SB Nation Boston - Tigers 7, Red Sox 3: Shaky Josh Beckett, Bullpen Cost Boston The Sweep

Kevin Youkilis Trade Rumors: Red Sox 'Definitely' Intend To Trade Youk

2012-06-01T15:41:18Z

According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, the Boston Red Sox are telling other teams around the league that they will look to trade Kevin Youkilis.

Red Sox are telling teams they definitely intend to trade Youkilis.
— DKnobler (@DKnobler) June 1, 2012

The 33-year-old corner infielder is on the downside of his career, and has been unable to replicate his monster 2008 and 2009 seasons since. Youk hit a career-low .258 in 2011 and is hitting an even-lower .250 in the early part of 2012.

Signs that Youkilis is declining include: a swinging strike percentage of eight – the highest of his career – and an extremely high groundball-to-flyball ratio. He's hitting ground balls at a 53 percent clip – much higher than his career percentage of 36. For an older, slower player like Youk, it's more beneficial to hit fly balls than ground balls.

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Red Sox Extras: An Odd Night For Josh Beckett

2012-06-01T10:07:52Z

The Red Sox have seen Josh Beckett be very good this year.

They've also seen him be very, very bad, surrendering seven earned runs in short outings against both the Indians and Tigers.

In his Thursday night rematch against Detroit, however, Josh Beckett was, for the first time, simply mediocre.

In Beckett's first nine starts, not once did he allow anywhere between three and seven earned runs. Even on the two occasions when he gave up three, he'd pitched into the seventh inning and had strong peripherals to show for it, with a combined 15 strikeouts and four walks in two such outings.

Thursday, however, Beckett just didn't have it all going on. With a curveball prone to hanging and a fastball that was simply not missing bats, Beckett finished the game with four earned runs in seven innings. It could have been more, given Ryan Sweeney's exceptional defense in the second, but it also could have been less, given the defensive debacle that gave Detroit their fifth inning go-ahead run as Quintin Barry turned a bunt into a triple by stealing second and advancing to third on a bad throw from Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

At the end of the night, there wasn't a lot to like about Beckett's outing. The Tigers had sprayed base hits from foul pole to foul pole, and had only struck out once. The four earned runs--good for a 5.14 ERA--weren't particularly pretty either. But what really matters is what Josh Beckett does from here. His disaster outings have been on some level acceptable this year because of what he's done in his other, good days. But if he's going to go out and give up seven earned every once in a while, the other days have to be better than this.

Then again, perhaps this is just a toned down disaster day. It was, after all, the Tigers that did it to him in the first place, all the way back in early April.

Final - 5.31.2012	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Detroit Tigers	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	1	2	7	14	0
Boston Red Sox	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	7	2
WP: Max Scherzer (5 - 3) LP: Josh Beckett (4 - 5)

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Red Sox Vs. Tigers Final Score: Sox Cough Up Plenty Of Runs, Fall To Tigers 7-3

2012-06-01T02:37:14Z

The Red Sox failed to sweep the Tigers Thursday night behind an uncharacteristically shaky Josh Beckett and a mediocre bullpen performance, falling 7-3 to Detroit.

Beckett would get off to a stronger start than his opposition in Max Scherzer. While Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Scott Podsednik were busy putting a pair of runs on Scherzer in the second on a homer and a long double respectively, Beckett had already had an easy first inning, and had gotten through the second with a big assist from Ryan Sweeney, who gunned down Delmon Young trying to score on a sacrifice fly.

Things would quickly change for Beckett in the third, however. The first three batters would reach base, leaving Beckett with two runners in scoring position, one run in, and not an out to show for it. A sacrifice fly and Prince Fielder single would prove enough to give the Tigers the 3-2 lead.

The Sox quickly fought back to 3-3 with Jarrod Saltalamacchia once again bringing in a big run, singling home Kevin Youkilis with a single up the middle after Youkilis had hit a two-out double in the bottom half of the third. The Tigers would retake the lead in the fifth, however, as Quintin Barry played some small ball by turning a bunt single into a triple on a stolen base and the bad throw to second it caused.

