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Red Sox make short work out of Angels, winning 18-0. The Sox pitchers combined to throw a one hitter and only allowed two Angel baserunners to reach scoring position. Owen started the game off with two solid innings followed up by Jonah and Lilly each with a fine inning of work. The highlight for the pitchers was Erick tossing a solid frame and Mikey striking out the side in his first appearance on the mound. The Red Sox bats were just as hot as the pitchers arms. 12 kids collected hits led by Owen with four and three each for Tristan and Jonah. Simon, Dalton and Eric added two hits of their own to the season high total of 22 hits for the team. The two biggest hits of the game were Eddie's RBI double to right field and Isaiahs double to left that drove in three runs. Our Sox now try to build a little momentum as we approach the playoffs starting against the much improved Cardinals team Wednsday  7:45 at Ball Park #2.

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Good game goes bad as Red Sox self destruct and lose to Giants 8-6. Playing short handed and with most of our regular pitchers not available to pitch we needed a good outing from the starting pitcher. That's exactly what we got. Lilly threw four frames giving up just two runs, one earned, and getting three up three down her last two. The game looked good after four as the score was all even 2-2. But that would be the last of the good baseball we would play the rest of the game. In each of the final two innings the Sox were outscored 3-2. Half of the Giants runs were unearned thanks to five errors and just as many mental lapses. The lone bright spot was a lead off blast over the center field fence by Tristan. The Red Sox will need to play a better game on Wednsday as they look to get even against the Brewers.

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Red Sox beat Gniotczynski/Maier division leading Mets 4-3. Great pitching kept this game at 1-1 through four innings, good defence and timely hitting the rest of the way would lift the Sox to victory. Tristan had his best outing of the year from the mound allowing just one run and striking out 11 (8 straight at one point) in four innings of work. Tristan then led the fifth off with single and was driven in by Mikey's big two run dinger. But the lead would not last as the Mets plated two of thier own in the bottom half of the inning. The Red Sox added a run in the sixth after Eddie and Diego got on base the painfull way and Eric drove in the deciding run. The outcome of the game wasn't official until an outstanding play in the field. In the bottom of the seventh frame the Mets put runners at second and third with one out. The Mets batter hit a smash to Tristan at short who then froze the runner at third and gunned out the batter at first, Luke then charged the breaking runner from third and dilivered his own strike to Lilly who layed down the perfect tag at the plate. Double play, game over. The Red Sox look to continue thier good play next Monday against the second place Giants.

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The red and blue got back on track with a 9-1 win over a very good Yankees team. Good pitching and defence were the backbone to this win. Jonah got it all started in the first by gunning out a base runner and catching a pop foul behind the plate. Luke finished off the first by knocking down a hard hit grounder to first. That would be just the first of a handfull of good plays Luke would make. Not to be outdone behind the plate Lilly tossed out a runner at third in the fifth inning. Tristan helped out his team with a spectacular catch backing up a throw from the catcher to third base.  The pitchers kept it rolling in this game allowing just one run on three hits. Although our hurlers did manage to tattoo five Yankee hitters they only allowed two base on balls. Thier stingy performance comes one game after not allowing a single walk to the Brewers. The turning point to this game came in the top of the third. After starting pitcher Dalton allowed the first two batters to reach, the game had an uncomfortable feel to it. Owen came on in relief and crushed any momentum the Yanks had, striking out two and inducing a grounder to first. The energy generated from  Owens job on the mound carried over to the offence. The Sox would add two runs in each of the next two innngs followed by three in the sixth. Mikey led the way with two hits including a bomb that went for a triple. Luke and Jonah added two hits each and Tristan reached base in all three at bats with a single and two base on balls. The team needs to carry thier good play over to next Monday as they try to even the season series with the Pirates.

