Final Scores:Game 79: Boston Red Sox 4, Texas Rangers 5
Game 80: Boston Red Sox 1, Texas Rangers 2
Ahhhh Saturday and Sunday. The days everyone should be relaxed and resting. Everyone that is but the Red Sox bats. They OBVIOUSLY don’t need any more rest. Games like these two make me wonder how we got so far ahead in the AL East. And thank God that we are because the Sox have been playing flat for about 2 weeks. The mess in Seattle, the near miss in game one of this series and then these two pooch screws can almost be 100% blamed on the inability to hit the freaking ball.
Well I guess it’s not that cut and dry. SOME players are hitting the ball SOME of the time. The inconsistency and less than timely hitting his becoming somewhat of an epidemic. On Saturday the Sox struck early and gave Beckett a 4 run lead. Youk crushed one and Cora got a three bagger. But that lead slipped away and the Sox were helpless to stop it…however they managed to leave 9 men on base. The best (worst) part of this disaster was Lugo (now with a batting average lower than his IQ) trying to steal third in the 8th and running into a really stupid out. This guy needs to be buried somewhere.
On Sunday it was even more frustrating. The game was close thanks to Tavarez pitching out of his mind (again) but the offense was pathetic. 11 more guys were left on base stranded to die without any hope of creating runs…the poor bastards. Hell, this game might have been tied at the end if it wasn’t for a couple of errors by Cora (tough hop) and Drew (fly ball through the webbing). Perhaps the most disheartening was the performance of Ortiz who came up with men on in two big situations and failed both times. It’s like a little kid seeing Santa and having him bend down and look right into the innocent little cherub’s eyes and say “SORRY SUCKER! NO TOYS FOR YOU!” and fly off cackling into the night. It’s just mean, man.
What’s really odd about all this is the type of pitcher that’s killing this team. The Sox DESTROY starters. I don’t think I’ve seen a starter last into the 7th more than 10 times this season (I’d look up the actual numbers... but that’s more Eric’s thing). It’s these bullpens that are taking us apart. Maybe it’s the lack of familiarity with the pitchers, maybe the constant changing of pitchers, maybe it’s the deodorant these pitchers wear…I don’t know for sure. But I do know that it’s driving me out of my tree.
On a positive note, the thumb injury to Coco Crisp (who was getting red hot when it happened) and the DL’ing of Joel Pineiro (best thing for everyone) resulted in the calling up of hot prospect Jacob Ellsbury. The guy is fast as lightning and a wiz defensively. He only has one hit in 8 AB’s so far…but that’s still better than Lugo.
Win Monday and the Sox could salvage the series split…with Texas? That’s awful.
Posts
