Results tagged ‘ Youkilis ’
Red Sox reach the break in first place
On the afternoon of Sunday July 3, the Boston Red Sox wrapped up a road trip to National League parks. Winning the final game in Houston to sweep the Houston Astros, the Red Sox headed home with a winning record on the trip and were 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East.
Boston lost to the Toronto Blue Jays on Independence Day at Fenway Park, but proceeded to win the next six games of the home stand. The six-game winning streak gave them a 55-35 record and a one game lead over the Yankees at the All-Star break.
Five Red Sox players will be present for the summer classic at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. All four were keys to the successful home stand and surge back atop the AL East. Jacoby Ellsbury and Kevin Youkilis both hit above .450 over the seven games. Adrian Gonzalez batted .409 during the home stand to increase his league-leading average to .354. David Ortiz wasn’t far behind with a .333 average for the week. Josh Beckett, who will be the only pitcher to represent Boston in Phoenix, won his eighth game and lowered his MLB best average against to .187. Along with the All-Stars, Dustin Pedroia was hot at the plate with a .345 average and four home runs since July 4.
Ellsbury, who hit .467 on the home stand, notched his first four-hit game of the season during the afternoon holiday contest. Pedroia hit a third-inning solo homer to score the deciding run in the first game of the winning streak on July 5. After a hitless day, Ellsbury was back at it. He went 3-for-5 with 3 RBI to lead the Red Sox to a 6-4 win on July 6. Youkilis also was a big contributor to winning the final game of the Blue Jays series, going 3-for-4 with a home run.
Red Sox begin spring a with win in their annual match against Boston College
The Boston Red Sox begin each spring with their annual
matches against Boston
area colleges. This year was unique in that they scheduled both games on the
same day. I can’t think of a better way to start the exhibition season than
playing two.
Kevin Youkilis last appeared in a game in early August,
2010. He tore a muscle in his thumb and would miss the remained of the season.
Although today’s game wasn’t against a Major League opponent, Youkilis was well
prepared for his first game back and it appears his timing was there too.
Youkilis belted a three-run homer to lift the Red Sox over
the Boston College Eagles, 6-0. With table-setters Marco Scutaro and Dustin
Pedroia reaching base via walks, Youkilis took the fourth pitch he saw over the
right field fence to give the Red Sox an early 3-0 advantage in the first
inning. Ryan Kalish contributed a run-scoring single and Lars Anderson hit
a sacrifice fly in a two-run third inning for Boston. Shortstop Brent Dlugach went 2-for-2
and scored a sixth-inning run to cap the scoring for the Red Sox. Starting
pitcher Stolmy Pimentel, who earned the win with two perfect innings, combined
with five other pitchers on a one-hit shutout.
Boston College catcher Jim Laufer recorded a
single on fly ball to left field off of Matt Fox in the seventh inning, but he
was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double. Hunter Gordon, Dave Laufer and
Garret Smith each tossed a scoreless inning for the Eagles.
Next up for the Red Sox is Northeastern University.
For more on the Red Sox and Boston sports, go to FaneuilSports.com.
Adrian Gonzalez, a big hit for Red Sox nation
There were rumors of an Adrian Gonzalez
deal for a long time. It was no secret that Boston general manager Theo
Epstein wanted him. Red Sox fans followed him closely and many expected
the trade to be just a matter of time.
|
|
|
Gonzalez press conference. (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images) |
When Jed Hoyer, former Red Sox
assistant general manager, became the GM for the San Diego Padres, the
rumors of Gonzalez’s eminent arrival just grew and grew. Hoyer would’ve
had a lot of explaining to do last year, if he traded away the fan
favorite All-Star in the middle of a pennant race. Despite trade
deadline possibilities, Gonzalez stayed with the Padres for the 2010
season. Heading into next season, with just one more year on his
contract, it became time for Hoyer to get something for Gonzalez before
he would leave via free agency. Hoyer’s knowledge of the Red Sox made
the process easier and allowed him to get quality in return.
In
early December, 2010, the deal to send Gonzalez from the Padres to the
Red Sox in exchange for outfielder Reymond Fuentes, right-handed pitcher
Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and a player to be named later
was finally done.
Selected
by the Florida Marlins with the first overall draft pick in 2000,
Gonzalez was rated by Baseball America as the 31st best prospect in 2003
when the Marlins traded him to the Texas Rangers. He was part of a
mid-season deal that sent former Red Sox closer Ugueth Urbina from Texas
to Florida. Urbina saved six regular season games for the Marlins and
recorded two saves in their 2003 World Series victory over the New York
Yankees. After just 59 games with the Rangers in 2004 and 2005, Gonzalez
was traded to his hometown Padres, where he excelled to become a
three-time National League All-Star.
Youkilis is healthy and ready for third base
Kevin Youkilis
had his 2010 season halted by a thumb injury in early August. He
suffered though back spasms, ankle pain and an elbow injury, before
finally succumbing to a muscle tear in his right thumb.
|
|
|
Kevin Youkilis (Photo: Keith Allison) |
Youkilis grinded out 102 games last year. It was the
first time he spent a full season in the Major Leagues and did not play
over 135 games. He finished the season near his career average in all
statistical categories, including a batting average over .300 for the
third straight season.
The
31-year old, who was in the first year of a four-year $41 million
contract, had the season-ending surgery a week after discovering the
thumb injury. His rehab was done early and he went straight into his
usual offseason workout. He is now ready for spring training. Youkilis
spoke to NESN’s Don Orsillo via Skype earlier this month.” I’m probably
stronger than I’ve been in a long time,” he said. “I feel good. I’m
ready to go”. Click here for the video.
Aside
from the health issue, Youkilis will need to adjust to a position
change. Adrian Gonzalez will take over at first base for Youkilis, who
won a Gold Gove in 2007. Youkilis became the everyday first baseman in
2006 and committed five errors playing the position that year. Over the
last four years, he has just eight errors over 439 games at first base.
The Gonzalez acquisition allows Youkilis to transition back to his
natural position of third base. He has played 219 games on the left side
of the diamond during his MLB career and has made 18 errors. Now
focusing solely on the third base position, Youkilis could potentially
win Gold Gloves there as well.
