SB Nation Boston - Nationals 4, Red Sox 3: Pitching Falters Late, Sox Swept In Fenway

Boston Red Sox Roster Moves 2012: Jason Repko To Begin Rehab Assignment In Single-A Salem

2012-06-11T18:28:36Z

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jason Repko will start a minor league rehab assignment with Single-A Salem on Monday night, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.

Repko, who signed with the Red Sox to a minor league contract prior to this season, started his year in Triple-A Pawtucket but has appeared in five games in the major leagues. In 11 at-bats with the Boston Red Sox this season, Repko is batting .091 with four strikeouts and just one hit, a single.

The 31-year old has been out since April 21 with a left shoulder sprain, which prompted the Red Sox to place him on the 60-day DL.

Over parts of seven years in the MLB with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and now the Red Sox, Repko has hit .224 with 16 home runs and 67 RBI.

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

Red Sox Extras: A Lineup Dominated

2012-06-11T12:45:30Z

It's always dangerous to make too much out of any one series in the middle of the year. Three games is hardly a large enough sample size to make any real judgement about the team as a whole.

Still, having seen the domination of the lineup by a truly excellent rotation makes one wonder what the end game is for the Sox here.

While any discussion of the playoffs at 29-31 should rightfully bring on Jim Mora references en masse, the old adage that good pitching beats good hitting needs to be considered, because right now the Sox are something of a one-note team, full of excellent offensive players, but without the sort of front-line pitching that can stand up against really impressive rotations.

In Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and Clay Buchholz, the team has a strong top-3 at least in name, but after the first half of the season it's hard to imagine anyone putting that group on the same level as the rotations found in the AL West, Tampa Bay, or really anyone with a shot at making it out of the National League. Jon Lester has allowed three or more runs nearly twice as often as not, Clay Buchholz has only rounded into form recently and hasn't proven that he can consistently produce, and Josh Beckett is more prone to the implosion than the other pitchers who are able to put up some of the dominant games he has this year.

For the last couple of months Sox fans have been waiting for health to come with the expectation that a full team will help them make a run, but the team doesn't have any front-line pitching on the disabled list. All there is is more offense, and even that will only replace already-impressive performers in the likes of Scott Podsednik and Daniel Nava. More sustainable, yes, but the heights may not get that much higher.

Right now what the team needs is starting pitching, but unless the three top starters all wake up and start pitching like the best versions of themselves ('09 Lester, '07 Beckett, '10 Buchholz), the only way to get that would be via a trade. And right now, any trade for front line pitching would be a costly investment for a team so far away from even making October baseball.

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

Red Sox Vs. Nationals Final Score: Pitching Falters Late, Sox Swept 4-3

2012-06-10T21:06:04Z

The Red Sox held on for much of Sunday afternoon's game, but could not keep pace with the Nationals for all nine innings, falling 4-3 as the Nationals pushed three across in the last three innings.

Jon Lester looked for all the world like he was going to end this game early. After surrendering a run in the first on a double, a sacrifice fly, and a ground ball, the third inning saw him completely fall apart, even without allowing a run. Allowing a single and a walk with one out, the Sox would ultimately elect to walk Ryan Zimmerman after Lester twice completely missed his spot to fall behind 2-0. The fourth pitch to Zimmerman, an intentional ball, nearly sailed to the backstop, with only a leaping grab from Salty saving at least one run from scoring.

Lester would manage to strike out the final batter of the inning looking at a fastball that dotted the inside corner, however, and that seemed to fire him up. Lester would roll through the next three innings while the Sox tied the game in the third when Dustin Pedroia beat out a double play, and took the lead in the fourth on a big fly from David Ortiz.

Boston's lefty starter would keep right on rolling into the seventh, which is where everything just seemed to go wrong. A bad hop on a ground ball to third, a first pitch changeup cued into left field, and suddenly it was two on with no outs. A double steal made up for a strikeout from Jesus Flores, and while Roger Bernadina gifted the team an out on a pop-up bunt, Lester could not get Ian Desmond, who doubled off the wall to make it 3-2, Nationals.

