Mariners vs. Red Sox, June 7,2008 *LIVE BLOG*

Hey all, SB here to live blog this Sat. afternoon affair on Fox. Hopefully, the Sox will do better this time than they did last time I live blogged one. Wakefield on the hill for this one, as he was the last time I kicked knowledge with you. Here's what we got for lineups:

Red Sox

1. Coco Crisp CF
2. Julio Lugo SS
3. J.D. Drew RF
4. Manny Ramirez DH
5. Sean Casey 1B
6. Kevin Youkilis 3B
7. Brandon Moss LF
8. Kevin Cash C
9. Alex Cora 2B

P Tim Wakefield

Mariners

1. Ichiro Suzuki CF
2. Jose Lopez 2B
3. Raúl Ibáñez LF
4. Adrian Beltre 3B
5. Jose Vidro DH
6. Richie Sexson 1B
7. Wladimir Balentien RF
8. Kenji Johjima C
9. Yuniesky Betancourt SS

P Miguel Batista

A few notes:

• Both the ejected fan and dubbschism are at the park this afternoon. I will keep an eye out for them.
• Dick Stockton and Mark Grace are your broadcasters this afternoon.
• Manny back in the lineup. No Pedroia and no Lowell.

Let's do this.

Top 1

Here's Ichiro leading off. Hot day at the park today. Sox rocking the Red jerseys. I dig 'em. Ichiro hits a soft chopper towards the mound that neither Cash or Wakefield can get to in time, infield hit. That was like a swinging bunt. Money says he steals 2nd here. And he quickly does, his 26th steal of the year. And now Wake walks Lopez on 4 pitches. Great. Here's Ibáñez. And Wake gets him looking, 1 down. Nasty knuckler. Now Beltre with 2 on and 1 out. And Wake gets him swinging! Man, the Mariners are bad. Now Vidro. And he takes a huge cut at the first pitch and misses. What a bunch of hackers. And he grounds to short, Lugo flips to second for the easy out and Wake gets out of the jam.

Bottom 1

Batista on the hill, dealing with Coco first. Apparently he was in some sort of fight this week. And Coco cranks a hard liner but right at Beltre, catches it, one down. And now Lugo hitting second. And he hits an easy roller to short, two gone. God, he blows. Here's Drew, who has been an absolute monster at the plate lately. And he rips one to the gap in left-center! Ichiro gambles and lunges for it, misses and it goes to the wall, and Drew is into 3rd with a triple! Damn he is a good hitter, and fast too. Now Manny with a chance to put the Sox on top early. Mother of God. Manny UNLOADS on one! Over the Monster, OVER EVERYTHING! Mammoth shot, 2-0 Sox. Casey grounds to 2nd to end it, but Sox lead 2-0 after 1.

Top 2

Timmy working with a lead here, let's see how he handles it. Here's big sexy Richie Sexson, in my opinion one of the worst hitters in baseball. And Wake makes quick work of him, getting him swinging. 3rd K for Mr. Wakefield. Now Balentien, and he hits a roller to short, Lugo charges, gloves, and gets him by a step at first. Nice play. And here's Johjima. And he takes a big ugly swing at one and misses. Man, he looked foolish. No chance, 4th K for Wake, and a nice 1-2-3. 2-0 Sox.

Bottom 2

Youkie up first. And he goes down swinging for out #1. I'm sure he'll be swearing up a storm in the dugout. Watch out water coolers and bat racks. Just don't do it in front of Manny. I love Youk, but he can be a real crybaby sometimes. Now Randy Brandon Moss. And he pops one foul to 3rd, Beltre grabs it, 2 down. Now Cash money. And he gets ahead 3-1...and works a walk. Anyone miss Mirabelli? At all? I'm sure he's doing fine at whatever gas station hired him. Cora now with 1 on and 2 out. And he hits a chopper to 3rd, Beltre gloves and gets him and the 2nd is over. 2-0 Sox after 2.

Top 3

Hopefully Wake can continue his nastiness. This is a team he can really rock and roll against - lineup is full with a bunch of swing-and-miss candidates. Betancourt will lead it off. And he singles to left to bring up Ichiro. And he bunts, Wake gets to it but no chance, 2 on, 1 out. How overrated is Ichiro? Seriously. Guy has 2 ABs, has hit the ball a combined total of about 19 feet today and has 2 hits. And of course Stockton and Grace are lauding him. Lopez grounds to 3rd. Youk bobbles but stays with it and his only play is to first. Gets Lopez but runners move up to 2nd and 3rd with one out. Here's Ibáñez. "Anything in play will get the lead in half" says Grace. Really? Even a pop to 2nd? Dumbass. Well Ibáñez does slightly better than that. He rips one down the RF line that jumps into the stands. Two runs score and we're tied at 2. Blah. And Wake quickly responds by walking Beltre on four pitches. Thank God for Jose Vidro. He swings at the first pitch and pops to short. Now a tall man who is not very good at baseball is up. He grounds to Youk and this inning is over. But the Mariners tack on a couple runs and it's 2 all.

