Baseball

That was extremely satisfying.  Winning is always satisfying, but doing it against a team that’s had the better of you in a bad way recently is really quite a thrill.  Now it’s us who has the lopsided slugfest under our belts.  Revenge is a dish best served cold, but I’m pretty sure I’ll take this win any day. Especially if Lackey is the one who got the W in the end.  I mean, a win is a win no matter who gets it, but it’s just so nice and so refreshing to see him in vintage form.  This is basically what he was like when he was with the Angels.  This is the John Lackey we signed.  Now, this is the John Lackey we get to see. The fact that we went down in order in first provided considerable false hope for the Tribe, I’m sure.  The second, in which Papi walked, Napoli singled, and Carp homered to right on a slider was much more like it.  It was awesome.  Carp has shown that he can bring the power, and he did yesterday for sure.  We went down in order in the next three innings.  We had a beautiful opportunity in the sixth; with one out, thanks to a hit batsman and two back-to-back singles, we had the bases loaded.  And we had only one run score on Napoli’s force out. But we blew the game open in the seventh, when we went through the lineup in its entirety.  Salty doubled to lead it off.  Gomes came in for Carp and got hit.  Drew struck out, Iglesias singled to load the bases, and Ellsbury singled in two runs.  Nava popped out, Ellsbury stole second, and Pedroia’s single cleared the bases for another two runs.  And we went down in order in the eighth. Lackey went up against who but Justin Masterson.  Obviously Lackey carried the day.  But that would have been true no matter who he happened to pitch against yesterday, all else being equal.  He mowed right through the Tribe, pitching like it was the easiest thing in the world to just stand there and completely befuddle all the hitters he faced.  He had a one-two-three first and second.  His only blemish occurred in the third; he gave up two consecutive singles, recorded two consecutive outs, and absorbed the one run’s worth of damage wrought by Salty’s throwing error.  It was bad in every conceivable way.  Not only was the throw way off target, sending the ball into the outfield, but it came on a double steal attempt. He had a one-two-three fourth and fifth; the only inning during which he did not face the minimum besides the third was the sixth, during which he issued a walk without also inducing a double play. Uehara and Aceves pitched the eighth and ninth, respectively. So the offense was huge, and so was Lackey’s start.  He pitched seven innings of one-run ball, and that run wasn’t even earned.  He gave up two hits, walked three, and struck out eighth.  The final score was a fantastic 8-1. AP Photo Filed under: Baseball Tagged: Alfredo Aceves, Baseball, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Daniel Nava, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, John Lackey, Jonny Gomes, Jose Iglesias, Justin Masterson, Koji Uehara, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Mike Carp, Mike Napoli, Stephen Drew

Good morning. Here are the lineups:RED SOX (29-20)Ellsbury CFGomes LFPedroia 2BOrtiz DHNapoli 1BNava RFRoss CIglesias SSCiriaco 3BPitching: LHP Jon Lester (6-1, 3.15).INDIANS 27-20)Stubbs CFAviles 2BCabrera SSSwisher 1BReynolds 3BSantana DHGomes CBrantley LFRaburn RFPitching: LHP Scott Kazmir (2-2, 6.35).Game time: 1:35 p.m.TV/Radio:...

