I've been prattling on for weeks about Boston's pitching depth, but last night the guys on the bench showed that they can contribute too.

After Jon Lester got knocked around for five runs, the Sox surged back and tied it. The amazing, magnificent, spectacular, insert-your-own-superlative-here bullpen kept the Indians off the board after they scored five runs off Lester in four innings (Lester went six). In truth, the bullpen was shaky last night. They bent, but they didn't break. That Cleveland team can hit.

But the real star of the game was a player who had spent seven years in the Cleveland farm system. Jonathan Van Every (who??) can thank the perpetually achy J.D. Drew for his chance to win the game with a home run in the 10th inning.

You see, J.D. Drew was held out of the lineup for whatever reason this time (back, quad, shoulder, knee, toothache, hangnail, disappointment over the latest American Idol loser, etc.). Normally, this is where Rocco Baldelli is inserted, but he's on the DL with a hamstring issue. So here's where the versatile Jeff Bailey can step in. Unfortunately, he had to play first base after Kevin Youkilis got the night off to recover from taking an errant pitch in the back the night before.

That's when they called on the guy behind the guy behind the guy behind the guy. And all Jonathan Van Every did was hit a crucial RBI single, make a hugely important diving catch, and win the game in the tenth with his first major league home run. The catch was just the first out of the inning, but it was significant in that the Indians immediately loaded the bases but were unable to score.

Not a bad night for a guy who in a week will probably be mistaken for the assistant clubhouse manager.

Hey, Red Sox fans! Remember me? I'm Julio Friggin' Lugo, millionaire 36 times over by the time my contract ends at the end of next season.

Until I'm through cashing paychecks thanks to my GM's temporary insanity, I promise to continue:

1. Juggling and then dropping balls that are hit directly at me.
2. Grounding into double plays.
3. Making you wish for Jed Lowrie's speedy recovery.
4. Hanging out with David Ortiz to show how liked I am.
5. Injuring some part of my lower body so that I can do even less and still get paid.
6. Making fans forget I was supposed to bat leadoff when I was signed.
7. Reminding everyone that Theo Epstein is only human.

Red Sox fans, up until last night, remember only one stolen base: The Dave Roberts Steal™ in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. Now there's The Jacoby Ellsbury Steal™ of home plate last night at Fenway against Andy Pettitte in a game of far lesser magnitude. Nevertheless, fans will be talking about this steal for years. In fact, I expect a "Steal! Steal! Steal!" chant to go up every time Ellsbury steps on third base with a lefty on the mound. Kind of takes the surprise out of the equation.

That steal of home helped sweep the Yankees out of Fenway, a series that may be only vaguely remembered by season's end. For now, it's the 10th straight win for a team that stumbled out of the gate. There's no better cure for what ails these Sox than a perfect nine game homestand.

When the Red Sox lost out on the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, Theo Epstein decided not to go out and sign another free agent slugger like Adam Dunn. Instead he fortified the pitching staff, believing the Red Sox would still score enough runs if the bullpen could hold down the opposition. So far his Plan B has been a great success.

On a night when Terry Francona needed to rest A-List relievers Jonathan Papelbon, Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen (combined 30.1 innings, one earned run), he turned to rookie callups Hunter Jones and Michael Bowden to set up backup closer (is there such a thing?) Takashi Saito, who Epstein snapped up for short money this offseason. It should be mentioned that starter Justin Masterson was stellar, pitching into the sixth inning and yielding the only run of the game.

The Boston 'pen leads the majors with a 2.38 ERA. It was because of this seemingly unending depth of bullpen talent that I predicted as the reason the Red Sox would win a third championship this decade. So far, so good. Only just over five grueling months to go.

The next three series on the road get progressively more diffcult. The Sox are at Cleveland starting tonight, followed by three games at the Chamber of Horrors, better known as Tropicana Field in Tampa, followed by an unamused Yankee squad ready for some revenge in their homer-friendly new palace.