Bottom 3

Top of the order here. Just get this inning to Manny and let him do his thing. Coco starts off by slicing one down the RF line. Takes an unlucky kick off the wall and Coco has to hold at first. Here's Lugo now. Coco goes, and he steals 2nd! First pitch running...wow, close play on the replay. And Lugo bunts Coco to 3rd. Bleh, I hate bunts. Oh well, speed at 3rd with one down and here's Drew. Table is set here for him, but he lines out to short on the first pitch, 2 down. Bah. Stupid bunt. Oh well, it's Manny time now. Do they put him on? Nope, they're pitching to him. Let's see if he gets anything to hit. And after 2-0 they stand up and toss the remaining two balls intentionally. 2 down but runners at the corners now for Casey. See if he can make the M's pay for the IBB. He can't, and flies to CF. Stupid bunt killed that inning. Dual small ball, swing the bats. 2-2 after 3.

Top 4

Balentien leading off. I had admittedly never heard of this guy before this series, but he has good numbers. And he smacks one but right at Youk at 3rd, one out. Trivia question time! Who was the last rookie to steal 50 bases in a season? Let me ponder that a bit. Johjima up now. And he flies lazily to right, 2 gone. Now Betancourt, and he hits a soft fly to left, and a 1-2-3 for Wake, still 2-2.

Bottom 4

Time to drop my trivia question guess before they give the answer. Oh wow. Duh, I just realized it. It's gotta be Ichiro. Youk here, and he grounds to short, one gone. Moss draws a one-out walk now, and it's time to Cash in. And he launches one to center and Ichiro grabs it, 2 down now. Here's Cora. And he pops one into the gap in left center! Ibáñez tries to cut it off before it gets to the wall, and he bobbles it! Moss scores, and Sox reclaim the lead 3-2. How will they score that one? Double for Cora, but do they give Ibáñez an error? No, a straight double and an RBI. Now Coco, and he singles to center! Cora scores, and now it's 4-2. Very nice. Lugo now, so assume the scoring is done. And he tries to bunt (????) and he almost gets hit with the pitch. Right at his dome. And now Coco steals 2nd for another steal today. Now a hit for Lugo can get him home. And instead he walks. Very nice, now Drew with 2 on and 2 down. R.A. Dickey (hehehehehehehe) warming for the Ms now. Here's Drew, and he works the count to 2-2, and then scorches a liner, but right to Lopez at 2nd, inning over. A lot of hard-hit balls at infielders today from both teams. Sox tack on two more and we go to the 5th, 4-2 Sox.

Top 5

Ichiro leading off. Stockton and Grace might have consecutive orgasms if he hits the ball 14 feet for a single again. I think I'm going to order some sushi in a few. My decision has nothing to do with Ichiro...I just love it. Ichiro hits a soft bloop to short that Lugo snags, one down. And Lopez grounds to 2nd, two outs. Wake seems to be grooving now, looking for another 1-2-3 with Ibáñez coming up. And he pops to 3rd, Youk snags it and Ms go in order yet again. 4-2 Sox.

Bottom 5

Manny leading off here. And he works a long at bat and works a walk. Casey time, and he slaps a base hit to right and Sox put the first two guys on here. Youk now, and he pops one out to right-center. Ichiro grabs it, one down. Moss up here, still two on, now one out. And he gets ahead 3-0. We may be seeing Dickey very soon. Dickey! And Moss walks. And it's time for Dickey! Bases loaded, one out, Batista done, and here comes R.A. Dickey. dubbschism just reminds me via text that Dickey is a knuckleballer, meaning we've got two knuckleballers here. And Cash swings at Dickey's first pitch and pops to 2nd, two down. Crud, they could break this open, but now two down, and here's Cora. Now a passed ball! Manny scores, and everyone moves up a base. 5-2 Sox. And Cora ends up popping to 2nd. Dickey looks pretty solid, but the Sox tack on another one, 5-2 after five.

Top 6

Beltre leading off, swings at the first pitch and pops foul to Cash, one out. Thanks, Adrian. And Vidro grounds to short, two gone. Man, the Mariners offense is just really bad. Now to watch a tall man try to hit a baseball. He has actually worked a full count! And now strikes out on a fastball. Ugly swing, but not all that surprising. Another 1-2-3! Still 5-2 Sox.

Bottom 6

Top of the order here, and Coco already has 2 hits on the day. And he won't get his third here as Dickey gets him swinging. Lugo grounds to short, two gone. Dickey is taking care of business here. Ehh, not anymore. Drew crushes one to deep center and gone. What a bomb! 6-2 Sox. Jeez that was crushed. Hit just to the right of the yellow line in center. And now Dickey gets Manny swinging, as he was taking cuts that makes me think he was trying to go back-to-back. Inning over, but Mr. Drew has made it 6-2 after 6.

Top 7

Balentien leads it off against Wake, he has grounded to third twice today. He works it to 3-2, but then Wake gets him swinging. UGLY swing. Man, this team is just stacked with bad hitters. Give Wake his credit though; he's getting it done. Johjima now. Wake has thrown 102 pitches here and Hansen is getting loose. Kenji loops one into center, Coco charges but has to play it on a hop for a single. Cokes looked like he was going to make a dive for it, but he had no chance. Betancourt grounds one into the hole between 3rd and short, Lugo snags it on the backhand, throws to 2nd, Cora turns and throws to first, double play! Very nice play all around! And Wake has gone 7 strong, and it's still 6-2 Sox.