via vagary.tv Metal Gear Solid (Japanese: メタルギアソリッド Hepburn: Metaru Gia Soriddo?, commonly abbreviated as MGS) is an action-adventure stealth video game directed by Hideo Kojima.[4] The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published by Konami in 1998 for the PlayStationvideo game console. It is the sequel to Kojima's MSX2 computer game Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. The game featured cinematic cutscenes rendered using the in-game engine and graphics, as well as voice acting in numerous codec sequences.[5] Metal Gear Solid follows Solid Snake, a soldier who infiltrates a nuclear weapons facility to neutralize the terrorist threat from FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit.[6] Snake must liberate two hostages, the head of DARPA and the president of a major arms manufacturer, confront the terrorists, and stop them from launching a nuclear strike.[7] Metal Gear Solid was very well received, shipping more than six million copies,[8] and scoring an average of 94/100 on the aggregate website Metacritic.[9] It is recognized by many critics as one of the best and most important games of all time,[10][11] and heralded as the game which made the stealth genre popular. The commercial success of the title prompted the release of an expanded version for the PlayStation and PC, titled Metal Gear Solid: Integral;[12] and a remake, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was later released for the Nintendo GameCube.[13][14] The game has also spawned numerous sequels, prequelsand spin-offs, including several games, a radio drama, comics, and novels. via vagary.tv Metal Gear Solid (Japanese: メタルギアソリッド Hepburn: Metaru Gia Soriddo?, commonly abbreviated as MGS) is an action-adventure stealth video game directed by Hideo Kojima.[4] The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published by Konami in 1998 for the PlayStationvideo game console. It is the sequel to Kojima's MSX2 computer game Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. The game featured cinematic cutscenes rendered using the in-game engine and graphics, as well as voice acting in numerous codec sequences.[5] Metal Gear Solid follows Solid Snake, a soldier who infiltrates a nuclear weapons facility to neutralize the terrorist threat from FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit.[6] Snake must liberate two hostages, the head of DARPA and the president of a major arms manufacturer, confront the terrorists, and stop them from launching a nuclear strike.[7] Metal Gear Solid was very well received, shipping more than six million copies,[8] and scoring an average of 94/100 on the aggregate website Metacritic.[9] It is recognized by many critics as one of the best and most important games of all time,[10][11] and heralded as the game which made the stealth genre popular. The commercial success of the title prompted the release of an expanded version for the PlayStation and PC, titled Metal Gear Solid: Integral;[12] and a remake, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was later released for the Nintendo GameCube.[13][14] The game has also spawned numerous sequels, prequelsand spin-offs, including several games, a radio drama, comics, and novels.

The Red Sox will be without Stephen Drew Saturday afternoon as they take on Scott Kazmir and the Cleveland Indians. Boston Red Sox (29-20) Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Jonny Gomes, LF Dustin Pedroia, 2B David Ortiz, DH Mike Napoli, 1B Daniel Nava, RF David Ross, C Jose Iglesias, SS Pedro Ciriaco, 3B Starting Pitcher -- Jon Lester Cleveland Indians (27-20) TBA Starting Pitcher -- Scott Kazmir With a 6.35 ERA, Scott Kazmir still seems a shadow of his old self. It's possible, though, that there's still something there. He's just a few games removed from a tremendous performance against the Athletics. That one night has skewed his peripherals on the season somewhat, but it's still worth noting that he's got a decent 4.03 xFIP on the year. Then again, Fenway is not exactly where you want to go to get your home runs under control... On the other hand, there's Jon Lester, who needs to bounce back from a bad night in Chicago. He was good in his first outing against Cleveland this year, but the Indians are looking like a different team right now. Hopefully he'll pitch as well at home as he has so far this year. Read more Red Sox: Terry Francona, a roaring memory Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is quietly producing Who can the Red Sox call up if Shane Victorino is on the DL? Stephen Drew’s presence is key Daniel Nava strengthening Red Sox’ outfield’s present, and maybe future

Joseph Daniel Votto is a baseball god. Joey Votto is “The Face Of MLB” after winning the social media contest by MLB Network where Reds fans voted for him by ending their Tweets in  #JoeyVotto. I’m proud (ashamed) to admit that I’m responsible for approximately 400-500 of those votes. Votto beat Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp in the Championship round. Joey Votto is good at life. He randomly showed up at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, unannounced and without the “look at me” fanfare often associated with such efforts, and visited young cancer patients and their parents. Jerseys and signed baseballs abounded. Joey Votto is good at growing beards. He showed up at Reds Fest this past December in full Epic Beard mode. ...