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The Red Sox scored runs in each of the first four innings on the way to a 12-4 win over the Angels. The game was much closer until the fourth when the Red Sox bats exploded for eight runs on six hits.  Leading the hitters was Mikey with three hits and Tristan with two more home runs. Jonah and Owen also added two hits apiece. Diego and Isaiah showed good plate discipline each  reaching base twice by the walk. The Sox pitchers also had a good night on the mound registering 13 strike outs in 5 innings of work. Lilly did a good job in her first start, pitching two innings and getting six strike outs while holding the Angels to one run. Jonah then took the mound for two scoreless innings and added six strike outs. The 4-2 Red Sox next game is a Super Saturday matchup against a tough Brewers team. The Red Sox will start pregame warm ups at 4:45 behind Wilson #4 for a 5:30 game.   

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We began this week on a two game skid and going up against the defending A.L. champion White Sox and the unbeaten Rangers. So maybe there was a little pressure to play better baseball this week. The Red Sox got off to a great start Monday with a suprisingingly easy 11-0 victory over the White Sox. The hot play carried over to our game with the Rangers. Jonah led the way on the mound as he pitched three shutout innings to start the game. For the second consecutive game our hurlers allowed just three hits. As good as our pitching has been our bats are not far behind. The kids pounded out eighteen hits Wednsday night in their 14-5 victory. Leading the hit parade was Jonah, going 4-4. Tristan joined in with perhaps his finest night at the plate belting three huge home runs and driving in eight. Owen, Mikey, Lilly and Dalton added two hits apiece. It was nice to see the kids respond this week and play some very good baseball. Now we just need to carry this momentum over to next week and beyond. Congrats Red Sox on your 2-0 week.

Next up; The Angels on Wed @ 5:30at Wilson 2  

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~~For the third consecutive game the Red Sox put themselves in position to score a few first inning runs. Unlike the prior two games we came up short pushing the runs across the plate. The Athletics then scored four of their own in the bottom of the opening inning. Their first runs were courtesy of a two run homer over the center field fence that stunned the players on the visiting team. As a result of the big hit our kids spent most of the game trying to regain their confidence. Three times in the next six frames we put two runners on base. The first two ended in disappointment but not the third. With a big change in the teams attitude they showed alot of fight scoring three runs the last inning. A bright spot to the game was the great relief pitching form the Sox. After falling behind 8-0 after three innings our pitchers allowed only one more run the rest of the way, highlighted by Lilly striking out the side in the fourth.  A 9-3 loss is not what we hope for but I believe we learned if we stay positive we always have a chance.

Our next game is against the defending A.L. champion White Sox. A very tough schedule to start the season with but it will only benefit us as the season goes on.  

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For the third consecutive game the Red Sox put themselves in position to score a few first inning runs. Unlike the prior two games we came up short pushing the runs across the plate. The Athletics then scored four of their own in the bottom of the opening inning. Their first runs were courtesy of a two run homer over the center field fence that stunned the players on the visiting team. As a result of the big hit our kids spent most of the game trying to regain their confidence. Three times in the next six frames we put two runners on base. The first two ended in disappointment but not the third. With a big change in the teams attitude they showed alot of fight scoring three runs the last inning. A bright spot to the game was the great relief pitching form the Sox. After falling behind 8-0 after three innings our pitchers allowed only one more run the rest of the way, highlighted by Lilly striking out the side in the fourth.  A 9-3 loss is not what we hope for but I believe we learned if we stay positive we always have a chance.

Our next game is against the defending A.L. champion White Sox. A very tough schedule to start the season with but it will only benefit us as the season goes on.   

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The practice schedule can be found on the calendar page. Our games are also listed on the calendar. This practice schedule will be adjusted as needed. There will be a scrimmage or two before the season starts, I just need to confirm the date with the other managers. One of the scrimmages may be used as an umpire training session played at the Ball Park. 

Reggie

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You can't ask for for a more exciting game than our kids gave us Wednsday night. As coaches you couldn't hope for more positives to come out of a game. Sure you could ask for a shut-out, but that's just getting greedy. For the first time since what seems forever, we came out on the plus side of a close one run game. ( A June 12, 2-1 win over the Mets.) This game gave us much more than just a win. What we got was some valuable playing time experience at some key positions. We had some opportunities to play some players at new positions Jonah and Dalton at catcher, Lilly on the mound, Owen at short and Zach in center field. We also had some players build some confidence with their bats. The victory was a momentum builder as well. The win gives us two in a row and wins in five of our last eight. Not bad at all for this maturing team. Yes, we did struggle in the field at times. Too many dropped or misjudged fly balls and infield pop-ups that didn't want to stay in our gloves. Thankfully, the pitchers stayed calm and continued to get strike outs or induce routine ground ball outs. A real pleasant surprise to me this year has been our pitchers and the amount of low scoring and close games we have played. It's a real credit to their hard work and willingness to be coached.

