GAME #48, SEATTLE MARINERS AT BOSTON RED SOX

[markj]

Forgot to mention...back-to-back shutouts for Sox pitching. Like that.  thumb_u

[elktonnick]

A spectacular win!  A fantastic performance by Brian Johnson highlighted by great outfield defense by Jackie Bradley Jr.

[elktonnick]

And as Eckersley would say "It was a beautiful thing!"

[SeaBeachFred]

And as Eckersley would say "It was a beautiful thing!"

A complete game shutout and here I was wondering if he would be at least a modicum of improvement over Velasquez?  What a performance by Johnson, eight strikeouts, no walks and a gem any way you look at it.  Give some kudos to Jackie, a two run bomb and two outstanding catches in the field.  Love the way we came out swingting.  Today was very encouraging and I'd like nothing better to see us keep playing solid baseball from here on in......no, we can't win all the time but winning six or seven out of ten going on would show that maybe this team MIGHT be a  good one after all.

[Bear]

Brian Johnson 109 pitches, 85 for strikes, complete game.
You gotta like that.
And Jackie Bradley....can't say enough about him.
Johnson goes back down tonite....shame.

[Bill-806]

Brian Johnson 109 pitches, 85 for strikes, complete game.
You gotta like that.
And Jackie Bradley....can't say enough about him.
Johnson goes back down tonite....shame.

  I know, it's all abo thumb_uut OPTIONS.....  Howevaaa, how ya going to keep that boy down on the FARM....  Go SOX, 6 in a row !! thumb_u

[Bear]

Bill, I'm sure Brian Johnson will be back up.  And it was just so exciting...one of the better games this season.
Ya nevah know about baseball.

[Bear]

Johnson beats M's 6-0 for Boston's 6th straight win

Ken Powtak

BOSTON (AP) Brian Johnson had quite a turnaround in his second time on Fenway Park's mound.

Johnson pitched a five-hitter in his first big league appearance at Fenway, and the Boston Red Sox stretched their winning streak to a season-high six games with a 6-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.

The 26-year-old left-hander became the first Red Sox pitcher to throw a shutout in his first Fenway start since Pedro Martinez on April 11, 1998. In Johnson's first start in Fenway - his fourth as a professional - he sustained a season-ending facial fracture when he hit by a line drive while pitching for Class A Lowell in 2012.

"The last time I walked off the mound here was 2012 and I made two pitches," Johnson said. "Today I went nine innings. Today was pretty cool."

Johnson left Triple-A for a little over a month last season to get treatment for an anxiety issue.

"Obviously with some stuff that I've been gone through in my career, it's an awesome feeling" he said.
But despite the stellar outing, Johnson was optioned back to Triple-A after the game.

"That's the reality of the game," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "We had a chance to congratulate him and yet option him back to Pawtucket, with David Price coming here Monday."

Brought up from the minors for the start, Johnson (2-0) gave up five singles, struck out eight and walked none. His only previous big league starts were at Houston on July 21, 2015, and at Toronto on April 18 this year.

Johnson was helped by a semi-leaping catch by center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. at the wall in the sixth, Bradley's diving grab of Nelson Cruz's sinking liner in the ninth and Bradley's game-ending running catch of Kyle Seager's drive.

Xander Bogaerts' RBI single triggered a three-run first inning and Bradley hit a two-run homer in the sixth
Shut out for the second straight day, Seattle has lost seven of eight.

"Their guy threw the ball over the plate. He threw strikes," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "I won't take anything away from what he did, but we're not swinging the bat very well."

Rob Whalen (0-1) gave up five runs and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings in his Mariners' debut, his first big league start since Aug. 23 for Atlanta. He is Seattle's 12th starting pitcher, the most in the major leagues.

Andrew Benintendi and Sandy Leon also had RBI singles in the first, when the Red Sox had two batters hit by pitches, two walks and two runners thrown out on the bases - Dustin Pedroia at third for the first out and Hanley Ramirez at the plate for the last.

SWEEP
The Red Sox can complete their second straight three-game sweep and a 6-0 homestand with a win in the finale Sunday.
Boston took three from Texas before Seattle came in.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mariners: RHPs Hisashi Iwakuma and Felix Hernandez, both on the DL with right shoulder inflammation, threw bullpen sessions. Hernandez said he "felt really good."... LHP James Paxton (strained forearm) is set to come off the DL and pitch at home Wednesday.

Red Sox: Pedroia was back at second base after getting Friday off to rest his sore left knee and not play on a wet field. He was hit by a pitch on the right forearm his first time up and went 1 for 3. ... 3B Pablo Sandoval, on the DL with a sprained right knee, was expected to play nine innings Saturday night in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket. Farrell didn't rule out that he could be activated next week.

http://weei.stats.com/multisport/recap.asp?lg=MLB&g=370527102

Article truncated

[Rob from Mass]

Seems to me the players DO want to play for JF.Sports are a cruel beast .Everything comes up roses when winning and like crap when losing .JF is not the best but I think as a whole it's all about the team performing.Managers suck while the team is losing but they seem OK during W  streaks.
Not towards JF but skippers in general.
.

[Bill-806]

Seems to me the players DO want to play for JF.Sports are a cruel beast .Everything comes up roses when winning and like crap when losing .JF is not the best but I think as a whole it's all about the team performing.Managers suck while the team is losing but they seem OK during W  streaks.
Not towards JF but skippers in general.
.

   CONCUR Rob ..... thumb_u

[Rob from Mass]

While last night was a great game by Johnson we all know very well he can fall back to earth and get crushed next time out.

[SeaBeachFred]

While last night was a great game by Johnson we all know very well he can fall back to earth and get crushed next time out.

You mean just like Porcello did today?