Game time: 7:05 pm

Scheduled starters: Luke Hudson (2-3, 5.79) v. Tim Wakefield (7-8, 4.05)


Boston Weather: 11 am observation at BOS: Wind out of the southeast at 8 mph, visibility 10 miles, no clouds below 12,000 feet, temperature 86F, DP 71F.

Forecast: We've got another hot and humid day ahead, and a warm and muggy evening coming up. A weak sea breeze has set up along the immediate coast, and it was 86F at Logan airport at 11 am. At Lawrence, Providence, and Nashua, however, where the wind is out of the west, it's already over 90F. The 11 am dew point at Logan is 71F, which is in the oppressive range.

With stagnation of this airmass, we can expect haze to form later this afternoon. Right now visibilities are at least 6 miles all over the area, but I expect that will change later today.


By game time, it will be close to 90F at Fenway, and, after the afternoon heating the sea breeze will weaken and the wind will be out of the south to southwest, but at less than 10 mph. The wind will most likely be blowing across from right to left or maybe slightly in from right by game time.

Anni

It's quite gross out, weather-wise now. One of those days I'm actually glad I'm going to be watching the game from some sort of air-conditioned room.

GO SOX & GO TIMMY!

OK physicists - what is the effect of hot and humid weather on the knuckler?

I'm not touching THAT debate again!

*MOJO* - BOS vs KC - Revolutionaries Day 1

Remember, remember the 17th of July...



While that may not have the same ring to it, just as Novemebr 5th is still remembered as Guy Fawkes Day, so too shall a national holiday spring up when Tim Wakefield stops the Red Sox losing streak at one. Children will create life size effigies of Wakes, and enjoy shooting of "knuckler" fireworks (very dangerous bottle rockets) to celebrate.

But what does Guy Fawkes have to do with Tim Wakefield? They are both trying to knock off the Royals. (wokka wokka)

Good luck to all those stuck in the sweaty bleachers for tonights game, let's hope the Red Sox don't let them go home unhappy.

[codebox]Kansas City Boston
----------- ------

Pos Player HR RBI AVG. Pos Player HR RBI AVG.
--- ------ -- --- ---- --- ------ -- --- ----
LF DeJesus, David 4 21 .309 1B Youkilis, Kevin 10 44 .287
2B Grudzielanek, Mark 3 27 .291 2B Loretta, Mark 3 37 .301
1B Mientkiewicz, Doug 4 41 .281 DH Ortiz, David 32 90 .277
RF Brown, Emil 6 46 .283 LF Ramirez, Manny 24 66 .306
DH Stairs, Matt 8 31 .268 RF Nixon, Trot 6 44 .307
SS Graffanino, Tony 5 31 .276 3B Lowell, Mike 12 50 .299
3B Teahen, Mark 9 34 .265 CF Crisp, Coco 4 15 .264
CF Gathright, Joey 0 6 .211 C Mirabelli, Doug 2 11 .188
C Buck, John 8 31 .241 SS Gonzalez, Alex 6 29 .281
P Hudson, Luke (2-3, 5.79) P Wakefield, Tim (7-8, 4.05)[/codebox]

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the RedSox for screwing Sox fans all over the country who have been getting sox baseball programming(pre & post games, etc)on direct for the last 13 years.
With no word or warning or explanation.
Since most other teams haven't done this that puts the Sox near the bottom of fan friendly teams.
If in fact they were being unfairly pressured by big bad MLB they could have communicated with Sox fans about the problem. We could then have vented our anger at Bud Selig(who claims to be concerned about baseball blackouts).

All right boys, lets get back in the win column. Let's find the offence and take it out on the Royals for three nights.

Dougie's packing a huge lip.

what's the reaction to mentoznxvdlnajxxz?

Wow no interest in the KC Royals huh

Sox need to sweep the series though. 1 loss should be a worst case scenerio.

Seattle up 1-0 on the Yankees in the top of the 2nd.

and we're behind courtesy of an HBP, 2 BB and a dribbler.
Last night Oakland scored the first run on a bases loaded walk, just like tonight. We're really hurting ourselves...

EDIT: 3-0 KC on another dribbler... unbelievable.

His defense has been outstanding, but why didn't Lowell extend his dive there?

Nice play Seabass.

It's bad karma generated by blacking us out-of-towners from the pre/postgame shows. The runs scored after Remy waxed poetic about what a great pregame show there was tonight.

because when we slump, we slump in style, all around: pitching, defense, batting and baserunning.

Did you see the strikeout pitch Lowell chased? The bases loaded BB by Wakes (although it's a bit more "normal") and so on? It's just happening all around and I'm wondering how this could be fixed. By the way we're playing, we'd lose to the Lowell Spinners...

That's the power I like to see from Covelli.

