SB Nation Boston - Rays 4, Red Sox 3: Alfredo Aceves Blows The Save, Sox Fall Back Under .500

Ryan Sweeney Injury Update: Sweeney Activated Off DL

2012-05-28T15:41:20Z

Per NBCSports.com, outfielder Ryan Sweeney was activated off of the disabled list today after suffering a concussion.

The Boston Red Sox should be thrilled to get Sweeney back into the fold. The team has been absolutely riddled with injuries especially in the outfield. In fact, seven different outfielders for Boston have made a trip to the DL at one point or another this season.

Sweeney was playing very well before getting injured. The right fielder was hitting .311 and really providing a nice spark while the team was trying to find its way.

Manager Bobby Valentine isn't wasting any time getting Sweeney back into the swing of things, putting him into the lineup today against the Detroit Tigers. However, Sweeney will be in center field, where he has only started six games all year. He'll be batting seventh in the order.

To make room for Sweeney, Che-Hsuan Lin was optioned back to Triple-A Pawtucket.

For more on the Red Sox, please be sure to visit our blog Over The Monster and SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.

Red Sox Extras: A Long Time Between Blown Saves For Alfredo Aceves

2012-05-28T12:21:56Z

After Sunday's depressing loss, Red Sox Nation returned to an activity which it had avoided for the past month-or-so: complaining about the closer.

There's no doubt that Alfredo Aceves backed into this role, likely receiving the nod after Andrew Bailey's injury as a way to make amends for keeping him out of the rotation. Aceves had never exactly been closer stuff before, after all. His ability was not to pitch one shutout inning, but to throw three without letting the game get away, utilizing ground balls to avoid the big inning.

Jonathan Papelbon he was not.

That being said, however, since he took over the role, Aceves has shown us a different side of himself. Asked to only pitch one or, at the most two innings, Aceves' fastball has been on average two miles per hour faster than last year, at times reaching up to 97. Ever since giving up three runs before recording his first out this year, Aceves has been fantastic, striking out more than a batter an inning and converting 11-of-12 save chances before Sunday.

So what happened against the Rays? Perhaps it's just a matter of Aceves not having pitched in a few days? Or maybe it's just a bad day. The sort that happens to any reliever. While Aceves' season as a whole does look a bit ugly with his 4.76 ERA, he's shown his ability to provide lockdown innings most nights. His two meltdowns are more dramatic than the ones experienced by most closers, with the eight earned runs he allowed against the Tigers and Yankees in two games without recording an out, but as far as his ability to convert saves is concerned, he's given us plenty of reason for optimism ever since that first series of the year.

So let's not go calling for Alfredo Aceves' head just yet. Every loss is more painful than usual these days with the Red Sox, particularly given how they've been dancing around .500, but Alfredo Aceves is responsible for all of two runs in one game--part of a month where his ERA remains a paltry 2.37. He's earned more leeway than this.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Red Sox Vs. Rays Final Score: Alfredo Aceve's Blown Save Leaves Sox 4-3 Losers

2012-05-27T21:31:20Z

The Red Sox have, for the sixth time, entered a game at .500 and left it with a losing record, today as the result of a 4-3 Rays win courtesy of a blown save from Alfredo Aceves.

The game began as an impressive pitchers duel, which is about the last thing you would expect from Clay Buchholz these days. Commanding his curveball and changeup as well as we've seen so far this year, Buchholz allowed only a pair of weak singles in his first three innings of work. Jeremy Hellickson responded by surviving rather harder contact, and also headed into the fourth without a run to his name.

Clay Buchholz finally allowed a big hit in the fourth, as Matt Joyce took him into the right field corner for a double. Unfortunately, with Adrian Gonzalez playing out there, it quickly turned into three bases, as the first baseman out of water missed his cutoff man. The mistake would prove costly, as a ground ball out allowed Joyce to come in the back door, though given the ensuing Luke Scott single it's entirely possible the run would have scored anyways if everything had otherwise gone the same.

