MLB Showdown Cards

	Line up	Rotation	Bullpen	Bench	Total
(5)Red Sox	2,480	1,130	640	104	4,354
(12)Royals	1,440	1,040	460	72	3,012

               This is a 1,300 point difference and if all goes to plan for the Red Sox a sweep and worst case scenario 4-1 win. The Red Sox have five 10’s (Ortiz has to come off the bench) compared to the Royal’s lone 10 (Alex Gordon). The Royal’s may get lucky and steal some runs with the bottom of the line-up. Beckett and Lester have a chance to be 2-0 going into their next series while Royals plan is to win games 3/6 and hope to steal 2 others. The Red Sox may toss their bullpen out the window in order to start Aceves their reliever. The hope the Royals have 1 major thing going for them: the 2011 Red Sox have chocked before…not sure how Showdown produces that.

Game 1: Chen out duels Beckett in game 1 after Fracouer and Cabrera both hit doubles and score in the second. Red Sox get men on in almost every inning but manage only 2 runs. Crawford pinch runs in the 8^th where he is caught stealing for a painful defensive out.  Royal’s weak pen throws 3 shutout frames to secure 3-2 win Royals up 1-0

Game 2: Hochevar and Lester deal 7 innings with 1 run a piece. Bullpens would match zeros for the next three frames. The Red Sox would not record a hit after the 4^th inning and only reached base on a Alfredo Aceves walk in the 8^th. Crawford would steal second and the top of the order could not drive him in. The Red Sox would bring in Wakefield in the 11^th and as painful as it sounds to Red Sox fans you all can guess what happened. Jeff Francouer would hit a 2 run homer that would seal the win. Royals up 2-0

Game 3: The Red Sox having their backs against the wall were in for another extra inning dog fight. Down 2-1 in the top of the 9^th captain Jason Varitek would get a clutch no on one out single. He would be pinch run for by Jed Lowerie who unlike Dave Roberts was thrown out at second. Pedroia would follow with a single and a steal with 2 on and 2 out Scutaro would double him in to tie the game. Then Ellsbury would get a FB out with the advantage. Carl Crawford who pinch ran and stole earlier in the game would walk with 2 outs in the 10^th and steal second to be driven in by a 2 out single by JD Drew. Red Sox win 3-2 trailing series 1-2

Game 4: Beckett would give up 4 runs in 7 innings most notably a homer by Francouer to lead off the 4^th. Francouer would finish 1 for 1 with 3 walks for another productive day. Chen would pitch 6 innings of 1 hit ball. The Red Sox would put some pressure on Soria in the 9^th but eventually end up falling short to lose 4-2 to the Royals. Royals lead 3-1.

Game 5: This Red Sox team of all teams did not want to be trailing 3-1 to an easy opponent in the first round. They would change strategies putting Youkilis at the top of the order and extending Pedroia down to the 5 hole. That would all be a moot point as Jarred Saltalamachia would hit a 3 run homer in the bottom of the second. Lester would throw 8 innings of 4 hit 1 walk no runs baseball and Aceves would get the easy save keeping the Red Sox alive with a 3-0 win and trailing 2-3 in the series.

Game 6: Bedard was a weak starter and so was Paulino so this looked like a slugfest for the series. Really only Bedard got hit for 3 runs in 3 innings before a switch for Aceves was made. Aceves would give up 4 runs in 4 innings so the debate on who should have started ended with maybe Jonathon Papelbon. Fracouer the man posed would have a 2-5 day with 2 double with a pair of RBI and run. The Red Sox would claw but it never amounted to anything. Royals win the game 5-3 and the series 4-2 to advance. Meaning they face the winner of the 4 Rays/ 13 Padres series