So, does anyone want to tell the Red Sox that the all-star beak is over?

I didn't get to watch a game all weekend but judging by what I see tonight they look half asleep.

This team just flat out sucks since they got out of interleague play... They are all ice cold at the plate, pitching has not been great and even the defense has been shakey. I am confident that they will break out of it but it better be sooner rather then later..... Over the past couple weeks I can't watch them at times because they just get me sooo angry. LOB after LOB after LOB

If they score a run after that call, I might just go to bed....

If we don't score some runs I just might scream. We can't catch a break, and it is so annoying. This is the freaking Royals!

This is what you get for playing the NL. What a piece of crap league. Takes the competitive edge off, although they did do well against the White Sox in all honesty.

To quote one of my favorite bands Fountains of Wayne, "Even the worst Paul Simon song is still better than the best Billy Joel song..."

Maybe not the same extreme between the NL and AL, but close.

Thanks a lot Youk.

I just can't figure this team out. Ok, lets think positive thoughts. It is only the 3rd inning so we have plenty of time left. They just need to catch a break...One error or a bloop hit can get things going....

Has anyone noticed that the offense is sometimes unstoppable and other times rediculously bad? It's never consistent. The only way we win any games when the offense is sucking is with stellar pitching, which only Schilling is providing. The way they offense is going now I wouldn't be surprised if we get shutout.

The Sox are going to win this game. They are going to take the lead this inning and never look back.

I just got home with Ice Cream & some Beer seeing this crap, think I will switch to HBO or something

Tito is on the phone with the pen. Delcarmen is up. It looks like Wake must have pulled his back or something. Again, they can't catch a break. When things are bad, they are bad.

Come on Manny!!!

This is NOT good. If Wake is hurt, that could be the hair that breaks the back of this pitching staff.

They need to suck it up and win this game.

Yeah, my plan of them taking the lead this past inning didn't work. Now Wake is probably headed for the DL. Things aren't looking so hot right now. I can't figure this team out.

I think Wake may have hurt himself trying to take that throw from the outfield at first.

so Wakes might go on the DL now... Snyder 4th and Jason Johnson 5th? Wow... do we suck!

Hey, why do I get the feeling Clement would have been decapitated by Nixon's lineout?

It pretty bad when you don't have confidence that your team can score 3 runs against the the Kansis City Royals...

To make matters worse, Jason Johnson is getting shelled in Pawtucket right now.

4.2 IP, 9 hits, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K.

Right now there are runners on second and third with two out in the fifth.

I could look it up but If I had to guess, I would say that, in July, the red sox are dead last in batting average..... Or pretty damn close......

Coming into tonight, 27th, at .248. Only Tampa, Seattle, and Oakland are worse.

did the Royals swapped this pitcher for Tim Hudson??? cuz it sure hell feels like it regardless its FREAKING Luke Hudson!

You would thinks Oakland's would be higher after the 4 games at Fenway...

Someone has to tell the offense that when 1 or 2 regulars are struggling offensively, the team thing to do is not to struggle along with them but to pick up the slack for the struggling teammates. The effing Royals!!!

This team looks really lethargic right now, like they are just going through the motions.

Unimpressive defense, pathetic ABs, baserunning errors, etc.

They really need to wake up, or we will be in second by the end of the night.

Hard to believe we had a 3 game lead four days ago.

Um...offense, where'd you go?

EDIT: Time to pull the trigger on a trade Theo!

^^^ actually at one point we had a 4.5 games up and just like that its just half game up! thanks alot Boston Globe for having a poll about MFY ( couple of months ago asking people to vote whatever MFY is going to make the playoffs or not )

Its 4-0 already? WHY THE F**K did I catch the early flight out of Logan then to watch this game! Losing yesterday was enough.

Why is Youk so impatient? It clearly hasn't been working for him; he was doing a lot better when he was taking pitches.

Just when I think we're finally at the bottom...

Man, does this game suck. Just when it looks like we might catch a break, Ortiz lines into a hard luck DP. Just not our night (or our week).

Does anyone want to go out on a limb and guess what place the Sox will be in by the end of the weekend. I'm leaning towards third in the division. Maybe that is what it's going to take to finally light a fire under them.

To add to this the Yankees are leading the Mariners 4-2 and are threatening for more in the 6th

How do the Yankees consistently get such good pitching?

Wang isn't at his best tonight, but he is getting a lot of ground balls which are turning into double plays. Arod does have 2 errors in this game already though.

A hard hit ball...and just a single.

7th inning, Manny single and Nixon's flyout is a microcosm for this losing streak. Could have easily been an HR and a double. Things are balancing out vs. the 12 game win streak.

Sox have to score this inning. Royals can easily be beaten here.

Good thing the ball theif cut that ball. Manny might have been out.