The lead would only last into the bottom of the frame, as the Sox again scored on a ground ball out, but it was only a short reprieve. Going into the ninth, Alfredo Aceves gave up a walk to Bryce Harper with one out, and then after having a few close calls go against him, surrendered the go-ahead double to Bernadina. With the Sox not scoring in the ninth, they fell to 29-31.

Final - 6.10.2012	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R
Washington Nationals	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	4
Boston Red Sox	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	3

Complete Coverage >

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

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

2012-06-10T17:53:44Z

The Sox are once again out to salvage a game from a disappointing series Sunday afternoon as they take on Jordan Zimmerman and the Nationals.

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

Nationals 4, Red Sox 3, Final -- The Sox are angry at the umpires for some close calls, and Bobby Valentine even went and got himself ejected, but it doesn't make any difference in the final score. The Sox are swept, and fall two below .500.

Nationals 4, Red Sox 3, Mid 9th -- And right now it's looking like bust, as two-out trouble for Alfredo Aceves gives the Nationals the lead. A four-pitch walk to Bryce Harper gives them the baserunner they need, and after a few close calls go against Aceves (on missed spots), a high fastball to Roger Bernadina results in a line drive double and a run in for Washington.

Red Sox 3, Nationals 3, End 8th -- Another David Ortiz hit goes to waste, with the Sox only able to follow up his one-out single through the shift with a Will Middlebrooks walk. Headed to the ninth in a tie, it's a walkoff or bust for the Sox now.

Red Sox 3, Nationals 3, Mid 8th -- Scott Atchison comes in to relieve Jon Lester, and while Adam LaRoche makes him work for his clean inning, fighting through an eight pitch at bat, Atchison strikes him out on a heater to end the inning.

Red Sox 3, Nationals 3, End 7th -- Nick Punto puts himself back in the positive column as he and Ryan Sweeney hit back-to-back singles to start the seventh inning. A bunt from Darnell McDonald against the right-handed Zimmerman (Daniel Nava is out with a sore hand, and thus unavailable to pinch hit) proved the right decision, as Scott Podsednik grounded up the middle, allowing Sweeney to come in the back and tie the game at three-a-side.

Nationals 3, Red Sox 2, Mid 7th -- And just like that Lester gives up the lead after three really impressive innings of work. The Nationals put two men on in a hurry with singles on a ground ball and a line drive, and while the Nationals fail to get a sacrifice bunt down, the runners steal on a strikeout pitch, resulting in the same outcome. A bad bunt attempt by Roger Bernadina gets them a free out as he pops the ball in the air, but Danny Espinosa does not go down so easily, launching a long fly ball to left field that catches the bottom of the wall for a two-run double.

Red Sox 2, Nationals 1, End 6th -- The Sox go down in order in the sixth, as Jordan Zimmerman avoids the troubles of the last few innings.

Red Sox 2, Nationals 1, Mid 6th -- One wonders if that bases loaded strikeout fired Lester up, because ever since then he's been a different man on the mound. Ryan Sweeney gave him a hand in staying clean in the sixth, making a tremendous sliding catch to rob Ryan Zimmerman of extra bases in the cavernous right field corner. Perhaps thinking that the defense had already given him enough to work with, Lester then proceeded to strike out the next two batters with a cut fastball and a curve--the latter of which has been hit most consistent offering today.

Red Sox 2, Nationals 1, End 5th -- Nick Punto slows himself down by trying to slide into first, instantly undoing all of the good will gathered in the game thus far. The Sox proceed to put the next two batters on, with Scott Podsednik doubling to center and Dustin Pedroia working a walk. Unfortunately, Adrian Gonzalez' sudden resurgence has just as suddenly gone away, it seems, as he grounds out weakly to second base to end the frame.

Red Sox 2, Nationals 1, Mid 5th -- Lester may finally be finding some consistency on the mound today. Roger Bernadina goes down on strikes facing exclusively fastballs before the lefty goes back to his off-speed stuff, getting Danny Espinosa swinging at a curveball before Xavier Nady grounded out to send the game to the bottom of the fifth.

Red Sox 2, Nationals 1, End 4th -- David Ortiz has been slumping, but he seems to be seeing Jordan Zimmerman well enough. A high fastball proves costly for Jordan Zimmermann, as Big Papi turns on it sending a no doubter into the bullpen in right field and giving the Sox their first lead of the game.

