Anaheim has not been kind to the Red Sox in 2009.  The Red Sox have made 2 trips to Anaheim already, and on each occasion, the Red Sox have only managed 1 win in each 3 games series.  Not good.

The Red Sox Lost to the Angels 8-4 on Wednesday night.  After taking a 4-0 lead after 2 innings of play, the Angels used a 5-run 3rd inning off of Tim Wakefield to pull away for good.  Wakefield lasted just 4 2/3 innings, giving up 7 earned runs on 11 hits and 3 walks.  Jason Bay was the only Red Sox player with more than 1 hit – he had a 2-run home run in the 1st inning.

On getaway day on Thursday, the Red Sox rallied to tie the game at 4 on Dustin Pedroia’s RBI single in the top of the 8th inning.  Dustin Pedroia went 4 for 6 with an RBI and run scored, while Julio Lugo went 5 for 6 with an RBI and run scored.  But the big story was David Ortiz.  Big Papi went 0 for 7 at the plate.  He struck out 3 times, stranded 11 runners on base and had his batting average drop to .208.  Ouch…  Brad Penny pitched OK – 6 1/3 innings giving up 4 earned runs on 7 hits and only 1 walk.  Hideki Okajima, Ramon Ramirez and Jonathan Papelbon combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings.  But Manny Delcarmen took the loss in the 12th inning when he surrendered an RBI single to Jeff Mathis.

The Red Sox are 21-14 and remain 1 game behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East.  The Red Sox travel to Seattle for a weekend series against the Mariners.

The Red Sox couldn’t build off the momentum of a 2-game sweep over the Yankees, losing to the Cleveland Indians 9-2 on Wednesday night at Fenway Park.  Despite taking an early 2-0 lead on a Jeff Bailey groundout and a Jonathan Van Every single in the 2nd inning, the Indians scored the next 9 runs en route to the easy victory.  The loss ended the Red Sox 9-game home winning streak.

The Red Sox injury bug is taking its toll as Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury were both out of the lineup.  The Red Sox did tally 8 hits, but left 15 runners on base.

Red Sox pitching was downright awful.  Justin Masterson gave up 6 earned runs on 8 hits and 3 walks in 6 1/3 innings.  Hunter Jones allowed an earned run in his 1 2/3 innings pitched, while javier Lopez allowed 2 earned runs in his 1 inning pitched.

The Red Sox hope that Tim Wakefield can get the Red Sox back on track when he takes the hill against Jeremy Sower and the Indians on Thursday night at Fenway Park.

Jonathan Van Every hit his 1st career game-winning home run in Wednesday night’s 6-5 10-inning win over the Indians in Cleveland.  After trailing 5-0 after 5 inning of play, the Red Sox never gave up hope.  he Red Sox picked up 2 runs in the 6th on RBI doubles from each of Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek.  The Red Sox tied the game at 5 in the 8th inning – on an RBI single by Van Every, an RBI Groundout by J.D. Drew and an RBI single by Jaciby Ellsbury.  That set up Van Every’s game-winning solo home run in the top of the 10th inning off of Indians reliever Jensen Lewis.  Ellsbury had 3 total hits on the night, while Van Every, Lowell and Varitek each had 2 hits.  Van Every also made a diving catch of a foul boul in the 8th inning to help keep the game tied.

Jon Lester had a bit of a sub-par outing – 6 innings, 5 earned runs, 7 hits and 3 walks.  Although Lester did record 7 strikeouts, he gave up 2 costly home runs.  The Red Sox bullpen deserves a big pat on the back, relieving Lester with 4 scoreless innings with only 1  hit to keep the Sox hopes alive.  Jonathan Papelbon picked up his 6th save of the year and has a sparkling 1.74 ERA.

So far so good for the Red Sox on their 9-game road trip.  Taking 2 of 3 from the Indians sets them up nicely for their 4 game series against the Rays starting tonight.  At 14-7 and tied for 1st place in the AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Red Sox have to be pleased after 21 games.  Especially after dealing with injuries to Daisuke Matsuzaka, Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie and Rocco Baldelli, and getting off to a dismal 2-4 start, the Red Sox should be relieved to be sitting where they are right now.

Not really gonna complain about this one.  The Indians finally halted the Red Sox 11-game winning streak with a 9-8 9th inning win.  Mark DeRosa plated the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning when Javier Lopez bobbled Asdrubal Cabrera’s ground ball.