Like I've said before, this team does not give up when they are down. It's almost become routine, fall behind in the early innings then battle back into the game. The Yankee game was no different. Two frames in and we're down 6-2. Four straight hits in the third set the stage for Brianna to come to the plate and tie the game with a huge triple breathing life back into the Red Sox. But the kids just couldn't be happy unless they had the chance to fight back one more time. The fifth inning saw us fall behind again as the Yankees plated two runs to our one. We would now need some good pitching and productive hitting to close out the last two innings and get the win. The Red Sox were up to the challenge. Zach had a truely amazing sixth inning recording three outs with just six pitches. WOW!!! The bottom half of the sixth saw our Sox come up empty stranding our lone base runner at second. While Zach needed more than six pitches in the top of the seventh he was up to task, holding the Yankees scoreless one more time. Now the pressure was on us. One run for the tie, two for the W. Our first two batters came up short and went back to the bench none too happy about it. Up comes Eddie. No pressure, just get on base or we lose. The pressure didn't get any less after the count went to 2-2 on him. But in a show of the progress Eddie has made this year he took the 2-2 fastball and ripped it to left field for a stand up double. Now it was Ian's turn to lift the team. With a keen eye he took four straight balls for the walk. Yet another good at-bat in the pressure cooker.  With a lump in his throat and a rapid beat of the heart, Dalton went into the box. Admittedly he was as nervous as the previous Sox who came to the plate. I think his dad was probably even more nervous but he will never tell. With runners on first and second and the count at 2-2 things were about to get interesting. With a crack of the bat the ball was sent sailing into the outfield of left. Eddie blew past third to score easily and Ian was in pursuit. Coach Dave almost took flight waving Ian home as he swiftly rounded the bases. With a quick slide and a cloud of dust it was over. Ian's run gave us two in the inning and a 9-8 victory! With that the team stormed the field to celebrate the walk off win. What a great team win! It could be an omen of things to come this post season.

Next up; A rematch with the Twins and a chance for redemption after falling to them and their quirky head coach 2-1 the first game. Good luck kids! Play hard, play smart and have fun

Awards night will be July 30. If we are still in the playoffs we will have practice at 5:30 that day then do the awards. If we are done we will just do the awards at 5:30. We will have practice this Tuesday. I will announce practice days after Mondays game.

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What a difference a few days can make. Four days prior to the White Sox game we were riding a three game wining streak with hopes of making it four. It feels so long ago. After coming up "short" against the biggest "little" league team I've ever seen, we are now on a three game slide. A strength of ours the whole season has been the ability to hold our oponents to single digits in the run column. Leading up to this game we had allowed double digits only one time. The Pirates put up 11 against us. The only team better than us with this stat is the White Sox. Before we scored 14 on them no team had scored more than 7. (Most teams are in the 6-9 game range.) This was part of the reason I was so shocked to see us fall behind by such a large margin. We are an average team with the bats but a much better team on defence than most. We win games with our gloves and steady pitching. If we struggle with either we end up in trouble. My stated goal this whole season has been to be playoff ready. Sure we wanted to win all our games but we knew we had alot a growing to do during the season. And we have. The kids are also building confidence in themselves and their teammates. They are learning to never give up. Down 18-3 the kids kept plugging away. And with momentum on their side they just may have come all the way back and got win. But we will never know. The umpire took that chance away from them. ( I know we could have done more earlier in the game and the umpires are not the people who cost us the game, but) Rules are rules and we finished the inning with time remaining on the clock that should have allowed us to play one more inning. The umpire that ruled we were out of time and could not continue playing later admitted we should have been allowed to play another inning but he didn't feel like going back out on the field!!!! Chalk this game up as another learning experience. Our seeding for the playoffs is pretty much set. We will be the 2 or 3 seed in the bottom bracket. I am going to use our next two of our next three games to build on our depth at certain positions so we don't get caught short handed as we try to have a long playoff run.