I have a lot of confidence in the Red Sox, but I'd be willing to bet this winning streak will be snapped on the road this week. Just a hunch.

Yesterday I ended my blog post with this sentence:

All signs point to a low-scoring pitchers' duel, but this is Boston and New York--anything can happen--so don't be surprised if the game ends 12-11.

I was wrong. The final score was 16-11.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm very happy the Sox came back against A.J. Burnett, who took a comfy 6-0 lead into the fourth inning then proceeded to cough up five runs in half an inning. To recap this mess would be ridiculous. Let's just say that when teams combine to score 27 runs in one game, the pitching is usually to blame. Josh Beckett was off his game from the first pitch. Burnett was completely in control until Jason Varitek clubbed a grand slam and suddenly everyone was on base. Not exactly one for the time capsule, but credit the Sox for showing no sign of surrender while notching their ninth straight victory.

I think Mike Lowell has a chip on his shoulder after all the offseason talk about the Sox signing Mark Teixeira and shipping the 2007 World Series MVP out of town. But Lowell seems to have recovered well from his hip surgery. He's made some outstanding defensive catches and his bat is on fire. Here's a comparison so far this season between Teixeira, 29, and Lowell, 35:

Teixeira: .235 3 HR 10 RBI .854 OPS
Lowell: .328 4 HR 22 RBI .993 OPS

I would pick Teixeira to end the season with better numbers, but I think Lowell still has more in the tank than many fans give him credit for. He can still hit the ball out of the park with authority and while he has slowed a bit, he's still an excellent defender. I think hitting in the 7-hole takes off some of the pressure he's been under as the Number 5 guy. And any time Mike Lowell is batting seventh, you know the team is stacked solid hitters.

So tonight on ESPN, it's Andy Pettitte vs. Justin Masterson. Since the first two games yielded  36 runs, I'll predict another high-scoring victory (let's say, 8-6) and a Red Sox sweep for their tenth in a row. 

Two outs, bottom of the ninth. Yankees up 4-2. Mariano Rivera on the hill.

Game over?

Not this time. Jason Bay hit a two-run shot that sent the game into extras and Kevin Youkilis blasted a walk-off homer out of the park in the bottom of the 11th off Damaso Marte. The Red Sox took the first game of the first series against the Yankees, 5-4.

Just a little drama to start up The Rivalry, 2009 Edition.

It was a thrilling win for the Sox and it marked their eighth in a row after a poor start to the season. But it was also a lucky win, even without the mistake pitch by Rivera. The Yankees had their chances to open up their lead a few times, while the Red Sox grounded into four double plays in the first five innings. David Ortiz and J.D. Drew were practically invisible at the plate last night. Jon Lester was good, but not great, and the same could be said for most of the Sox pitching staff, apart from Hideki Okajima, who was just plain awful. Even Jonathan Papelbon looked beatable until he cranked up the high heat to strike out Mark Teixeira in the 10th with runners at first and third to end the inning.

And despite all that, I was pretty happy about how it all turned out.

Today's pitching matchup features a pair of former Florida Marlins. A.J. Burnett, undefeated against the Red Sox in his career, squares off against staff ace Josh Beckett. All signs point to a low-scoring pitchers' duel, but this is Boston and New York--anything can happen--so don't be surprised if the game ends 12-11.

Here we go again.

Red Sox and Yankees. Fenway Park. The rivalry continues.

Sure, these first few games in Boston will probably be forgotten by the time the final series between these two teams takes place in New York in late September. How important are they in the scheme of things? Not very.

But they're more fun to watch than any other combination of any two of the 30 MLB teams.

The Red Sox and Yankees have become an entertaining soap opera. Even with Manny gone and A-Rod on the DL, there's plenty to watch in this never-ending story.

Will Joba Chamberlain throw at Kevin Youkilis again for no apparent reason? Will fans boo Mark Teixeira from the first inning straight through the chorus of "Sweet Caroline"? Will Big Papi hit his first home run of the season this weekend? Will A.J. Burnett remain undefeated against Boston or will a well-rested, back-from-suspension Josh Beckett dominate? Will the Red Sox bullpen shut down any attempts at late-inning Yankee rallies? Will the Fenway franks give a sellout crowd a bad case of indigestion?