The Red Sox would not respond until they were down two in the seventh, but then they did so in a big way. David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis led off the inning with a walk and a single, bringing Adrian Gonzalez to the plate. After taking the first pitch for a ball, Gonzalez reached out for a changeup and dropped it into the Monster seats just to the right of the foul pole for a three-run shot that put the Sox up 3-2.

The lead would last for just the one full inning. After Franklin Morales and Vicente Padilla held down the fort with aplomb, striking out two and getting a ground ball in a clean eighth, the Sox turned to Alfredo Aceves, who after three full days off just didn't have it. A leadoff walk brought the winning run to the plate, and after a Luke Scott pop-up, Sean Rodriguez converted it, hitting a home run over everything in left to give the Rays the lead. With the weakest part of the lineup due up, the Sox made no noise in the bottom half, leaving them once again below .500.

Final - 5.27.2012	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Tampa Bay Rays	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	2	4	9	0
Boston Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	3	7	1
WP: Jake McGee (2 - 1) SV: Fernando Rodney (16) LP: Alfredo Aceves (0 - 2)

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Red Sox Vs. Rays Live Blog: Inning-By-Inning Updates For Game 3

2012-05-27T17:58:44Z

Boston and Tampa Bay will wrap up their series with a Sunday afternoon rubber game, with Clay Buchholz and Jeremy Hellickson taking the mound.

The Sox have stacked their lineup as much as possible, with Adrian Gonzalez in right field, Will Middlebrooks at third, and Kevin Youkilis at first. The real spotlight, however, will be on Clay Buchholz, who has had serious difficulty recording outs through the first two months of the season.

We'll keep you up-to-date on all the action as it goes down in Fenway.

Rays 4, Red Sox 3, Final -- 0-0, 10-10, 11-11, 21-21, 22-22, 23-23. They just can't get it done.

Rays 4, Red Sox 3, Mid 9th -- And just like that, the lead is gone. Alfredo Aceves comes out wild, walks Ben Zobrist, falls behind Sean Rodriguez 3-1, and gives up the homer that has the Red Sox looking at a very frustrating loss.

Red Sox 3, Rays 2, End 8th -- The Sox waste a valuable chance to add on to their lead in the eight. After Scott Podsednik singled to get the inning started, Mike Aviles bunted him into scoring position to give the heart of the lineup a chance to bring him in. Dustin Pedroia could only move him to third, however, and David Ortiz was intentionally walked to bring Kevin Youkilis to the plate to draw one of the less-intentional variety. In stepped Adrian Gonzalez, who had played the hero just one inning ago, but this time he couldn't come through. A reasonably well-hit ground ball headed past the mound, but the Rays defense was well-positioned to make the out an easy one.

It's all in Alfredo Aceves' hands now.

Red Sox 3, Rays 2, Mid 8th -- Bobby Valentine plays the splits, sending Franklin Morales in for Carlos Pena and Vicente Padilla in for B.J. Upton and Matt Joyce, resulting in two strikeouts and a ground ball. All that's left now is for Alfredo Aceves to do his job.

Red Sox 3, Rays 2, End 7th -- Adrian Gonzalez could not have chosen a better moment to find his power stroke again. David Ortiz led the inning off by drawing a walk, and Kevin Youkilis jumped on an outside 1-2 fastball to shoot a ground ball up the middle and give Gonzalez a chance with two on and nobody out. Rather than simply continuing the rally, Gonzalez chose to put an exclamation mark on it, taking a Fenway swing on an outside pitch and slicing a high fly ball just to the right of the foul pole and into the Monster seats.

Rays 2, Red Sox 0, Mid 7th -- The Rays pick up what could be a big insurance run as Clay Buchholz gives up a wall ball double, and has Will Rhymes flare a single to left for a two-out RBI before striking out Chris Gimenez to end the inning.

