COLON Breezes To His Fourth Win...Boston 6 Baltimore 3

Members of Red Sox Nation and Red Sox International as well as Bartolo Colon himself all know that he belongs smack dab in the heart of the Boston Red Sox rotation. Wednesday evening at Fenway Park, in the Hub of the Universe, he smoothly sailed through a sometimes effortless-looking six innings, allowing only one run on five hits while whiffing seven. HE LOOKED GREAT! The Baltimore catcher Ramon Hernandez and Sox manager Tito Francona had this glowing praise for the righthander after the game...

"Right now he's got a lot of movement," Orioles catcher Ramon Hernandez told Baltimore reporters. "He's got a pretty good two-seamer going on. He's around 93, 94 miles per hour, and if he wants to go higher, he's still got it. He's not easy to face. He pitches more; before, he was a power guy trying to blow everyone away. Now he's the guy that pitches around the plate and makes you swing early in the count. He has way more movement than he did before."
"He's been tremendous for us," said manager Terry Francona. "It's been fun to watch. Get a guy that you didn't have when spring training started, and all of sudden, he's right in the middle of the rotation, helping us win games. It's been big."

Peter here, and where we we be without him? As Tito said, he's been fun to watch and a tremendous addition to a rotation that was missing a cylinder. Well, not any more! If he remains healthy and keeps close to this pace he will easily win 13-16 games, and we all know how hugely important THAT would be. Aardsma set 'em up and set 'em down in the seventh and Javie Lopez did the same in the eighth, and with a 5-1 lead going into the ninth, Tito turned to Mike Timlin, a seemingly safe move with a four run bulge. But he could not get the job done, giving up a pair of runs on three hits before he was reluctantly yanked with two outs so Jonathon Papelbon could nail down the win. Five pitches and a ground ball to first did just that. It was Paps' 19th save.

The Sox started the game off with a bang, actually more than one of them, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first. The big hit belonged to the soon-to-be-ill Jason Varitek, who smashed a three run tater over EVERYTHING in left. From there until Timlin's misadventures, it was smooth sailing, and Colon made the most of it. You could say that Bartolo gave the Orioles a thorough colonoscopy (I should apologise to all those with last names of Colon. I said it in jest.). Hey, see you in five days, Bartolo...you know where (on the mound) !

Congratulations go out to Big Papi David Ortiz, who became an American citizen yesterday. Papi, we love you, we're proud to have you and every one of us wants to see you at the plate as soon as your wrist will allow. I'm hoping he will be back before the end of this month of June, but the doctors will know more when they change the cast in about one week. And in another piece of Sox news, Coco Crisp's appeal for the seven game suspension that was levied after the brawl with Tampa will be heard on June 23. DO NOT expect the suspension will be any less than the seven days that he was given...this is not an infraction that the powers-that-be will try to minimize. If he had walked to first base rather than charging the mound, there would have BEEN no brawl, at least on that day. But something like that was bound to happen between the Sox and the Rays...they literally hate each other and Tampa Bay is sick of being the doormat of the AL East, a place where opposing clubs pause and wipe their feet before humiliating them. Hey, they certainly have been way more competitive than the "always at .500" New York Jokers...err, Yankees.

Have a wonderful Thursday, and to the two winners of the Sox DVD set, they will be in the mail tomorrow (Friday). Due to circumstances beyond my control, the trip to the Post Office has had to take a back seat to more pressing demands, and I apologise. They still are unwrapped, unplayed and shiningly silver, and always will be until YOU open them...it's a prize that will keep on giving. For 16 and one half hours. And that's just counting the first viewing!! You two should have had 'em by now, but I can't do anything about it. I just wanted to keep you updated. Thanks again for being patient.

Click on the title of this post for more on the victorious night at Fenway, and as always, BE WELL. Comments will be munched on and regurgitated in the form of responses, that I promise.