Red Sox 1, Nationals 1, Mid 4th -- Ian Desmond once again gets good contact, hitting a hard liner to left for a double, but Nick Punto catches him straying too far off second on a ground ball, and another ground ball ends the inning shortly thereafter.

Red Sox 1, Nationals 1, End 3rd -- The Red Sox score a run so scrappy and covered in grit and the drool of a thousand old guard baseball writers that I almost don't want it. Jordan Zimmerman makes the inexplicable decision not to throw strikes to Nick Punto, walking the number nine batter before Scott Podsednik manages to place a bouncing ground ball perfectly for a base hit through the right side of the infield. With one out, Dustin Pedroia almost manages to ground into a double play, but gets to first in time to beat the throw, letting Punto come in the backdoor after going from first to third on Podsednik's hit.

Nationals 1, Red Sox 0, Mid 3rd -- Jon Lester gets himself into another jam, looking at times nothing like the front-line pitcher he once was. A walk and a single get two runners for the Nationals with one out, and while a curveball gets the strikeout on Xavier Nady, a double steal puts two men in scoring position.

The really scary part comes against Ryan Zimmerman, as Lester twice completely misses his spot, falling behind 2-0 before the decision is made to intentionally walk the third baseman. On the 3-0 toss home, Lester actually manages to overthrow Saltalamacchia, who has to make a leaping grab to prevent an intentional walk from becoming a wild pitch.

Still, Lester does manage, with the help of a lucky call and a great 3-2 pitch, to strike out Michael Morse, bringing the inning to an uneventful end.

Nationals 1, Red Sox 0, End 2nd -- The Red Sox get a leadoff double from David Ortiz, and then completely waste it, with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Will Middlebrooks going down by way of the K before Ryan Sweeney grounded out weakly to second. Jordan Zimmerman, as was the case with the last two Nationals pitchers, has it going on.

Nationals 1, Red Sox 0, Mid 2nd -- Jon Lester has a good bounce back inning, striking out Adam LaRoche to start off a 1-2-3 frame. Still, Ian Desmond put some decent wood on the ball--not a great sign given that was Lester's problem in the first.

Nationals 1, Red Sox 0, End 1st -- Dustin Pedroia finally gets good contact, singling through the left side of the infield to give the Sox their first baserunner of the game, but Adrian Gonzalez quickly grounds into a double play behind him, leaving the Red Sox unable to respond in the bottom half of the inning.

Nationals 1, Red Sox 0, Mid 1st -- Not an encouraging start for Jon Lester, as Danny Espinosa and Xavier Nady both make hard contact for line drives to the outfield.

Luckily for Lester, only the first one goes for a hit--a double to center--but with Nady's getting far enough for a sacrifice fly and Espinosa breaking for home on contact, the Nationals were able to jump ahead 1-0 in the first.

Boston Red Sox Roster Change: Mark Melancon Called Up From AAA For Series Finale Against Nationals

2012-06-10T16:12:40Z

Mark Melancon did well enough in AAA action to find his way back up to the Boston Red Sox's lineup for their series finale against the Washington Nationals Sunday. Melancon compiled a 0.83 ERA in 21 innings while allowing just 15 hits and two earned runs in his minor league stint. He also recorded a 9.00 (27:3) strikeout-to-walk ratio.

That's the kind of performance it takes to get the job back, but Melancon said it had nothing to do with confidence or the lack thereof, rather his approach and aggressiveness that allowed him to pitch so well.

He was demoted in April after he debuted for the Red Sox in four outings that resulted in 11 runs on 10 hits in 2.0 innings. Read what Melancon had to say about being demoted to AAA and his quest to return to the majors:

"After five or six times of doing it, you realize it doesn't help to go down there and get pissed off," Melancon said. "It's tough to go down there after you've had a couple bad outings, but you've got to make the best of it. That's what I was trying to do."

Rich Hill was put on the DL with reported left elbow/forearm soreness to make room for Melancon. Hill plans to visit Dr. James Andrews, the famed Tommy John specialist, on Monday.

Read more about the Red Sox at Over the Monster.