The Sox are down 2-0, and Clay is responsible for both runs, but it's by far the best game he's had this year. Seven innings, six strikeouts, just one walk, and a lot of ground balls. Even if the Sox can't get the result they need, it's some rare sign of light for the rotation's scariest arm.

Rays 1, Red Sox 0, End 6th -- The Red Sox lineup seems determined to waste Clay Buchholz' good start today, not making Hellickson work at all as they swing early and often. He's through 6 innings on just 68 pitches now after a 1-2-3 sixth.

Rays 1, Red Sox 0, Mid 6th -- Clay Buchholz falls victim to the worst of his bad habits in the sixth, paying too much attention to a runner at first and then allowing him to reach second all-the-same on a walk. The double play that followed, however, was more reminiscent of the Clay Buchholz from 2010 and 2011 who could be trusted with a start.

Rays 1, Red Sox 0, End 5th -- Turnabout, as they say, is fair play. Will Middlebrooks singles up the middle with one out, but just as Clay Buchholz did in the top half, Jeremy Hellickson gets the ground ball he needs to kill two birds with one stone and keep the Red Sox off the board.

Rays 1, Red Sox 0, Mid 5th -- A bit of a hanging breaking ball costs Clay Buchholz another baserunner, but he quickly rectifies the situation by getting a double play ball from Chris Gimenez to end the inning.

Rays 1, Red Sox 0, End 4th -- Jeremy Hellickson has his first 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fourth, running through the heart of the Red Sox order in speedy fashion.

Rays 1, Red Sox 0, Mid 4th -- Adrian Gonzalez in the outfield finally ends up costing the Sox, as his failure to hit the cutoff man on a line-hugging double allows Matt Joyce to move to third and then score on a ground ball out. Buchholz' off-speed stuff hasn't been quite as accurate of late, and with Luke Scott singling, it will be an earned run, but what's important right now is that the Sox trail.

Red Sox 0, Rays 0, End 3rd -- Another inning, another baserunner, another stranded baserunner for the Red Sox, who waste a one-out single from Scott Podsednik.

Red Sox 0, Rays 0, Mid 3rd -- Angel Hernandez' strike zone costs the Red Sox a baserunner, as Will Rhymes is gifted a favorable count and then manages to fist a single into right. Jarrod Saltalamacchia guns him down on a failed hit-and-run, however, and Hernandez makes up for it with a questionable called strike three to Chris Gimenez in another scoreless inning.

Red Sox 0, Rays 0, End 2nd -- The Red Sox get another hit--a leadoff single from Kevin Youkilis to left--but even with Jarrod Saltalamacchia managing to beat out a double play ball, Will Middlebrooks goes down swinging to end the inning without any harm done.

Red Sox 0, Rays 0, Mid 2nd -- Buchholz looks extra-sharp in the second inning, utilizing well placed curveballs and changeups to get ahead of and then strike out both Luke Scott and Drew Sutton. It's big that Buchholz is feeling his secondary stuff well enough that he's willing to rely on it so heavily--when he has to turn to his fastball to carry the load things often don't turn out all that well.

Red Sox 0, Rays 0, End 1st -- Some very hard contact for the Red Sox, who see Mike Aviles fly out almost to the track in dead center to start the inning. Dustin Pedroia picks up the first hit of the game, but is called out on what may have been a phantom tag at second as he tried to stretch it into a double. It was a bad decision to run, but an inventive slide from Pedroia may have kept the glove from ever touching him. Unfortunately, despite the contact, with David Ortiz going down on just two pitches, Hellickson heads back to the dugout with an easy first behind him.

Red Sox 0, Rays 0, Mid 1st -- Clay Buchholz has a relatively uneventful first inning, with a bloop single being the only damage caused by the Rays. Buchholz got Pena out with the first pitch of the game, and then got ahead of two of the next three batters, so at least early on he's throwing strikes.