The Giants managed just 5 scattered hits off Colorado pitchers while the BABIP gods were not kind to Tim Lincecum. Oh, and I don't think it's fair that opposing teams get to start their games against the Giants with a 2 run lead....wait, you mean they don't? Key Lines:Tim Lincecum- 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 8 K's. ERA= 4.75. Timmy's stuff looked good and his command was not bad. Luck was not on his side in this one. In first inning, CarGo's ground ball is a foot to the right and it's an easy DP. Instead, it set up the 2 run double that Cuddyer poked to the RF. The point of contact of that ball with Cuddyer's bat looked a bit random to me too. The run in the 4'th inning was caused by Cuddyer striking out on a wild pitch and reaching first base. So, Cuddyer's dinger in the 6'th was really the only non-lucky run Timmy allowed. It's not like he didn't strike out enough batters or that walks hurt him! Of course, with the way the Giants were hitting, Cuddyer's blast would have been enough to sink Timmy anyway.Tyler Chatwood(Rockies)- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's, GO/AO= 11/1. ERA= 1.90. Chatwood is a former 2'nd round draft pick by the Angels out of Redlands East Valley HS, so I have followed his career with some interest since he's a hometown boy. He developed quickly in the minors but then struggled to gain a foothold in the majors for several seasons. Man, it sure looks like he's finally figured it out. He showed a hard, sinking fastball that sat 92-94 MPH with just enough offspeed stuff to keep the Giants hitters off balance. He had the Giants killing worms all night. He has maintained a GO/AO>2 at every stop, so that sinker is for real. He'll have some BABIP games here and there, but that stuff and those numbers portend a long MLB career. He will end up earning a lot of money in this game.With the Loss, the Giants fell out of a 3 way first place tie with the Rockies and D'Backs. The D'Backs held onto their share of first place with a 5-2 win over the Padres who dropped to 5.5 games off the pace. The Dodgers were dominated by the Cardinals 7-0 to fall 7 games behind in last place in the NL West.Barry Zito takes the mound for game 2 on Saturday afternoon facing Juan Nicasio.

Doug Fister (5-1, 3.62) When Fister first made the major leagues with the Mariners in 2009, he wasn't really a special pitcher. He didn't strike many hitters out, he didn't get a lot of ground balls, and he gave up a ton of homers. The next season, he cut down on the home runs by a ton, but an increase in hits left his ERA at a nearly identical 4.11 after having a 4.13 in his rookie season. Then came 2011, where Fister started putting things together. He was still limiting home runs, he started suppressing hits, and it led to a 3.33 ERA. But, he was being backed up by the woeful Mariners offense, so his record was a measly 3-12 as the July 31st trade deadline approached. The Tigers were not turned off by that W/L record and acquired Fister and reliever David Pauley for outfielder Casper Wells, reliever Charlie Furbush, third base minor leaguer Francisco Martinez, and a PTBNL, which turned out to be minor league pitcher Chance Ruffin. Upon joining the Tigers, Fister added the final piece of the puzzle that had been eluding him in his short career: the strikeout. With the Mariners he sat at 5.49 K/9, but for the remainder of the season with the Tigers, it jumped to 7.29. Since then, his K/9 has consistently been above 7.0, showing that whatever he learned upon joining Detroit has stuck with him. Additionally, his ground ball percentage has skyrocketed, sitting at a career-best 56.7% this year. For reference, last year saw only 5 qualified starting pitchers that had a GB% higher than Fister's current rate. All of this has transformed Fister from a middling pitcher to one of the best #3-4 starters in the league. Fister throws a 2-seam fastball, 4-seamer, change-up, curveball, and cutter. His 2-seamer and change-up are both above-average pitches according to FanGraphs, while his 4-seamer and curve are average and the cutter is pretty bad, but it's also the pitch he throws least often. Remember, he does not allow many homers, he gets a ton of grounders, and he will not walk anyone. This doesn't sound promising for the Twins. P.J. Walters (2-5, 5.69*) * 2012 stats Walters makes today's start as the Twins seem to return to last year's plan of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. They've already discovered that Liam Hendriks, Pedro Hernandez, and Vance Worley aren't cutting it right now, and with Cole De Vries struggling in the minors and Kyle Gibson "not ready" for the majors, they've turned to Plan... uh... just pick a letter after E, I've lost count. Walters made his Twins debut last season on May 12th, and for a while it seemed like he was a godsend. In his first 4 starts after being called up, he had a 2.96 ERA with a complete game win against the Chicago White Sox in start #3. However, his next three starts were a disaster as he allowed 13 runs in only 9 1/3 IP, which culminated with him exiting his start against the Philadelphia Phillies where he gave up 4 runs without recording a single out. Afterwards, it was determined that Walters had right shoulder inflammation, and he sat on the disabled list for nearly 3 months. When he came back, Walters' struggles continued as he gave up 16 runs in 14 innings in his first three starts off the DL. But, he rediscovered his form in his final three starts by allowing only 7 runs in 16 innings, including back-to-back solid starts against the Tigers to end the season. Compared to the rest of the pitching rotation, Walters actually gets a decent number of strikeouts. However, he's been unable to carve out a regular role on a major league squad because he gives up too many hits and his home run rate is nearly double the major league average. Scott Baker was nicknamed "Moon Shot Scott" by some Twins fans, but you should realize that Baker was actually pretty stingy (1.16 HR/9) upon being compared to Walters (1.92 HR/9). Again, against this Tigers offense, this game does not look promising. Walters throws a 4-seam fastball, a low-70s slurve, a 2-seamer, change-up, an