Bottom 7

I still have not seen dubbschism and the ejected fan on TV yet. Perhaps the ejected fan has already been ejected from America's Most Beloved Ballpark. Casey to lead off the bottom of the 7th. And Dickey quickly gets ahead 0-2. And he loops one to short, Betancourt plays it on a hop and throws out Casey, one gone. And Fox 25 just went apeshit, but apparently Youk singled. They show the replay, looks like Ibáñez tried to make a sliding catch but he got it on a hop instead. Now Moss, and he hits a slow roller to second, Lopez makes the play to first, two out, Youk moves up to 2nd. Cash fouls one behind the plate, Johjima grabs it right in front of the seats, inning over. Going to the 8th, 6-2 Sox.

Top 8

Wake out, Hansen in. Great job from Wakey today, the knuckler was dancing and he kept the hackers hacking and missing. Hansen has also been solid as of late, so let's see what he can do. Also, Casey out, Lowell in at 3rd and Youk moves over to first. Ichiro finally hits one of the outfield as he singles to right. Let's see if he's running. Hansen dealing with Lopez now, and it's 2-0 and he's having trouble throwing strikes. Great. And Lopez swings at a bad pitch and hits a slow roller to 2nd. Cora's momentum was taking him towards first but he throws to second and gets Ichiro. Risky play up four, but he gets the lead man, one gone. No chance to get Lopez at first. Here's Ibáñez, and here's another 2-0 count. And Hansen throws him some absolute GAS inside and Ibáñez shatters his bat and pops to 2nd, two gone. And then Beltre quickly grounds to short, Lugo to Cora for the force at second, and Hansen gets it done. Almost through this one, 6-2 Sox. Sweet Caroline time.

Bottom 8

New pitcher for the Mariners, Derek Mark Lowe, who is celebrating his 25th birthday today. Cora, Crisp and Lugo look to spoil it. And a BEAT L.A. chant breaks out! Ducking awesome. And Cora hits a grounder by the diving Lopez for a single. What a birthday ruiner. Crisp up now, and he hits a hard sinking liner to right, but Balentien snags it on a dive, one out. Papelbon getting loose even though it's not a save opportunity. He has 0 saves in non-save chances this year. Now Lugo hits another sinking liner to right, but Balentien can't get this one and has to play it on a hop. Single for Lugo, 2 on with one out for Drew. And he cranks a base hit through the right side! Cora scores, Lugo to 3rd, 7-2 Sox. Enjoying your birthday, Mr. Lowe? Runners at the corners with one down, and it's Manny time. He works a full count, and then walks, and now with Casey out, it's Lowell with the sacks drunk and one down. And Ellsbury in to run for Manny at first. That's good to see. And Lowell rips one down the line in left into the corner! Two runs in, Ellsbury stops at 3rd, 9-2 Sox after the Lowell double! Mark Lowe's day is done after that one - what a crappy birthday. The new Seattle pitcher is Ryan Rowland-Smith. The back of his jersey is rather crowded. And the lefty will deal with Youkilis with runners and 2nd and 3rd with one down. And it's quickly 0-2. And Youk hits one to left that will go all the way to the wall! Another double, another pair of runs in, and it's 11-2. Consider this one broken open. Moss swings at the first pitch and pops to short for our number two. Here's Cash with a runner still at 2nd. And he strikes out on a foul-tip into the mitt, inning over. But the Sox tack on five more and it's 11-2 heading to the 9th.

Top 9

We're still going to see Paps here, even with a nine-run lead. I hope he doesn't blow it!! In all seriousness, my biggest hope right now is that my sushi gets here soon. I am starving. Willie Bloomquist will hit for Vidro here and Papelbon gets him to ground to second. Cora flips to Youk...who drops it! The errorless streak is over! 233 consecutive games was the streak, and it's done. Wow. Now Miguel Cairo will hit for big sexy. And Bloomquist takes second on defensive indifference. What a dumb rule. A steal is a steal. And Cairo singles to center, Bloomquist scores and it's 11-3. Balentien will hit for himself here, but Jeremy Reed is already on-deck to hit for Johjima. Balentien first though, runner on first with no outs. And Paps gets him looking with some heat for the first out. The Chevy player of the game is Wakefield. It had to be him or Drew. Wait, did they ever give the answer to the trivia question? I must have missed it! Crap. Well here's Reed with one on and one out. And Paps gets him swinging with some high cheese, two gone. Wow, he just completely blew him away there. And here's Betancourt to hopefully make the final out. Maybe not, as it's 3-0. Strike looking and a foul ball makes it full, and they're on their feet. Fly to right, Drew makes the catch, and this one is over.

Great pitching from Wakefield, great offense all-around from a lineup that didn't look all that intimidating on paper, and the Sox take this one 11-3. WHERE IS MY SUSHI?!?! Have a good night all!