These and other questions will be answered starting at 7 p.m. as Jon Lester takes on Joba Chamberlain to kick off a pitching fan's dream series.

I just hope no one winds up pregnant with A-Rod's baby.
 

A week ago, ESPN's Buster Olney, a writer I admire, wrote the following about David Ortiz:

"He looks as bad as his numbers indicate. Opposing talent evaluators are stunned by the regression in his bat speed, by how different a hitter he seems to be compared to what he was in his prime."

You'll get no argument from me that David Ortiz is past his sensational prime years of 2003-2007, but his injury last year and his slow start this season should be no indication that he's ready for retirement.

Since that article, Ortiz has raised his average from .176 to .220. Not exactly an impressive number yet, but it's starting to build. He has driven in five runs in the past six games. Last week he had just one extra-base hit. Now he has five, including a triple. Last night he missed his first homer of the season by just a few feet, a home run in other parks without 37 feet of Green Monster turning long balls into base hits.

Ortiz wasn't particularly impressive to start last year, either. In 2008, he hit .198 in April before rounding into form in May when he hit .318 before his wrist injury.

The best way to show that it's too early in the season to make any pronouncements or predictions is to look at the Red Sox as a team: on April 16th, they were in last place with a record of 3-6. Today, they're tied for second place at 9-6. In a baseball season that lasts six months, 15 games isn't enough time to count out any major league player, especially if that person is David Ortiz.

Red Sox 10, Orioles 8
Recap •  Box Score

NESN play-by-play man Don Orsillo was right: The bad news was the Red Sox were down 7-0 in the second inning. The good news was that it was early.

The Red Sox chipped away at what appeared to be a lost cause and came all the way back to beat the Orioles 10-8 last night at Fenway.

What is going on with the Orioles at Fenway Park? In 2007, there was the Mother's Day Miracle, wherein the Sox overcame a 5-0 deficit in the bottom of the ninth to shock the Orioles, 6-5. Last night, they had more time, but they somehow managed to climb out of an even deeper hole.

This leads us to more good news/bad news:

Good News: The Red Sox bullpen is as dominant as advertised. After Brad Penny was yanked in the third and charged with another run, the 'pen kept the Orioles off the board for the rest of the game. This follows another superb job by the bullpen, who kept the Red Sox in the game against Oakland when Daisuke Matsuzaka was pulled after one inning. In that 12-inning loss, the pen went 10 scoreless innings.

Bad News: The bullpen is being overused thanks to Dice-K's injury, bad starts from Jon Lester and Brad Penny, and now Justin Masterson has been removed from the pen to replace Dice-K as a starter.

Good News: The Red Sox offense came roaring back to life, with home runs from J.D. Drew and Jason Bay. In fact, every player got on base at some point in the game, except David Ortiz, whose average dipped to .158 after striking out three times.
 
Bad News: Kevin Youkilis reached base only because he was hit in the head by a pitch from reliever Danys Baez, who took the loss.

Good News: The Red Sox won their second straight game for the first time this season.

Bad News: See good news above. It took 10 games for the Sox to win two in a row. 
 

Red Sox 8, Athletics 2
Recap • Box Score

In a week where:

• Josh Beckett was handed a six-game suspension
• Jed Lowrie joined fellow shortstop Julio Lugo on the disabled list
  
• Jon Lester got knocked around for the second time
• Daisuke Matsuzaka's dominating performance at the largely ignored World Baseball Classic caught up to him and landed him on the DL
• The Red Sox bullpen relieved Dice-K for 10 stellar, shutout innings before losing to Oakland in the 12th

...it was up to Tim Wakefield to stop the bleeding. This is the same Tim Wakefield that some fans felt was over the hill and was taking a roster spot away from Clay Buchholz. The same Tim Wakefield who is everyone's first choice to be yanked from the rotation when John Smoltz is added to the roster in late May or June. The same Tim Wakefield who averages a dozen wins a season at less than half the salary of Julio Lugo.

