

The Sox travel to Minnesota for a four-game set in the beautiful Metrodome.

You're not going anywhere with no pitching

The Detroit Tigers (14-20) had a nightmarish, 0-7 start to the season. They recovered somewhat but now they've lost five in a row.

The Red Sox (22-13) conversely have won five in a row thanks to outstanding starting pitching.

Boston won 6-3 on Monday despite Dice-K's (5-0) eight walks while Tim Wakefield spun a gem last night as the Sox won 5-0. Dice-K couldn't find the plate and threw 108 pitches in five innings yet still picked up the win.

Craig Hanson (who was recalled Monday) gave up two runs and two walks in 1.2 innings.

On Monday, Mike Lowell had a big game (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) including a two-run homer off Jeremy Bonderman (2-3). Kevin Youkilis also added a two-run homer while David Ortiz (who is suddenly swinging a hot bat) hit a solo shot off Todd Jones in the ninth.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched a clean ninth for his 10th save of the season.

Wakefield (3-1) threw eight scoreless innngs of two-hit ball with six strikeouts. Mike Timlin pitched a scoreless ninth.

Manny (3 hits) and Ortiz hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning. Kevin Youkilis had two doubles and Kevin Cash had three hits.

That Tigers Bullpen is Something Alright

The Detroit Tigers aren't going anywhere this season unless they significantly improve their god-awful bullpen.

That group's impudence was on full-display last night as Detroit lost 12-6 to Boston in a game that was close until the eighth inning.

The Red Sox (5-5) had 13 hits, including three from J.D. Drew and two from Coco Crisp, Dustin Pedroia and Sean Casey (Youk moved to 3rd as the Sox put Lowell on the DL for his thumb injury).

Tim Wakefield (1-0) picked up the win with a very Wakefield line: five innings, three hits, two runs (1 earned), five walks and five strikeouts.

Backup catcher Kevin Cash handled the knuckleball for the most part, he had only one passed ball. This prompted Doug Mirabelli to cry himself to sleep, wherever he is.

Wakefield and Tigers starter Nate Robertson dueled for the first three innings then remembered who they were in the fourth. Detroit scored twice, on a Brandon Inge sacrifice fly and a Placido Polanco RBI single.

The Sox countered with four in the bottom of the inning. Drew (2 runs, 2 RBIs, 1 walk) had an RBI single, Coco (1 runs, 2 RBIs, 2 walks) had a ground-rule double which scored Youk, Casey (3 RBIs) had a RBI ground out and Cash added an RBI single.

Magglio Ordonez had a solo shot in the seventh off Manny Delcarmen.

Once again, Boston topped that as Manny had a two-run double to center and Casey had a two-run single.

Up 8-3, Sox manager Terry Francona figured, hey why not make this interesting? So he put Julian Taverez in. After letting the first six batters he faced to reach base while the Tigers scored three runs, Tito had seen enough.

With the tying run at the plate (Ordonez), Jonathan Papelbon got him to fly out, ending the inning.

Youk hit a two-run double in the eighth, Drew had a sac-fly and Coco knocked in Youk with a single.

For some unknown reason, Papelbon stayed in there with a six-run lead (hey, he got the save). He had a clean ninth but overall threw 22 pitches so who knows if he'll be available tonight.

And in case you're living in a cave (Bin Laden), the New York Yankees come to town tonight. The forecast calls for rain all weekend which is fantastic.

Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang takes the mound, opposed by Clay Buchholz. It's the first of six series against the Bronx Bombers this season. Even in April, neither team is at full-strength as Lowell is out and Derek Jeter is expected to miss the weekend. Jorge Pasada is also banged up with a "dead arm." Apparently he pitches now too.

It Was Bound to Happen Sooner or Later

Sorry folks, as funny as it would have been to go 0-162, the Detroit Tigers were going to win a game at some point. Unfortunately, that happened to be last night against the Red Sox, 7-2 at Fenway.

Jon Lester (1-2) took the loss but he didn't even pitch that badly: 5.1 innings, five hits, four runs (all earned) and four walks.

Jeremy Bonderman (1-1) earned the win for the Tigers. He went five innings, gave up five hits, two runs (one earned), four walks and struck out two. He wasn't great but he gave his team a decent start which is just what they needed.

The Sox (4-5) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second when Jacoby Ellsbury walked with the bases loaded then Julio Lugo hit an RBI single.

From there, the Tigers (1-7) scored seven unanswered runs against Lester and a quartet of terrible relievers: David Aardsma, Javier Lopez, Bryan Corey and Julian Tavarez.

That bum Edgar Renteria (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBI's) started it off in the fourth with a two-run double then Marcus Thames blasted a two-run homer.

Brandon Inge added a two-run single in the eighth and Carlos Guillen hit a solo home run in the ninth.

Mike Lowell hurt his thumb in the top of the first making a nice diving play so he left the game. David Ortiz still can't buy a hit.

After the euphoria of opening day, the Red Sox came back down to earth last night. They'll look to take the series tonight as Tim Wakefield opposes Nate Robertson.

The Big Top Makes a Stop at Fenway

Geez, the Boston Red Sox broke out all the stops for opening day at Fenway, huh? The team received their 2007 World Series rings while the Boston Pops played and championship members of the other three Boston teams joined the team on the field. Bill Buckner threw out the first pitch then returned to his cave. The scene was even more ridiculous than it sounds but when you win the World Series, you can do what you want.

As for the game, the Red Sox (4-4) defeated the lifeless Detroit Tigers (0-7), 5-0. Dice-K got the win, going 6.2 innings, giving up four hits, four walks and seven strikeouts. It was the second straight outstanding start by Dice-K, who appears to have found himself stateside.

Kevin Youkilis led the offense with three hits, two RBI's, a run and a walk. Jason Varitek, Dustin Pedroia and Julio Lugo all added two hits apiece.

The Sox had two run-scoring sacrifice flys and a bases-loaded walk account for three runs. Plus, an RBI double by Youk and Manny came around to score after a triple into the triangle and a throwing error by Placido Polanco.

Many experts picked the Tigers to make the playoffs, some (Sports Illustrated)going as far as to pick them to win the World Series and so far Detroit hasn't been able to get out of the gate. You know they'll turn it around eventually but the numbers aren't on their side as no team has started 0-7 and made the playoffs.

Detroit's lineup is stacked yet they've struggled to score runs without Curtis Granderson. They have good starting pitchers but they haven't showed up yet and their bullpen (their biggest question mark) is a mess.

Kenny Rogers (4.2 innings, 8 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts) wasn't hit particularly hard but Boston waited him out and ran his pitch count up to 107 before he departed.

Manny Delcarmen (1.1 innings, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts) and Hideki Okajima (1 inning, 2 strikeouts) combined to get the last seven outs without giving up a run.

Boston finally gets back to some sense of normalcy tonight (no more Opening Day hoopla) as Jon Lester faces Jeremy Bonderman.