From my pal @Bongreatness… The first 20,000 fans inside Great American Ball Park today will receive a Reds drawstring backpack courtesy of MLB Network. Gates to the ballpark are scheduled to open at 2:10PM for Season Ticket Holders and 2:40PM for the general public. However, if the crowd size outside the gates dictates it so, those gate opening times will be adjusted in accordance with Cincinnati Fire Code. Today is the first Reds Birthday Babies game of the 2013 season, presented by TriHealth, Pampers & Kroger. Hundreds of babies born at TriHealth hospitals, along with their proud parents, will join us at the ballpark today for pregame activities in the Fan Zone as well as a pregame parade around the warning track. The ceremonies will culminate in a ceremony honoring doctors and nurses from TriHealth hospitals along with a pair of ceremonial first pitches. Also during pregame ceremonies today the Reds will welcome members of the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) unit – “The Renegades” for pregame recognition on the field prior to the singing of our National Anthem. We will also observe a moment of silence prior to the singing of the Anthem today in conjunction with Major League Baseball’s participation in the activities leading up to the National Moment of Remembrance, which will occur at 3PM on Memorial Day. A moment of silence will also be observed prior to the singing of the Anthem at tomorrow afternoon’s game and then also at approximately 3PM on Memorial Day as we salute the fallen heroes of our Armed Forces. ….. Homestand Highlights (for the remainder of the homestand) Saturday, May 25, 2013 – Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs, 4:10 p.m. • Drawstring Backpack Giveaway: The first 20,000 fans receive a drawstring backpack, presented by MLB Network. Prize Packs featuring a Sean Casey autographed baseball will be given away to three lucky winners throughout the game, thanks to MLB Network. • Tailgate on the Terrace: Join Mo Egger from ESPN 1530 at the Mobile Bud Bar on Crosley Terrace from 2 to 4 p.m. The Mobile Bud Bar is located outside the gates before select games this season. This pregame party features Budweiser beverages at below ballpark pricing. • Reds Baby Zone: Prior to the game, the Kroger Fan Zone will become the “Baby Zone” with games and activities for babies and their families. Reds partners TriHealth and Pampers will be giving out free samples as well as raffling off prizes. All the fun including appearances by Reds mascots begins at 1:30 p.m. Early access to the “Baby Zone” is available at the corner of Mehring and Joe Nuxhall Way. Sunday, May 26, 2013 – Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs, 1:10 p.m. • Kids Baseball Card Set: The first 8,000 kids 14 and under receive a 2013 Reds baseball card set, presented by Kahn’s. • The Beach Boys Post-Game Concert: The Beach Boys concert will begin about 30 minutes after the last out of the game and is free for fans with a game ticket. Band members Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, Christian Love, Randell Kirsch, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill and Scott Totten will perform for about 90 minutes from a stage near second base and will be joined by actor/producer/musician John Stamos. Monday, May 27, 2013 – Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Indians, 1:10 p.m. • Ohio Cup Series: The battle for the Ohio Cup kicks off with today’s interleague game between the Reds and Indians. The overall winner of the annual home-and-home series gets to keep the Cup for the season. The Indians currently have possession of the Cup, after winning the series in 2011. In 2012 the teams split the series. The Reds had the Cup starting with the inaugural season in 2008 through 2010. The 2013 series features two games in Cincinnati followed by two games in Cleveland on May 29 and 30. • Memorial Day Moment of Remembrance: The Reds will join the National Moment of Remembrance, an initiative MLB has participated in since 1997, where all games will stop for a moment of silence at 3 p.m. local tim