Stats from the game; 11 players scored a run. 10 had at least one RBI, For the first time this year every kid reached base safely.

Next up; A 7:45 game against the Orioles on Monday at Ball Park #2. Good luck the rest of the way kids!

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For the second game in a row our Red Sox fall behind in the first and catch up. The Brewers beat us because they were just the better team that day. I don't know I can say the same about the Pirates. The Pirates are a well coached team as I think we are. But I don't think they beat us as much as we beat ourselves. Our pitchers had their best game of the year as far as walks are concerned. Only three free passes allowed by our staff. Just that stat alone should mean we have a chance to win and we did, losing 5-1. The reason I feel we gave this game away is we played great for all but the start of the game. Yet, that was too much for us to overcome. Zach did a great job making the Pirates hit the ball to get on base. Zach had them hitting what should have been routine ground ball outs to our infielders. Unfortunately, we had too many mental break downs once we fielded the ball. Missed opportunities that allowed the Pirates to plate four runs. We had the opportunity to record three outs before they scored a run in each of the first two innings. The great part about our kids is they don't give up. They played solid baseball the rest of the way. We just could not push the runs across the plate that we needed. Our coaches and players need to reverse this trend of falling behind early by just playing better, smarter baseball.

Next Up; A 5:30 start time against the White Sox at Wilson #2.  

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Good job Red Sox, we're building momentum. We are starting to play better baseball. Good pitching, solid defense and productive at bats from top to bottom in the batting order. The game against the Astros saw 8 Red Sox collect at least 1 RBI and 10 Sox score runs. That is the type of production we were missing during the first third of the season. The pitching has been just as good. After allowing only six balls to be put in play by the Rangers, our pitchers limited the Astros to five, and none until the fourth inning. Impressive! Another interesting stat is we have given up only three hits in the last two games. With that said, I do have some concern with the amount of free passes we give up. Sixteen walks to the Rangers and nine to the Astros. If we want to keep winning games those numbers will need to improve, and they will. Not every game will have a strike zone that moves from pitch to pitch like we saw Wednsday night. The kids would through five strikes and walk a batter. I'm not complaining but....... I was proud of our pitchers as they did not let some of those calls get to them. After struggling the first three innings with our bats and the strike zone we decided to change our aproach. We told the kids to swing at anything they could get to. It worked to the tune of nine hits in the last two frames. Like I said, it was a team effort to win this game. Jonah, Mikey, Owen and Jack led the way with two hits each. Eddie and Lilly came through big for their teammates driving in two runs apiece. On the mound Tristan showed his stuff striking out ten batters in four innings. Not bad T-Man! Great game Red Sox, keep it going! I will now take the umpires advice and sit down. ( to enjoy this win! )

Next up; A 3:45 game Saturday in a rematch against the Brewers at Wilson #3. Arrive time is 3:15. We are just beginning our second trip through our division with only one game left outside the division. To be placed in the top eight team playoff bracket we will need to improve on our 2-4 record from our first trip through. With six games remaing just two games seperate us from third place and two and a half from second.  I know our kids are up to the challenge.  

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Stats are done and i'll try to get the game recap done tomorrow. And yes, I did have a game recap done for our game against the Rangers. A nice, long and boring one at that. When i hit the submit button the computer froze and erased  my work. I just didn't have time to write it over.