It was not a good night for pitchers.  Brad Penny lasted just 2 2/3 innings – giving up 7 runs (4 earned), 7 hits, and 3 walks on 89 pitches.  Awful.  Penny’s ERA is now a hefty 8.66.

Anthony Reyes did not fare much better for the Indians – 7 earned runs, 9 hits, and 1 walk on 76 pitches in just 2 ininngs.

There were a lot of stars for the Red Sox at the plate – Dustin Pedroia went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.  Jason Bay, Jason Varutek and Julio Lugo each had 2 hits for the Red Sox.  It was Lugo’s 1st game back after his right knee surgery, so it was nice to see him produce early on.

The Red Sox and Indians complete the 3 game series on Wednesday night – Jon Lester v. Francisco Carmona.

What an awesome way to start off the 2009 Red Sox-Yankees season series.  Trailing the Yankees 4-2 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning, it didn’t look good for the Red Sox.  Future Hall of Fame Mariano Rivera was looking at his 5th save on the young season, and he had yet to give up a run in 2009.  Rivera started off the 9th inning by striking out David Ortiz, but Kevin Youkilis started the rally with a single to center field.  J.D. Drew grounded into a fielder’s choice moving Youkilis to 2nd base.  Jason Bay, already with 2 hits on the night, launched the game-tying 2-run home run blast to deep center field.  What an awesome experience!!!  The teams traded 0’s in the 10th inning, but Kevin Youkilis ended it with his walk-off solo home run with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning off of Damaso Marte.

Jon Lester kept the Red Sox in the game with 6 strong innings – giving up only 2 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 walks.  He also had 7 strikeouts for his 2nd straight quality outing.  Heideki Okajima imploded in the 7th inning – he didn’t even record one out – giving up 2 earned runs on 4 Yankees hits.  Kudos to the rest of the Red Sox bullpen which did not allow another run over the final 15 outs of the game – Manny Delcarmen, Takashi Saito, Javier Lopez, Jonathan Papelbon and Ramon Ramirez each worked scoreless innings.

And congrats to Nick Green who continues to fill the void at shortstop admirably.  Green had 2 hits and drove in the Red Sox 2nd run in the 6th inning to tie the game at 2.

The Yankees and Red Sox resume the weekend series on Saturday afternoon – Josh Beckett v. A.J. Burnett…

Infielder Nick Green rounded out the Red Sox 25-man opening day roster.

Here’s how the Red Sox team shapes up in 2009:

12 pitchers – Starters – Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield and Brad Penny.  Relievers – Manny Delcarmen, Javier Lopez, Justin Masterson, Hideki Okajima, Jonathan Papelbon, Ramon Ramirez and Takashi Saito.

2 Catchers – Jason Varitek and George Kottaras.

6 Infielders – David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jed Lowrie, Mike Lowell and Nick Green.

5 Outfielders – Jason Bay, Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew, Rocco Baldelli and Chris Carter.

The Red Sox have a deep team all-around, with a good mix of experienced veterans and young stars with a lot of potential.

Several players will begin the season on the 15-day disabled list – John Smoltz, Julio Lugo, Mark Kotsay, Miguel Gonzalez and Jonathan Van Every.

Today’s home opener at Fenway Park against the Tampa Bay Rays was rained out and will be played on Tuesday, April 7th at 4:05PM.  Josh Beckett will start for the Red Sox while James Shields will start for the Rays.

The goal is simple – to win the 2009 World Series.  The Boston Red Sox are in a good position to achieve that goal, despite playing in the toughest division in baseball.  The Tampa Bay Rays were the American League representatives in the 2008 World Series, and the New York Yankees, as usual, have the biggest payroll in the big leagues.  The Red Sox will have to get by at least 1 of those teams and maybe both just to make the playoffs.  Not an easy task by any means.  But the Red Sox are confident.

The Red Sox have qualified for post-season play in 5 of the last 6 seasons.  They have won 2 World Series since Manager Terry Francona took over the club before the 2004 MLB season.  Red Sox GM Theo Epstein had this to say about his 2009 club:  “I think we’re talented, I think we’re deep, and if we can stay healthy, I think we can be a really good ballclub.  And we play in a really challenging division, so we know we have to play at a high level to get where we want to go.”

David Ortiz is also optimistic about his team’s chances:  “We’re looking good.  We just need to carry our experience and our ability into the season and we’re going to be fine.”

The key for the Red Sox is pitching and staying healthy.  The Red Sox boast one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.  Starters – Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jon Lester, Brad Penny.  Closer – Jonathan Papelbon.  Relievers – Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson, Takashi Saito, Javier Lopez, Manny Delcarmen.  Not many teams can compete with that.