Unfortunately, after struggling through the first few innings, Max Scherzer would settle down, escaping the sixth without allowing another run before the bullpen took over, providing the same effective level of run prevention in relief. The Tigers would fare much better against Boston's relief corps, however, scoring on a home run off of Franklin Morales in the eighth, and then adding two more on Rich Hill in the ninth thanks to, of a ll things, a Prince Fielder triple into the triangle. With nothing forthcoming in the bottom half, the Sox fell short of the sweep.

Final - 5.31.2012	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R
Detroit Tigers	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	1	2	7
Boston Red Sox	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3

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Red Sox Vs. Tigers Live Blog: Inning By Inning Updates For Game 4

2012-05-31T23:29:12Z

The Red Sox are out for a sweep of the Tigers Thursday night--suitable revenge for the three straight losses dealt them by Detroit to begin the season. They'll have Josh Beckett on the mound looking for his fourth straight strong start, while Max Scherzer will be happy just to get his ERA closer to 5.00 than to 6.00.

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

Tigers 7, Red Sox 3, Final -- Boston fails to sweep Detroit as there's nothing forthcoming in the bottom half of the ninth.

Tigers 7, Red Sox 3, Mid 9th -- A bizarre pair of insurance runs comes across as Miguel Cabrera singles, steals second, and reaches third on an error as Salty guns the ball more into the ground than to second base. Prince Fielder then makes the stolen base irrelevant by hitting an RBI triple into the triangle to give Detroit their sixth run. With Delmon Young singling behind him, it's 7-3 headed to the last half-inning.

Tigers 5, Red Sox 3, End 8th -- 1-2-3 go the Sox in the bottom half of the inning. With the worst part of the lineup coming up, this doesn't seem like it's going to be a win.

Tigers 5, Red Sox 3, Mid 8th -- Franklin Morales quickly gives up an insurance run in the top of the eighth, surrendering a loud fly ball over the Monster and off the AAA sign to Delmon Young to make it a 2-run game.

Tigers 4, Red Sox 3, End 7th -- Max Scherzer is out, but even with him leaving the bullpen a baserunner and no outs in the seventh, the bullpen is able to get through its first inning. Phil Coke nearly gives up the run when Daniel Nava hits a very long fly ball to center, but Quintin Barry tracks back and spins at the wall to haul it in for the second out before Adrian Gonzalez hits a flare to Delmon Young in left to end the inning.

Tigers 4, Red Sox 3, Mid 7th -- Josh Beckett has at least made his night respectable by getting through the seventh inning. He hasn't been good tonight, but it's still very much a winnable game with some help from the offense.

Tigers 4, Red Sox 3, End 6th -- Another 1-2-3 frame for the Sox, but Ryan Sweeney at least makes Scherzer throw nine pitches, meaning he's likely gone to start the 7th.

Tigers 4, Red Sox 3, Mid 6th -- Josh Beckett enjoys his first 1-2-3 inning since the first, also picking up his first strikeout along the way, getting Jhonny Peralta looking at strike three for the second out.

Tigers 4, Red Sox 3, End 5th -- The heart of the order goes 1-2-3 as Max Scherzer seems to have settled all the way down. The good news is that, with 98 pitches on his arm, he shouldn't be in the game much longer.

Tigers 4, Red Sox 3, Mid 5th -- Josh Beckett's tough night continues, as the Tigers show the Sox how small ball is played. A perfectly placed bunt from Quintin Barry quickly turns into three bases when Saltalamacchia's throw to second on an attempted steal hits Barry and caroms into left field, allowing him to scamper to third, and then score on Miguel Cabrera's single.

Red Sox 3, Tigers 3, End 4th -- The Sox try and play some small ball after a leadoff single from Mike Aviles, with Punto bunting him to second, but can't push him across as Scott Podsednik narrowly misses reaching on a swinging bunt and Daniel Nava flies out to right.

Red Sox 3, Tigers 3, Mid 4th -- The Tigers continue to get good contact off of Josh Beckett, as Gerald Laird leads off the inning with a Fenway single off the wall in left. The Tigers cannot get him in, however, with two ground outs and a fly ball to center leaving him stranded at third.

Red Sox 3, Tigers 3, End 3rd -- Jarrod Saltalamacchia is once again able to produce in a big spot for the Red Sox. After a two-out double down the line in left from Kevin Youkilis, Saltalamacchia shot a line drive back up the middle and into center field to bring the third baseman home, erasing the Sox' deficit.