Red Sox Vs. Rays Lineups: Adrian Gonzalez Stays In Right Against Jeremy Hellickson

2012-05-27T15:30:02Z

The Red Sox are out for another series win against the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday afternoon. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. with broadcasts by NESN, TBS, and WEEI.

Adrian Gonzalez will stay in right field with Will Middlebrooks at third and Kevin Youkilis at first as the Sox try to score some runs off of Jeremy Hellickson. That's proved a tall order for teams so far, though the Sox have done it once before, taking five off of him in five innings back in April.

Unless they can replicate that feat, they'll need Clay Buchholz to be the man he was against the Rays last time out--arguably his only decent start of the year--rather than the man he's been in every other game.

Boston Red Sox (23-23)

Mike Aviles, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Adrian Gonzalez, RF
Jarrod Salalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Daniel Nava, LF
Scott Podsednik, CF

Tampa Bay Rays (28-19)

Carlos Pena, 1B
B.J. Upton, CF
Matt Joyce, LF
Ben Zobrist, RF
Luke Scott, DH
Sean Rodriguez, SS
Drew Sutton, 3B
Will Rhymes, 2B
Chris Gimenez, C

Next Game

Tampa Bay Rays
@ Boston Red Sox

Sunday, May 27, 2012, 1:35 PM EDT
Fenway Park

Jeremy Hellickson vs Clay Buchholz

Mostly sunny. Winds blowing in from center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 75.

Complete Coverage >

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Red Sox Extras: A Good Pinch Hitter, A Bad Pinch Runner

2012-05-27T12:03:05Z

Yesterday the Sox made two substitutions that had a chance to win or lose the game for them.

The first change came in the sixth after Adrian Gonzalez reached base on a single. He was quickly pulled for a pinch runner in Che-Hsuan Lin.

The second came in the ninth, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia pinch-hitting for Marlon Byrd. He would, of course, hit a walkoff homer to turn a 2-1 loss into a 3-2 win. That one doesn't need much explanation. The only good hitter left on Boston's bench, Saltalamacchia was given a runner in scoring position between a Daniel Nava walk and one of the rare acceptable bunts in baseball (Kelly Shoppach wasn't going to do anything against Fernando Rodney, and the Sox could only avoid one of the two "sure outs" in Shoppach and Byrd, so they may as well give themselves two shots to tie it with a single), and did not waste his opportunity.

More questionable, however, was the pinch runner.

It's not hard to see where Bobby Valentine was coming from when he pulled Adrian Gonzalez. Anticipating a lead, Valentine wanted to get Gonzalez out of the dangerous right field, and added some speed on the basepaths as a kicker. The problem is that this sort of substitiution can put the Sox in something of a bind later on in the game.

After all, while the Sox would manage to take the lead in that inning, in the very next frame Josh Beckett would surrender two, and suddenly the lineup needed to score again to have any chance at winning the game. The problem is, one of the biggest spots in the lineup, coming after the Dustin Pedroia - David Ortiz - Kevin Youkilis group that's most likely to give the team a baserunner, was suddenly filled not by Adrian Gonzalez, but by the worst bat on the team.

It's nice to have Adrian Gonzalez in the lineup even with Youkilis, Middlebrooks, and Ortiz playing. But if the Sox are going to play it that way, then they have to commit. The loss of Gonzalez from the five-hole in exchange for the likes of Che-Hsuan Lin and Scott Podsednik is too massive a hit to take without a big, late lead. They either have to leave him in until the game is in hand, or save the odd-man out (be it Gonzalez, Youkilis, Ortiz, or Middlebrooks) on the bench so they can make their one at-bat count with a key pinch hitting appearance.

Red Sox Vs. Rays Final Score: Jarrod Saltalamacchia's Walkoff Shot Give Sox 3-2 Win

2012-05-27T03:00:24Z

Jarrod Saltalamacchia played the hero Saturday night in what has to be the win of the year so far, hitting a walkoff home run to turn a 2-1 ninth inning deficit into a 3-2 win.