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This is my ninth year in coaching baseball for Wilson Park. After all these years I still don't know how the players will perform in a late game. Some times the kids are tired and come out flat. Other times they come out over hyped and make mental errors playing under the lights. What ever the reason, I'll probably never figure it out. I'm just not that smart I guess. This is why I was a little nervous heading into our game against the Phillies. With the chance of this game being called early because of rain I wanted to jump out to an early lead. I did not want the kids getting behind early and have rain take away any shot of a comeback. Two innings into the game it was an uncomfortable 2-2 game. While Zach was pitching a nice game our bats were stuck in nuetral. Thankfully, the next two frames saw our Sox plate nine runners. Who knows, maybe it was the distant lightning that gave us a spark. Whatever it was I'm just happy we jumped out to a nice lead with the heavy rains threatening play. While the bats were hot in the third and fourth our defense was maybe more so. Like Tristan the previous inning, Brianna gunned down a base runner trying to steal second. It was her first chance to throw out a base runner in her catching debut. Nice job Brianna! Time and rain were on our side the rest of the way. The Phillies did push a few more runs across the plate but the Red Sox did just enough to close this game out. Luke and Zach combined for 7 RBI and Mikey, Tristan and Jack totaled 9 runs between them. The Red Sox proved to be the better team on this night with a welcome 12-9 VICTORY!!! Time to relax and enjoy this one.

A lesson learned; Good sportsmanship is very important to our league and team. As players and coaches we never want to be poor sports or show up the other team, umpires or our own team. Another part of sportsmanship is having respect for yourself and your equipment. Unfortunately, I had to remove one of our players from the game for throwing his hat. While that may not appear to be the worst thing in the world had the umpire seen this happen our player would have been suspended for the remainder of the game and the next game. I did not want to pull him from the game but it was the proper action to take. I know he feels terrible about his actions and how it affected the team. Also, he has apologized and I do feel bad for him. The positive to this is he has learned his lesson and I'm sure it will not happen again. While we all want to win and be a part of a great team we need to represent ourselves and our team in a positive manner. At our team meeting at the beginning of the year I handed out a folder to each parent. I ask that every family please read and explain to your kids what written on the player conduct form. Also, as a reminder to ourselves, we should probably reread the parent conduct form. I will also be addressing the team on this topic and am confident we will have no further issues. Thank you.

Next up; A Wed, 5:30 game at Ball Park #2 against the Rangers. After back to back late games it will be nice to get back to our more familiar start time. Once again the Red Sox will be looking for their first winning streak of the year. Good luck kids and see you all at 4:30.

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The game against the Cardinals was a good measuring stick for the Red Sox. A win would have confirmed the progress our kids have made this year. A blow out loss would have put us in the same company as most of the Cardinals oppenents this year. We fell some where in the middle. While we did not fold to them, we did not roll over either. We kept the game close most of the way. The Red Sox didn't lose because we gave up a big inning to the Cardinals. We came up short because we lost focus at times. The good news is as soon as we would have a breakdown the player would recognize their mistake. Another positive from the game was the growth in our offense. Yes, we only scored one run and need to keep improving with our baserunning. But we saw some better approaches at the plate. For the first time this year every player put the ball in play. Better yet, every kid reached base except for one, and he (Eddie) was robbed of a hit by a terrible call by the umpire. Eddie has been working hard, hitting the cages, and it shows. If we all keep putting in the extra work, dealing us a better hand, a win WILL be in the Cards.

Next up; Phillies on Monday 7;45 @ Ball Park #2. See you all at practice on Sunday.

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A confident Red Sox team took the field looking for their first back to back wins of the season. A quick two runs in the first was a nice start but leaving the bases loaded hurt. That total climbed to six runners left on base through three innings. In her season debut on the mound, Brianna pitched a very good game. She held a hot Giants team to two runs in three innings while not allowing  a walk. After falling behind in the fourth the Red Sox were in need of a few good innings with their bats. We did a good job of getting runners on base and even plated runs in the fifth and sixth. But back to back wins would have to wait as we lost 7-5. In the last three frames a total of six more runners were left stranded on the bags. Unfortunately,it was a giant opportunity missed.

Next up for the Sox are the 9-0 Cardinals. It will be a late start time Wednsday 7:45. Report time is 7:00. This game is a great chance to show how much we have developed since the preseason. Good luck Red Sox!