Pawtucket W 4-3 Box Score Jackie Bradley Jr.: 2-4, 2B, BB, KBryce Brentz: 2-4, BB, 2 KJeremy Hazelbaker: 1-3, BB, 2 SBBrock Holt: 1-3, SB Allen Webster: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR After walking nine in his last two games, those two free passes are a good sign from Webster. Portland W 10-9 Box Score Xander Bogaerts: 2-5Travis Shaw: 0-2, 3 BB, KMichael Almanzar: 2-5, 3B, HRChristian Vazquez: 0-4, BB, K Anthony Ranaudo: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 KKeith Couch: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Those were 4.2 laborious innings for Ranaudo, who need nearly 100 pitches. Actually, I think it's worth noting that, ridiculously enough, this is a bad game by Ranaudo's standards this year. It saw his ERA, BB/9 and H/9 all tick up, and his K/9 tick down. That's pretty crazy. Salem W 3-2 Box Score Sean Coyle: 3-5, 2B, 2 KDeven Marrero: 1-5, 2 KGarin Cecchini: 1-2, BBKeury De La Cruz: 1-4, 2B, KDavid Renfroe: 1-4, KBlake Swihart: 0-3, BB, KHenry Ramos: 0-4, K The best argument for Garin Cecchini's promotion at this point is probably all the walks. If pitchers aren't throwing him strikes (because, y'know, the OPS that leads the league by 200 points), and he's shown his ability to take those pitches, what's being gained by him proving he can do that time after time? We'll see, but a promotion really does seem in order. Greenville W 12-2 Box Score Mookie Betts: 2-4, 2B, HR, BB, 2 KCody Koback: 2-6Jose Vinicio: 3-5, 2 2B Justin Haley: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K Oh my God, this is...this is a fully positive game from Greenville. I don't...I don't understand? Read more Red Sox: Terry Francona, a roaring memory Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is quietly producing Who can the Red Sox call up if Shane Victorino is on the DL? Stephen Drew’s presence is key Daniel Nava strengthening Red Sox’ outfield’s present, and maybe future

credit: AP The Baltimore Ravens may have won the Super Bow in February but there has been a noticeable roster turnover since then. With the retirement of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed’s signing with Houston the Ravens defense does not have a clear leader. One player who is establishing himself in a leadership role is free agent signing Elvis Dumervil. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is happy with what he has seen from linebacker. “It seems like Elvis has made the transition,” Harbaugh said after OTAs on Wednesday, via Carroll County Times. “He has been here every day. He hasn’t missed one thing since he’s been here. I feel like he’s emerging as a leader for our football team. He has had no problem learning the defense. He’s done a great job. He’s a smart player. He likes football. He’s done a good job at it, so he’s done a good job.” Dumervil spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos but was cut due to salary cap concerns this offseason. There will be endless comparisons between the new look Ravens defense and the ones which took the field before them but for the time being Dumervil seems to be fitting in just right.