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Archive for April, 2009:

4/30: Try us now, Tampa

Written on April 30th, 2009 by Evan Brunell430841 Commentshttp://firebrandal.com/2009/04/30/430-try-us-now-tampa.html4%2F30%3A+Try+us+now%2C+Tampa2009-04-30+19%3A43%3A33Evan+Brunell

Josh Beckett couldn’t figure out the Yankees last start; one day late due to his five-game suspension. His velocity and movement were there, but his command was way off. It’s Tampa’s second look at Beckett. Garza struggled with control in his last start, but dominated the Sox in the opening series.

Filed under Game Threads, Josh Beckett, Matt Garza, Tampa Bay Rays Tags:

Go Early, Go Often: Fire Brand’s Best of April

Written on April 30th, 2009 by Josh Lacey43052 Commentshttp://firebrandal.com/2009/04/30/go-early-go-often-fire-brands-best-of-april.htmlGo+Early%2C+Go+Often%3A+Fire+Brand%27s+Best+of+April2009-04-30+11%3A51%3A18Josh+Lacey

Tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays marks the final game of the first calendar month of the season; and what an April it was. From the panic that set in BWNNH (Before Wake’s Near No Hitter) after a 2-6 start, to the exhilaration of winning 12 out of 13 including a le-gen *wait for it* DARY sweep of the New York Yankees AB (Anno Bay – In the Year of Our Bay), April has been all Red Sox fans could ask for.

Who would have thought after the first week of the season that April would end with the Red Sox atop the American League with the league’s best winning percentage?

Today we look at the best performances of April, culminating in the Fire Brand Player of the Month award.

Filed under Jason Bay, Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell, Ramon Ramirez, Tim Wakefield Tags:Boston Red Sox, Kevin Youkilis, MLB

BOS 6, CLE 5: Jonathan did Van Every-Thing

Written on April 29th, 2009 by Shawn Medeiros43041 Commenthttp://firebrandal.com/2009/04/29/bos-6-cle-5-jonathan-did-van-every-thing.htmlBOS+6%2C+CLE+5%3A+Jonathan+did+Van+Every-Thing2009-04-30+02%3A39%3A21Shawn+Medeiros

Joe Castiglione needs to play the MEGA Millions tonight. So does Jonathan Van Every for that matter.

Filed under Game Recap, Jensen Lewis, Jon Van Every, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Matt Garza Tags:

Fireside Chats #43: Where we talk Yankees, Ortiz, and Wake with Chad Finn and April MVP

Written on April 29th, 2009 by Tim Daloisio43032 Commentshttp://firebrandal.com/2009/04/29/fireside-chats-43-where-we-talk-yankees-ortiz-and-wake-with-chad-finn-and-april-mvp.htmlFireside+Chats+%2343%3A+Where+we+talk+Yankees%2C+Ortiz%2C+and+Wake+with+Chad+Finn+and+April+MVP2009-04-30+02%3A22%3A51Tim+Daloisio

Chad Finn, not scared away after our first conversation, graces the MVN airwaves for a second time as he recaps his reactions to the dramatic weekend with the Yankees at Fenway Park. Like many of us, Chad’s starting to get a little worried about David Ortiz.

After Chad leaves, Paul and I give out our awards for April Most Valuable Player and look forward to a big week ahead on the road.

All that and more on Episode #43 of Fireside Chats on MVN!

Filed under Fireside Chats Podcast Tags:baseball, Boston Red Sox, MLB, podcast, Red Sox Podcast

4/29: Let’s get back on the horse

Written on April 29th, 2009 by Evan Brunell430278 Commentshttp://firebrandal.com/2009/04/29/429-lets-get-back-on-the-horse.html4%2F29%3A+Let%27s+get+back+on+the+horse2009-04-29+20%3A55%3A29Evan+Brunell

Jon Lester hurled 114 pitches over six innings his last start, continuing his workmanlike ways. His 4.88 ERA isn’t pretty, but he’s pitched better than that. He’ll be opposed by a guy trying to get back to his 2007 ways. Carmona has had all sorts of bad luck against the Sox ranging from blown saves to blowout losses. J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis are on the bench in favor of Jonathan Van Every and Jeff Bailey. Nick Green is back at short.