The same Tim Wakefield who, at 42 years old (and wearing the Number 42 for Jackie Robinson Day) took a no-hitter into the eighth inning yesterday and pitched the team's first complete game of the season, a win the Red Sox desperately needed before flying home to Fenway.

To be perfectly honest, I missed the entire game. I fell asleep on the couch after "24," even though it was a good episode. Will Jack Bauer die from exposure to toxins? What's the story with Tony Almeida? Will anyone use the bathroom or eat a sandwich? It's been about 20 hours already. Somebody's gotta be hungry. But I digress.

These West Coast trips are awful for fans on the other side of the country. In this case, however, it was a blessing. Jon Lester was not good (again) and the team lost (again) 8-2 in Oakland. I didn't miss much.

Nomar Garciaparra considered retiring this offseason, but I guess he saw the opportunity to get his revenge on his former team. He hit a home run and though he downplayed the meaning of it, I'm sure he was laughing inside.

After all, this Red Sox ownership had the temerity to offer him a three-year, $45 million contract that he turned down. Well, he'll tell you he made a "counter offer" for more money, but the team declined. Then he frowned his way out of town and the Red Sox won with his new Oakland Athletics teammate Orlando Cabrera at short. Then they won again in 2007.

Gee, Nomar, if you had only taken the $15 million a year, you'd have been part of two World Series celebrations. Instead, your greed got you no more than $9 million annually and a consolation ring for being part of the 2004 team.

Hope that home run felt good. I'm glad Rocco Baldelli took your old number. Nomar Garciaparra, you and Tony Almeida have disappointed me for the last time!

Somebody get John Voight on the phone. I've got an assignment for him.

After two series to start the season, the Red Sox find themselves in last place with a record of 2-4. They are two-and-a-half games behind first place Toronto. The Sox are not normally slow starters. Here are some reasons why they're not at the top of the AL East yet:

The Competition: Talk about a tough start to the schedule. The Red Sox faced the AL East champion Rays (I still can't get over that, but I have to) to kick off the year at home, followed by the Angels, the team that probably hates them more than anyone. The L.A. Angels have regularly beat down the Red Sox during the regular season, but when it counts the most, it's the Red Sox who have had the upper hand: they have knocked the Angels out of the playoffs in three of the past five seasons.

Jacoby Ellsbury: This is supposed to be the guy who sparks the offense. So far he has scored just two runs. Terry Francona pinch hit Rocco Baldelli for him in yesterday's loss. If this keeps up, expect J.D. Drew or Dustin Pedroia at the top of the lineup in six weeks. The good news for Ellsbury? His 179th errorless game broke Mike Greenwell's streak for Red Sox outfielders.

Dustin Pedroia: The reigning MVP has had bad luck at the plate, lining shots directly at infielders. He's also had bad luck in his hometown of Woodland, California. After calling the place he grew up "a dump" in a Boston Magazine feature, his family received a death threat from an angry resident. Tough town.

Big Papi: His wrist is healed, but he's off to slow start. No home runs yet, and just two runs batted in. Which leads to:

Lack of Timely Hitting: 10 runners left on base in yesterday's 5-4 loss. For the three-game series, 24 runners were left stranded. They're getting on base, but they're not scoring when they have the opportunity.

Other bad things: Poor starts by Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka; bad relief from the normally reliable Hideki Okajima; Jed Lowrie proving every day he's no Julio Lugo at the plate.

That said, it's just six games. I expect the Sox to creep up in the standings this week as they face Oakland before returning home to square off against Minnesota.

In the scheme of things, Daisuke Matsuzaka's awful first start of the season yesterday means nothing compared to what must be going on in the Angels clubhouse. The Red Sox are playing them a day after rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in car accident, allegedly by a drunk driver.