Tigers 3, Red Sox 2, Mid 3rd -- Having been gifted a 2-0 lead by his offense, Josh Beckett wastes no time in coughing up three runs. After a blooper and double put men on second and third with nobody out, the focus becomes less keeping the lead than preserving the tie, but Beckett doesn't even do that. A single and a stolen base put Beckett right back into the same position but with a run in, and a sacrifice fly and Prince Fielder single give the Tigers the lead before the inning comes to an end.

Red Sox 2, Tigers 0, End 2nd -- The Sox get on the board against Scherzer in a hurry, as Jarrod Saltalamacchia turns on an inside 1-1 pitch and takes it out into the stands by the triangle for a solo shot. Ryan Sweeney follows with a single, but the Sox seem ready to strand him at first until Scott Podsednik comes to the plate and launches a long fly ball to center. With Barry playing shallow, the ball gets up and over his head for the RBI double.

Red Sox 0, Tigers 0, Mid 2nd -- Though Josh Beckett comes out strong, retiring Prince Fielder on an easy fly ball and getting ahead of Delmon Young 0-2, Young is able to fight his way back into the at-bat, and eventually lace a single over Adrian Gonzalez' head at first. A sharp, low drive by Alex Avila to left quickly puts runners on second and third as it rolls all the way to the wall, leaving Beckett in a jam.

Luckily for Beckett, Ryan Sweeney is prepared to play the superhero, running down a soft fly ball in right field and making a perfect throw home to catch Young by a good five feet as he tries to tag up and score, saving a run and ending the inning.

Red Sox 0, Tigers 0, End 1st -- Max Scherzer is through a scoreless first inning, but it was no easy frame. After getting Scott Podsednik to look at a low strike three, Scherzer had Daniel Nava lace a 1-1 changeup into right field for the first base hit of the game. Adrian Gonzalez would go down without too much trouble, but from there Scherzer lost much of his control, offering up a four pitch walk to David Ortiz and falling behind 3-1 to Kevin Youkilis before battling out to get Kevin Youkilis looking at a pitch on the outside corner to end the inning.

Red Sox 0, Tigers 0, Mid 1st -- Josh Beckett enjoys a quick 1-2-3 first inning, but it doesn't come without danger. A Brennan Boesch ground ball to short nearly went for an infield single as Aviles had to throw off his back foot, with the ball just beating the runner to first, and Miguel Cabrera followed up with a very long fly ball that Ryan Sweeney just barely had enough room to turn into an out.

Red Sox Vs. Tigers Lineups: Scott Podsednik Leads Off Against Max Scherzer

2012-05-31T20:42:36Z

Despite taking the first three games of the series with some strong offensive performances, the Red Sox will once again shuffle thier lineup Thursday night as they go for the sweep against Max Scherzer and the Tigers.

Bobby Valenitine will attempt to ride the hot hand, placing Scott Podsednik in the leadoff spot. Expected to be a minor depth signing to help compensate for the ridiculous numbers of injuries to Boston's outfield so far this year, Podsednik has put up some surprising numbers for the team, hitting .467/.467/.733 in an admittedly small sample size of 17 at bats.

With Daniel Nava, Scott Podsednik, and Ryan Sweeney all taking the field tonight, Will Middlebrooks will be the odd man out in the infield against Scherzer despite going 2-for-4 with a homer in last night's effort.

Boston Red Sox (26-24)

Scott Podsednik, CF
Daniel Nava, LF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Mike Aviles, SS
Nick Punto, 2B

Detroit Tigers (23-27)

Quintin Berry, CF
Brennan Boesch, RF
Miguel Cabrera, 3B
Prince Fielder, 1B
Delmon Young, DH
Alex Avila, C
Jhonny Peralta, SS
Don Kelly, LF
Danny Worth, 2B

Final - 5.30.2012	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Detroit Tigers	1	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	12	0
Boston Red Sox	0	0	0	4	0	0	1	1	X	6	12	0
WP: Matt Albers (1 - 0) SV: Alfredo Aceves (13) LP: Octavio Dotel (1 - 2)

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Kevin Youkilis Trade Rumors: Youkilis Among 10 Most Likely To Be Dealt, Writes CBS Sports Reporter

2012-05-31T18:30:39Z

Kevin Youkilis is among the 10 MLB players most likely to be dealt at the trade deadline, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.