Filed under Cleveland Indians, Fausto Carmona, Game Threads, Jon Lester Tags:

A Few Thoughts on ‘Tek

Written on April 29th, 2009 by Samara Pearlstein43013 Commentshttp://firebrandal.com/2009/04/29/a-few-thoughts-on-tek.htmlA+Few+Thoughts+on+%27Tek2009-04-29+19%3A14%3A05Samara+Pearlstein

Why would a 37 year old player have a wOBA spike of over 50 points from one season to the next? This is the question people should be asking about [...]

Filed under Community post, Jason Varitek Tags:

Mid-Week Minor League Round-up

Written on April 29th, 2009 by Ryne Crabb43002 Commentshttp://firebrandal.com/2009/04/29/mid-week-minor-league-round-up-2.htmlMid-Week+Minor+League+Round-up2009-04-29+12%3A00%3A00Ryne+Crabb

I’ve decided to add a new aspect in this weekly series. Along with giving the weeks top performers, I’m also going to add in the guys that have not quite lived up to expectations. You could assume I’m doing so because there’s a few guys that fall under this category, and I wouldn’t have a compelling counter to that assumption. Not to discourage some of you that like following some of these kids coming up through the system as the majority of the top prospects have lived up to expectations, but of course, there are a few that have not. We’ll start off with the good:

Filed under Anthony Rizzo, Che-Hsuan Lin, Felix Doubront, Kyle Weiland, Quick Post, Ryan Kalish, Stolmy Pimentel Tags:

On Base Percentage is good!

Written on April 29th, 2009 by Tito Crafts42980 Commentshttp://firebrandal.com/2009/04/29/on-base-percentage-is-good.htmlOn+Base+Percentage+is+good%212009-04-29+11%3A00%3A00Tito+Crafts

The Red Sox lead the league in OBP at .370. Granted, Fenway is beneficial to hitters, but this team would get on base a lot wherever they played. Maybe not this much, but a lot, comparatively.
The most asked question for the offense coming in was, “Where is the power going to come from?”

Filed under Uncategorized Tags:OBP

CLE 9, BOS 8: Snapped

Written on April 28th, 2009 by Shawn Medeiros42993 Commentshttp://firebrandal.com/2009/04/28/cle-9-bos-8-snapped.htmlCLE+9%2C+BOS+8%3A+Snapped2009-04-29+03%3A33%3A21Shawn+Medeiros

Javier Lopez could use a mulligan.

Filed under Ben Francisco, Brad Penny, Fausto Carmona, Game Recap, Javier Lopez, Jon Lester, Julio Lugo, Mark DeRosa, Nick Green, Tim Wakefield Tags:

4/28: Lugo’s baaack

Written on April 28th, 2009 by Evan Brunell429748 Commentshttp://firebrandal.com/2009/04/28/428-lugos-baaack.html4%2F28%3A+Lugo%27s+baaack2009-04-28+21%3A24%3A01Evan+Brunell

The high ERA is misleading for Penny; he’s had two quality starts in three tries. He’s only struck out five, which is a concern (walked eight). His velocity is not the issue, so he just needs to work on command.

Reyes was in the doghouse for the Cardinals last year for no apparent reason. He’s 13-25 with a 4.90 ERA, colored by a brutal (and so far, unsustained) 2007 campaign. Last year, he posted a 2.76 ERA in 49 innings with a 1.27 WHIP. His WHIP is 1.29 so far this year.

Tonight will be cold with showers. Julio Lugo makes his season debut.

Filed under Anthony Reyes, Brad Penny, Cleveland Indians, Game Threads Tags:
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