Teams don't get much time off to mourn a loss. Last night's game was postponed, but the team will be on the field tonight.

Adenhart was terrific in his first start of the season, hurling six shutout innings. He would have started the season in the minors if not for injuries to Jon Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Ervin Santana.

Commissioner Bud Selig's statement:

"Major League Baseball is in mourning today upon the news of this tragedy that has taken Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others. Nick was just 22 years of age, with a wonderful life and career ahead of him. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my sincere sympathy to the families and friends of all three victims and to the entire Angels' organization. I send my deepest condolences to Nick's parents, Jim and Janet. The hearts of everyone in baseball are with them at this most difficult time."

Rays 7, Red Sox 2
Box Score

Jon Lester hadn't lost a game at Fenway Park in 364 days. Today, on the anniversary of his last defeat, he'll wake up mulling over what went wrong in his 7-2 loss last night at frozen Fenway.

Lester started the game well enough, matching Tampa Bay starter Scott Kazmir frame-for-frame to a 1-1 tie over the first four innings. But the game unraveled in the fifth inning and the Rays never looked back, despite some late-inning threats from the Red Sox offense. In total, there were nine Boston batters left on base. Kazmir was clearly the better pitcher last night.

Notes: Home plate umpire Bob Davidson's strike zone was ridiculously wide, but to his credit he was consistent and kept it wide for both teams. Probably had something to do with the temperature. Nobody likes a long game in 40º weather.

Old friend Gabe Kapler stuck a hand in during a face-first slide to avoid a tag at second after a quick throw by Jason Bay. On the next play, Jacoby Ellsbury threw him out at third.

Kevin Youkilis went 3-for-4, raising his two-game average to .625. He also made a rare throwing error that scored a runner.

The new guys: Rocco Baldelli went 1-for-4 and made a fine defensive play in right field. Takashi Saito pulled a Hideki Okajima and gave up a home run to the first batter he faced as a Red Sox reliever. The news was better for Ramon Ramirez, who was perfect in the seventh inning.

The series concludes this afternoon as reigning World Baseball Classic MVP Daisuke Matsuzaka faces 2008 ALCS MVP Matt Garza. First pitch at 1:35 p.m.

Red Sox 5, Rays 3

For those of you ready to proclaim Jon Lester or Dice-K the new ace of the Red Sox, don't count on it just yet; not while Josh Beckett is still on this team. Beckett opened the 2009 season looking like he'd already had a dozen starts under his belt. His final line: 7 innings, 3 walks, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 10 strikeouts.

He had good command except for the third inning when the Rays scored their only run against him. His velocity was great. The looping, snapping curve was finding its target. After a year of nagging injuries from back to neck to elbow to oblique, it was clear that Beckett was healthy and ready to go from the first pitch.

Other highlights:

* Home runs from Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek, who showed off a new, controlled stance he learned from working with hitting coach Dave Magadan.

• Jonathan Papelbon dominating Rays hitters for a perfect ninth inning and his first save.

Full recap and videos here. Box score here.

I know, I know. This is The Boston Red Sox Blog, so why write about the Yankees? Because when there's no Red Sox game due to poor scheduling and bad weather, nothing's more fun than rooting against the team we love to hate.

Red Sox fans should get their schadenfreude while it's hot. This won't last for long and you all know it. Besides, I am no longer fooled by slow Yankees starts that almost always end in last-minute, come-from-behind surges in the standings. I checked in, mid-game, on my iPhone yesterday to see if the Yanks were clobbering the Orioles. To my surprise, CC Sabathia was already out of the game, having surrendered six runs--all earned--and striking out not even one Baltimore batter.

Which reminds me: iPhone owners must immediately download the "MLB At Bat" application. It comes in two versions: Lite, for free, which gives real-time score updates and the paid version for $9.99 which includes in-game video replays and other great features. Best sports app I've seen so far.

Mark Teixeira, booed mercilessly by his hometown crowd, went hitless, much to the delight of the Orioles fans in attendance.