If the Red Sox stay healthy, they could make a long run into October.  J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell, Big Papi and Josh Beckett all battled through injuries last year.  The Red Sox stayed in the hunt all year long and came within one game of the World Series, but they were never really fully healthy at any one point during the season.  Just think how far they can go if they can avoid the injury bug in 2009.

The “X Factor” – Jacoby Ellsbury.  When Ellsbury is on base, the Red Sox offense fires on all cylinders.  Let’s hope Ellsbury continues to play consistent, smart baseball, and we could be looking at more crazy numbers for Dustin Pedrioa and Kevin Youkilis.  Go Sox!!!

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Wednesday.  Chip Ambres was the Red Sox hero in the victory – a 3-run home run in the 4th inning to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead and a tie-breaking solo home run in the top of the 9th inning to give the Red Sox the win.  The Red Sox bats were relatively quiet as Rocco Baldelli was the only other Sox player to have a multi-hit game.

Josh Beckett looked average in his last spring start – 3 2/3 innings pitched, 7 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 walk and 4 K’s.  But the relievers did a great job to keep the Red Sox in position to pull out the win.  Javier Lopez retired all 7 batters that he faced with strikeouts.  And Manny Delcarmen and Jonathan Papelbon each pitched scoreless innings of relief.

With spring wrapping up, it will be great to get to some live baseball action that actually counts.  The Red Sox open up against the AL East division-rival Tampa Bay Rays on Monday, so the Red Sox cannot afford to get off to a slow start in 2009.  Let’s hope Beckett can toss a gem against James Shields and the Rays Monday afternoon at Fenway park.

Good news Sox fans – David Ortiz and Jason Bay are back in Sox camp at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Florida.  Ortiz’s Dominican Republic team and Bay’s Canada team were both eliminated from the World Baseball Classic in 1st round action.  Bot Big Papi and Bay are expected to be in the Red Sox lineup against the New York Yankees on Friday night – the game will be featured on MLB.TV.

The Red Sox still have a few starters going on to the next round in the WBC.  Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis are playing for Team USA in Miami, while left-handed reliever Javier Lopez is also playing in Miami for Team Puerto Rico.  Daisuke Matsuzaka is set to start for Team Japan against either Cuba or Mexico in San Diego this weekend.

One interesting note – reports out of Team USA are that Pedroia and Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter are becoming good friends.  Manager Terry Francona had this to say about the budding relationship:  “I could have called that one.  You could see they kind of gravitated towards each other last year in New York at that All-Star Game.  How do you not gravitate towards Pedey?  And Pedey respects the game so much that if you’re him, how do you not gravitate towards Jeter?  You can tell that Jeter likes Pedey’s personality, he’s full of vim and vinegar.”

It’ll be interesting to see if Pedroia and Jeter exchange hugs and kisses before Red Sox – Yankees games in 2009…

The Boston Red Sox are in a very enviable position.  It’s always nice to have depth in the pitching competition during Spring Training, and the Red Sox might have the most depth of any team in the majors.

You have your 4 starters locked in to the rotation – Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield.  As long as newly acquired Brad Penny  can show that he is healthy enough to take the bump at the start of the season, Penny will be your 5th starter.  Future Hall of Famer John Smoltz is still recovering from right shoulder surgery during the 2008 MLB season, but he is slated to be ready to go at the beginning of June.  Throw in 2 youngsters – Clay Buchholz who threw a no-hitter in 2007, but struggled in 2008 and Michael Bowden – and you have 8 guys that most teams would love to have in any spot in their rotation.  With the uncertainty of injuries and progress made during the spring, it’s always good to have an excess of arms just in case a worst-case scenario presents itself.

And that’s just the starting rotation.  The Red Sox had one of the best bullpens in baseball during the 2008 MLB season.  Closer Jonathan Papelbon held down the fort at the end of games and trusty relievers Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson, Javier Lopez and Manny Delcarmen always seemed to pick up the big out when called upon late in the game.  The Red Sox didn’t sit pat during the off-season, however, as they signed Takashi Saito and traded for Ramon Ramirez to bolster the back end of the pitching staff even further.

Look for the Red Sox to make a bold statement during the 2009 MLB season.  The Red Sox came within 1 game of advancing to another World Series before bowing out to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 7 of the ALCS.  The Red Sox expect to get at least that far again in 2009, and if there pitching has anything to say about it, it wouldn’t be a shock to see these guys pitching in the Fall Classic in October for a 3rd World Series title in 6 years.