Red Sox Vs. Nationals Lineups: Nick Punto Starts Against Jordan Zimmermann

2012-06-10T15:16:01Z

The Red Sox will try and salvage a game from their weekend series against the Nationals as the teams go head-to-head once again in Fenway Park. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. with broadcasts on NESN and WEEI.

Nick Punto will once again make his way back to the Boston lineup Sunday, this time in place of Mike Aviles at short rather than Dustin Pedroia. After starting the season on a roll, Aviles has been tailspinning, with an OPS under .700 in May and under .600 in June. While Punto has never been impressive for more than one game at a time, he at least looked better than that over his last few games as a starter.

Kevin Youkilis will also receive a day off, as the Red Sox' infield shuffle continues, with Adrian Gonzalez moving back to first and Will Middlebrooks remaining at third.

Boston Red Sox (29-30)

Daniel Nava, LF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
David Ortiz, DH
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Ryan Sweeney, RF
Scott Podsednik, CF
Nick Punto, SS

Washington Nationals (34-23)

Danny Espinosa, 2B
Xavier Nady, RF
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B
Michael Morse, DH
Adam LaRoche, 1B
Ian Desmond, SS
Tyler Moore, LF
Jesus Flores, C
Roger Bernadina, CF

Next Game

Washington Nationals
@ Boston Red Sox

Sunday, Jun 10, 2012, 1:35 PM EDT
Fenway Park

Jordan Zimmermann vs Jon Lester

Sunny. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.

Complete Coverage >

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

Red Sox Vs. Nationals: Sunday Game Time, TV Schedule And Probable Starters

2012-06-10T13:38:41Z

Believe it or not, there's been a total cosmetic change in Major League Baseball when it comes to who should be beating who. But the fifth-place American League East Boston Red Sox are looking to avoid the series sweep against National League East division leading Washington Nationals Sunday in this interleague series.

The Sox are going to have to face Jordan Zimmermann (3-5, 2.82 ERA), who along with Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez, just may be apart of the best pitching staff in baseball. There was a time (and not too long ago) when that could be said about Boston.

Either way, Jon Lester (3-4, 4.64 ERA) is going to have to do his part as well Sunday. Take a look here at the game schedule and broadcast information:

Date/Time: Sunday, June 10, 1:35 p.m. ET

Location: Fenway Park

TV: MASN, NESN

Online streaming: MLB.tv

For more news, notes and analysis on the Boston Red Sox, check out Over the Monster. Then head over to Federal Baseball for the Washington Nationals' fan perspective.

Red Sox Vs. Nationals Final Score: Gio Gonzalez Dominates Sox In 4-2 Loss

2012-06-09T23:10:03Z

The Red Sox fell 4-2 to the Washington Nationals Saturday afternoon behind one bad inning from Daisuke Matsuzaka and a strong performance from Gio Gonzalez.

For much of the game Gio Gonzalez was nigh unhittable. Utilizing a curveball the Sox refused to lay off with excellent fastball control, Gonzalez managed to escape the second after a leadoff double from David Ortiz, and then rolled through the end of the sixth inning, allowing almost nothing in the way of hard contact and baserunners.

Daisuke Matsuzaka also looked good for most of his return outing, but was undone by one bad inning. Losing control of his fastball in the fourth, Matsuzaka surrendered a leadoff walk to Bryce Harper on four pitches, and had Ryan Zimmerman make it first-and-third with a base hit to left. Adam LaRoche would strike out swinging, but some more misplaced heaters gave Mike Morse a ground-rule double, Ian Desmond a ground ball single, and the Nationals three runs. Added to an earlier solo shot, and the score stood at 4-0 through four.

With Franklin Morales holding down the fort starting in the sixth, the Sox would finally break through against Gonzalez in the seventh, with Will Middlebrooks drawing a walk and moving to third on a Mike Aviles single. Craig Stammen would record no outs, walking Ryan Sweeney as he relieved Gio Gonzalez, and Michael Gonzalez quickly gave up a wall ball single to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, plating the first two Red Sox runs of the night.

Unfortunately, those would prove to be the only Red Sox runs of the night. While Morales was able to finish the eighth and Aceves to close out the ninth without allowing any more runs, the Sox could push nothing across against the back end of the bullpen, with Tyler Clippard working around a two-out double from Ryan Sweeney to earn the save.