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It was de-ja vu all over again. Cold bats and playing from behind early in a game. The Red Sox give up a first inning run then suffer through their own version of Ground Hog Day. In each of the first three frames the Sox advance a runner to third base with one out or less. In each frame we came up short getting that runner across home plate. Our best shot came in the third with runners on second and third with one out. Eddie does a great job of putting the ball in play only to see a fine defensive play and base running error lead to an inning ending double play. Fortunately, we played solid defense (Simon's great run saving catch) and had great pitching the whole game. Jonah gave the fourth inning a look much like the first three. A runner in scoring position with hopes of reaching home. But this inning would not end as the first three did. Jonah applied pressure to the Mets defense on the base paths and they could not respond. Jonah tied the game and raised the team confidence all in one play. With storms dictating a five inning finish pressure was building. Dalton would take the mound against the heart of the Mets batting order. After four stellar innings by T-Man Dalton followed his lead by striking out the side. Prior to the game the coaches talked to the players about taking the next step. To finish off games, put the ball in play, get on base any way possible, play with confidense and most important, play smart and have fun. The bottom of the fifth would show how they respoded. With a patient approach, Owen got the team going by earning a walk. He quickly turned that walk into a tripple by stealing second and third. Owen would have to show even more patience waiting to score as Dalton earned a free pass via the base on balls. While the intensity built Jack quickly got on after an errant pitch found his body. Cold rain drops falling, lightning in the distance, tie game, bases loaded, last inning and pregame speach, do you think Luke was just a little nervous coming to bat? Nah, with his teammates cheering him on Luke did whatever it took, in this case a ball to foot. Owen was finally on the move. Game over.  A come from behind 2-1 victory. I would say the Red Sox met the challenge!

After a very important practice Thursday we get a few days off for the weekend. The Red Sox face yet another very good team on Monday in the Giants. We will be going after our first winning streak of the year. I hope the kids see that they are capable of winning each game they play. I'm very proud of this team and I know the other coaches are as well. Good luck next week and to all the Dads, Happy Fathers Day.

(player stats will be updated on Friday)

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The Red Sox are on the short end of yet another close game. The team showed plenty of heart twice building leads in this tight game. First a 2-0 slipped away, only to rally back to a 6-2 lead. Unfortunately, the Brewers put together their own rally to tie up the game 6-6 after 3 innings. Although the Red Sox were able to get multiple runners in scoring position in the closing frames, getting them to cross home plate was not to be. The Brewers closed the deal with 2 more runs that we couldn't match. Yes it was a loss, and yes it hurt a little. But there were some promissing signs to come from this game. First, our bats showed some signs of life with 14 batters reaching base. Brianna continued her very hot start at the plate by ripping a double and driving in a run in the third inning. Also, collecting 2 hits apiece were Jonah, Mikey and Owen. The second positive to come from this game was the emergence of Tristan as a shut down pitcher. He entered the game to a nerve racking bases loaded one out situation. He got out of the jam striking out two of the next three batters. I could see Tristan's confidence grow as he shut down the Brewers the rest of the way. Coach Dave often talks about having "moxy", well I think we seen Tristan start to show a little of his. 

Next up for the Red Sox is a very good Mets team. After all the close games we've had it's time to take that next step and close some of them out. Our record does not show the heart, effort and enthusiasm this team has. If we keep playing the way we know how, I am confident the scores will start to favor our hard working Red Sox team. Good luck kids, and remember to always "play smart".

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After the less than exciting play against the Pirates the Red Sox were looking for a solid all around game against a good Athletics team. With the exception of one key statistic, we played a very solid game. Once again our defense played some great baseball with some highlight plays led by Jonah's diving catch. His great catch stopped an Athletics rally in its tracks. But the energy displayed on defense didn't carry over to our offense. We fell short in getting our base runners home. We left 10 players stranded on base, 9 of them were in scoring position. We will need our bats to come alive Monday against a very good, first place Brewers team.

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After the less than exciting play against the Pirates the Red Sox were looking for a solid all around game against a good Athletics team. With the exception of one key statistic, we played a very solid game. Once again our defense played some great baseball with some highlight plays led by Jonah's diving catch. His great catch stopped an Athletics rally in its tracks. But the energy displayed on defense didn't carry over to our offense. We fell short in getting our base runners home. We left 10 players stranded on base, 9 of them were in scoring position. We will need our bats to come alive Monday against a very good, first place Brewers team.

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Welcome to the 2013 A.L. Web Site

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