While this was fun to watch for non-Yankees fans, I couldn't help but notice it wouldn't have been so much of a blowout if Joba Chamberlain were still in the bullpen. The game was still in reach--6-5 at one point--before the bullpen blew up. The Joba-Mariano combo, in my opinion, makes that New York staff stronger than starting Chamberlain every fifth day. Phil Hughes is capable enough to hold down the fifth spot in the rotation. He can win eight or nine games and the Yanks can still cruise into the playoffs. But five aces and no bridge to the greatest closer of all time will result in more games getting away from the Yankees than they will tolerate.

So, Cashman and Girardi, please keep the rotation and bullpen as is. Your friends in Boston appreciate the gesture.
 
Is it 4:05 yet? Let's get the Red Sox season started already.

I guess the schedulers decided that since the season is starting a week later than usual thanks to the ho-hum World Baseball Classic, there wouldn't be a problem with the Red Sox opening the season at Fenway.

Wrong.

Rain is expected today--all day--and unless the Red Sox and Rays can endure a few rain delays, the 2009 season opener may be washed out entirely.

Nobody likes a rainout in the regular season, but for fans who have waited since their team fell just three runs shy of advancing to the World Series, Game 1 of the 2009 season couldn't start fast enough.

Rain delays can also limit or cancel the starts of team aces. Josh Beckett, who has bounced back from an injury-filled season, has something to prove as the team's ace. But he may need to wait if the rain keeps him warming up too many times and the game is eventually canceled. Or if the Sox and Rays get in an inning before a two-hour rain delay.

Note to the schedulers: Never, ever start the Red Sox at home to open the season.

Update: The game has been officially rained out. Beckett will face off against James Shields tomorrow at 4 p.m.

Weather permitting.
 

Who needs Manny? Not the Red Sox, according to ESPN's Preseason Power Rankings. They've listed Boston on top, followed closely by Tampa Bay. The Empire chimes in at third, giving the AL East the top three positions out of 30 MLB teams.

Sounds about right to me. Just about every baseball prognosticator is convinced that all three teams can win 95 games (or more), which means one team (or maybe two) will miss the postseason.

The Yankees have great starting pitching, but poor defense (sorry Mr. Jeter). The bullpen is good and so is the bench. But apart from their starting five and the eventual Teixeria/A-Rod 3-4 punch, the Yankees take a back seat to Boston and Tampa Bay.

The Red Sox and Rays starters can match up well with New York, but with Andy Pettitte holding down the fifth spot, I give the Yanks the edge. When it comes to hitting, the Sox have it. Don't count out a resurgent Papi, a determined Kevin Youkilis, and the fact that Mike Lowell is batting seventh to show that this team can put up 900 runs or more this year. The Rays are also stacked with solid hitters again this season. There's added pop with the addition of Pat Burrell, who clubbed 33 homers for the champs in Philly last year.

All things considered, it's a tight race for these three teams which have comparable strengths in every department.

Except for the bullpens. Here, the Yankees can't hang with the Rays and Red Sox. In fact, Theo Epstein may have assembled the best 'pen in the majors with the additions of former Dodgers closer Takashi Saito and rising star Ramon Ramirez, who came to Boston in the Coco Crisp trade. The Tampa relievers proved themselves last season and should be dominant again this year.

The Red Sox combo of Saito (assuming he stays healthy) and Papelbon will make it a seven inning game for Boston on most nights. And let's not forget Daniel Bard and his 100 MPH heat, patiently waiting for his big break. Oh, and where will John Smoltz fit in? He's a proven starter and closer. And Clay Buchholz? He had an outstanding spring, but there's no room for him on the roster.

The Sox are stacked with pitching this season. Their payroll has dropped considerably (someone said sixth in MLB. Can anyone confirm?) so you can expect plenty of flexibility at the trade deadline.

Pitching wins championships, and in this case, the bullpen in Boston is the reason they will win their third World Series championship in six seasons.