Finally

Next door over here is a picture of 3B Mike Lowell and LF Manny Ramirez celebrating Lowell’s second three run home run in two nights. This picture of Manny is dedicated to my friend over at TwinsTown, who is a huge fan of his. I’d love to provoke a fellow baseball blogger further, however I have some good news for Red Sox fans…

The Boston Red Sox finally swept the Toronto Blue Jays! This hasn't happened in Toronto since 2002. Last year sucked fat hairy monkey balls because the Jays to the Sox were what Kryptonite is to Superman. CF Vernon Wells hit 486 home runs and drove in four times as many runs and Roy Halladay looked like a Cy Young award contender. Early on this year (even though it’s still early anyway) almost looked to be more of the same. The first series between the two ball clubs ended with the Sox taking the series up in Toronto, however it could have just as easily gone the other way. Boston needed two runs in the eighth and ninth innings to win 5-3 in the rubber match. Less than a week later the Jays came to Fenway and hung 24 runs on the Sox in two days and I was breathing a sigh of disappointment, especially after sweeping the New York Yankees at home.

Since then it’s been a tale of two teams with Boston soaring to the best record in the American League (23-10) and Toronto ending up in the AL East cellar (13-21) and only a couple games ahead of the laughing stock of the AL, the Kansas City Royals. The Sox flexed both lineup and pitching staff muscles outscoring the Blue Jays 26 to 5. On top of sweeping the Jays, they also came away with two of three in the Metrodome against the Minnesota Twins and finishing their road trip with a record of 5 and 1.

2B Dustin Pedroia did his best to quell the media scrutiny he has faced with IF backup Alex Cora showing his stuff. Pedroia hit 9 for 14, drove in four runs, and hit his first home run on Tuesday night en route to a 9-3 rout in Toronto. Hopefully this was his wakeup call after having a very forgettable April. However when you’re a rookie it does take time to adjust.

The past seven days the Boston lineup hit 10 home runs, had 33 RBI’s, batted a combined .293 as a team, and maintained an on base percentage of .374. Boston has even managed to find themselves on pace to reach 80 stolen bases this year. I know it’s a pretty anemic number, however Manager Terry Francona is about as opposed to small ball as I am opposed to trading in my Johnny Damon Red Sox jersey for a Yankee’s Damon jersey.

Despite all the fireworks, the offense wasn’t the only thing clicking the past week. Boston’s pitching staff churned out 53 innings pitched, only allowed 10 runs, averaged 7.3 strike outs per nine innings (not huge, but notable), and finished up with an ERA of 1.70. In this fan’s humble opinion that’s pretty fucking good considering who they played the last week.

Being a Boston fan is all about taking things week to week and try to keep it all in perspective and not get ahead of yourself. It seems like the team in the past has always been one or two key injuries from completely derailing. This year seems a little different with even non day to day players stepping up and doing well and even some excellent outfield prospects down in Pawtucket coming along quite well. Of course in 2002 the Sox had an outstanding month and a half to open the season at 24-7 including taking three of four from the Yankees and squeezing in a nine game winning streak. They went on to miss the playoffs. So this fact coupled with the fact the last time the Sox swept the Jays at home was in the same year my superstitions are kicking into overdrive. What I’m saying is I’ll start getting happy if they have the same sort of separation from the pack in late August or early September.