The game began as one would expect a Josh Beckett - David Price matchup to begin: with a lot of outs. Beckett has been nothing short of amazing against the Rays since last year, and David Price is one of the most difficult lefties in the game, particularly combined with one of the league's best defenses (if not by fielding percentage).

The Sox would get baserunners first, with Dustin Pedroia singling and Kevin Youkilis drawing a 9-pitch walk in the first before Adrian Gonzalez went down swinging to end the inning. Jose Molina would give the Rays their first hit in the third, but he would be the only baserunner Beckett would allow for the first six innings.

Boston would finally break through against Price in the sixth. A single and a walk from Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz got the inning started on the right foot, and though Dustin Pedroia would be thrown out at home on an Adrian Gonzalez single thanks to a great throw by B.J. Upton, a bit of mediocre defense by Sean Rodriguez allowed Will Middlebrooks to drive in David Ortiz rather than record the third out.

The lead would not last long, however, as the Rays managed to put together a few ground balls at the right time to the right places in the seventh. A sacrifice fly from Ben Zobrist after the Rays started the inning with two such singles tied the game, and with Daniel Nava throwing home instead of two second (he had no chance to catch Upton at the plate), Joyce was able to take a free base and put himself in position to grab the lead on the ensuing single from Luke Scott.

Andrew Miller and Rich Hill would manage to keep the score at 2-1 headed to the ninth, where the Sox faced the unfortunate prospect of needing to score a run with Daniel Nava, Kelly Shoppach, and Marlon Byrd due at the plate. Nava, the one who could possibly be expected to come through against the right-handed Fernando Rodney, did just that by working an 8-pitch walk. Bobby Valentine would elect to bunt him over to second base with Nick Punto, but it wouldn't matter at all in the end. Pinch-hitting for Marlon Byrd, Jarrod Saltalamacchia swung through one fastball, and then launched a second one high and deep to right-center, depositing it a few rows deep for the walkoff home run.

Final - 5.26.2012	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Tampa Bay Rays	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	4	0
Boston Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	3	9	1
WP: Rich Hill (1 - 0) LP: Fernando Rodney (2 - 1)

Complete Coverage >

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Red Sox Vs. Rays Lineups: Will Middlebrooks Returns, Adrian Gonzalez In Right Against Price

2012-05-26T21:27:29Z

The Red Sox and Rays will get back to baseball one day after a charged game in Fenway Park led to cleared benches and heated postgame comments from both managers. First pitch is at 7:15 p.m. with broadcasts on FOX and WEEI.

Will Middlebrooks will make his return to the lineup one day after being pushed out by Kevin Youkilis. The exciting young third baseman will take over for Youkilis at his natural position, with Youkilis shifting over to first and Adrian Gonzalez taking over in right field.

Josh Beckett, then, will likely have to avoid giving up too many fly balls to that tricky right field if he wants to keep his run of success against the Rays going. He's been excellent in his last two starts, and threw eight one-run innings against Tampa Bay the first time he faced them this year.

Boston Red Sox (22-23)

Mike Aviles, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Adrian Gonazlez, RF
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Daniel Nava, LF
Kelly Shoppach, C
Marlon Byrd, CF

Tampa Bay Rays (28-18)

Carlos Pena, 1B
B.J. Upton, CF
Matt Joyce, LF
Ben Zobrist, RF
Luke Scott, DH
Drew Sutton, 3B
Sean Rodriguez, 2B
Jose Molina, C
Elliot Johnson, SS

Next Game

Tampa Bay Rays
@ Boston Red Sox

Saturday, May 26, 2012, 7:15 PM EDT
Fenway Park

David Price vs Josh Beckett

Partly cloudy. Winds blowing from left to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.

Complete Coverage >