Heyman rated Youkilis as the 9th-most likely to be moved prior to the deadline in a column posted Thursday.

His presence is causing first baseman extraordinaire Adrian Gonzalez to play the outfield. "This is only a temporary solution," one Red Sox person said. Could Youk be temporary in Boston?

Youkilis has played nine major league seasons, all with the Red Sox. He has twice finished in the top six of AL MVP voting and has made the All-Star team three times.

This season, he is batting just .250 in 26 games with four home runs and 12 RBI. Earlier this season, he was involved in a controversy when manager Bobby Valentine said Youkilis is not as "into the game" as he has been in previous years.

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Red Sox Vs. Tigers: Game 4 Preview, TV Info And More

2012-05-31T15:45:25Z

The Boston Red Sox can wrap up their four-game series with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday with a sweep. It would be a nice measure of revenge after the Tigers swept the Sox in three games to open the season.

On the mound for Boston is Josh Beckett (4-4, 4.15 ERA), who has since settled in after a rough start to his season against the Tigers. Beckett surrendered seven earned runs in that game on April 7, including five long balls. He has not given up a home run in his last three starts, and has allowed only three runs during that same stretch.

Detroit gives the ball to Max Scherzer. Like Beckett, the young pitcher has had some ups and downs early in the season, but has improved of late. Scherzer has three wins in his last four starts. In 10 starts and 54 innings this season, the Tigers' righty has struck out 72 batters and walked just 18. He has a 5.67 ERA and a 4-3 record.

Date / Time: Thursday, May 31, 7:10 p.m. ET

Location: Fenway Park, Boston, Mass.

TV: NESN, MLB Network

Radio: WEEI

Probable Starters: Josh Beckett (4-4, 4.15 ERA ) vs. Max Scherzer (4-3, 5.67 ERA)

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Red Sox Vs. Tigers Final Score: Three Homers Lift Sox To 6-4 Win Over Tigers

2012-05-31T02:44:23Z

The Red Sox picked up big hits from the heart of the order Wednesday night, riding contributions from David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, and Will Middlebrooks to a 6-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers.

The game got off to an inauspicious start for the Red Sox, as Jon Lester surrendered a run in the first thanks in part to some poor defending from Mike Aviles, who had a double play ball roll right past him and into the outfield as part of a three-single rally.

Things would just get worse in the third, and this time Lester had nobody to blame but himself. While Marlon Byrd would make an ill-advised leap at the Monster to turn a double into a triple, and then watch another ball sail over his head to the base of the wall in center, Lester gave up big contact to his opposition, and it rightly cost him another pair of runs, with Miguel Cabrera providing a great bit of baserunning to score on a ground out even with the infield in.

Boston had been making some solid contact against Drew Smyly for the first few innings, but only had one hit to show for it. That all changed with two outs in the fourth. Adrian Gonzalez got the late rally started by hitting a ground-rule double to center, bringing David Ortiz to the plate. After missing a few fastballs in his first at bat, he destroyed the first one he saw in his second at bat, taking it out of the park to dead center field to bring the Sox within one. The next two Sox would repeat the act, with Kevin Youkilis lining to center, and Will Middlebrooks launching a rocket shot into and out of the Monster seats for another two runs and the lead.

Lester would settle down until the seventh inning, when he was left in with too many pitches on his arm. After giving up one wall ball which Daniel Nava managed to turn into an out at second, Lester was given a chance to face Gerald Laird, and the result was basically the same, leaving a runner on second for Matt Albers to take care of. While Albers didn't give up much in the way of contact, a dribbler to third and a bloop single which Adrian Gonzalez just missed making a sliding catch on were lucky enough to bring in the tying run.

Gonzo would not wait long to make up for the run, however. In the bottom half of the inning, with two men on and two outs, Gonzalez lifted a long fly ball to right field and into the stands on one bounce, giving the Sox an RBI double which put them back up 5-4. Kevin Youkilis added to the tally quickly in the eighth, launching a solo shot to left to give the Sox an insurance run before Alfredo Aceves closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth, giving Boston the win.

Final - 5.30.2012	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Detroit Tigers	1	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	12	0
Boston Red Sox	0	0	0	4	0	0	1	1	X	6	12	0
WP: Matt Albers (1 - 0) SV: Alfredo Aceves (13) LP: Octavio Dotel (1 - 2)

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