Heading into the 2009 baseball postseason, many experts predicted that the Boston Red Sox were ready to roll to another World Series title. Following a Game 2 loss against the Los Angeles Angels, that talk is all but dead. The Angels have a stranglehold on the series following Friday’s 4-1 victory.
For the second straight game, starting pitching was the key for the Angels. That fact is ironic considering that the Angels’ weakness all season long was supposedly their lack of starting pitching. Friday’s star was Jered Weaver, who went 7.1 innings while giving up only two hits, two walks and …read more

In a scoreless ballgame, Torii Hunter came to the plate with two of his Los Angeles Angels teammates on base. With one swing, Hunter put the Angels up 3-0. From there, the Angels glided to a 5-0 victory.
On the mound, John Lackey was dominant for Los Angeles. In 7.1 scoreless innings, he allowed four hits and one walk while striking out four batters. Darren Oliver pitched the final 1.2 innings and didn’t allow a baserunner.
For the Red Sox, it wasn’t the way the team wanted to start their 2009 postseason. They had only four hits while racking up three errors. …read more

The Texas Rangers have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. Early in the season, the Rangers surprised many with their quality play — especially considering the many young players on the roster. However, largely due to injuries and untimely slumps, the Rangers have sputtered to the finish line.
On Tuesday, they were officially eliminated after losing to the Los Angeles Angels by a final count of 5-2. Bobby Abreu homered in the first inning and the Angels never trailed again. Angels starter Sean O’Sullivan pitched five innings to improve his record on the season to 4-2.
With the Rangers out of the …read more

This time last year, the Tampa Bay Rays were in the middle of a miraculous run that landed on top of the AL West and eventually sent the Rays to the World Series. This year isn’t quite as fun.
On Sunday, the Rays saw their losing streak extend to 11 games when the Boston Red Sox won by a final count of 4-0. The Rays are no only 72-71 and they are already looking forward to next season.
In their latest loss, Jon Lester dominated. The Red Sox starting pitcher threw eight innings in which he only gave up two hits …read more

After the initial shot didn’t help, Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton had a second injection on Monday. Hamilton is dealing with a back injury brought on by a pinched nerve.
While Hamilton has talked about missing a few weeks, the Rangers believe he can be back sooner than that. In fact, Texas is holding out hope that their slugger can return by this weekend.
On the season, Hamilton is hitting .270 with ten homers, 49 RBIs and 43 runs. Compared to his near MVP season last year, his numbers this year are disappointing. That said, the Rangers are desperate to get him …read more

Michael Young, the All-Star third baseman for the Texas Rangers, will miss approximately two weeks due to a strained left hamstring. Initially fearing that the injury was going to keep him out the rest of the season, Young was thrilled to hear the 14-day outlook.
“For them to tell me there’s a good chance I’ll be available the last two weeks,” said Young, “that’s great news to me.”
Arguably the best player on the Rangers, Young has hit .322 with 22 homers, 67 RBIs and 76 runs this season. The loss of Young goes beyond the numbers.
“There’s no way to replace Michael,” …read more

Down 9-0 after four innings, the Boston Red Sox soon figured out that pulling out a win against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday wasn’t going to be possible. To save their short-handed bullpen, manager Terry Francona turned to shortstop Nick Green to pitch the final two innings for the Red Sox.
And all things considered, Green ended up doing a great job. In his two innings of work, he walked three but gave up no hits and no runs. After the ballgame, Green said he hadn’t pitched in nearly a dozen years. The last time the 30-year-old pitched was in …read more

Greg Montalbano never made the big leagues. His entire professional career was in the minor leagues. But on Saturday, he had a big impact on a pair of star hitters who pointed to him as the reason why they played well.
Montalbano pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the minor leagues. On Saturday morning, he lost his near decade long battle with testicular cancer. Kevin Youkilis, his former minor league teammate, and Carlos Pena, his college teammate at Northeastern, both made him proud later in the day.
Pena hit a first inning homer for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Texas …read more

Reports have surfaced that Billy Wagner, regarded as one of the top closers in the history of baseball and currently a member of the New York Mets, has been claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox. The Mets now have four days to trade him to the Red Sox, let the Red Sox have him or simply reclaim him. The news has been reported by ESPN.com.
Since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, Wagner just recently returned to the pitching mound. In his first appearance, which came on Thursday, Wagner struck out two hitters in a hitless one inning of …read more

After getting released by the Boston Red Sox, it didn’t take John Smoltz too long to find a new home. On Wednesday, Smoltz signed a deal for the rest of the year to pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals. Since the Red Sox are still paying him money, the Cardinals will only have to pay Smoltz around $100K.
With the Cardinals, Smoltz will likely begin as a starting pitcher. However, down the line, he could switch to the bullpen. Many team insiders have speculated that if the team makes the playoffs, Smoltz would likely be the the Cardinals’ setup man.
As it …read more