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Final Score: Boston Red Sox 1, Arizona Diamondbacks 5
Someone seems to have forgotten to tell Randy Johnson he's 10,000 years old. That's the only reason I can think of to explain his complete and utter nine strikeout domination of the Olde Towne Team yesterday evening under the warm, sunny roof of Chase Field. I'm pretty sure the best shot the Sox had at a win was in the first, when they pushed runners to first and second with two outs but failed to score any runs. After that, the one run in the fourth was exciting, but a sense of doom soon settled on the field as it became clear that there would be no repeats of Friday's blowout.
The Red Scare did their best to compound the issue. After a solid six innings from Matsuzaka, who suffered a bit from the base on balls (4) but kept the score within a run, the bullpen toed the line for an inning, then completely fell apart in the eighth. Donnelly puts the lead runner on for the second inning in a row and hits the showers. Javier Lopez walks the only man he sees. Mike Timlin...well, Mike Timlin was Old Man Timlin yesterday, much to the glee of the insurance-seeking Diamondbacks. He did get three outs, but not before allowing three runs to score in a manner of such varied tomfoolery that it was as intellectually interesting (how did he manage to throw to first that way on a bunt right to him?) to watch as it was painful. Thus Timlin and pretty much the remainder of the game.
J.D. Drew didn't play yesterday, so his hitting streak remains intact at three games, with the potential for more peeking over the horizon against Colorado. In the meantime, he and every other hitter on the Red Sox will have tonight to brood over why they've stopped hitting consistently, why they keep hitting into double plays, having to play small ball to move over runners, keep missing the important hit that would score runs, etc. Maybe I wouldn't worry so much, but the Yankees are finally starting to come to life - as expected - and are now within 10 games for the first time in months.
Speaking of hitting, DC and I were just having a discussion about clutch hitting and how this year's team doesn't seem to have the clutch, come-from-behind luster that recent Red Sox teams have sported. I can't find a stat from come-from-behind victories (anyone know where to find one?) but even though the Sox continue to score more runs in the eighth inning than any other time, they don't inspire a lot of comeback confidence when push comes to shove. However, because feelings aren't very scientific, I did some more stat math and found a good numeric justification for the lack of confidence: runs per inning per game.
As it turns out, while the Sox score 0.84 runs per game in the eighth inning (their top-scoring inning), they only score 0.48 runs per game in the ninth inning, their second worst score overall. While this stat doesn't take into account games where the Sox are winning coming into the ninth inning (on the road) or games where they come from behind to win before the ninth inning, it does mean that if the Sox are losing in the ninth, they really are less likely to score the runs they need to win.
Final Score: Boston Red Sox 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 3
Things I love? One run victories, extra inning wins, strong deep bullpens and clutch hits. Things I hate? Nail biting in late innings, leaving men on base and ummm Julio Lugo.
I’ll get to that last item in a second, but first let me reflect on this titanic comeback victory over this desert dwelling foe. Seriously, it looked like it was 230 degrees by game time… how do you play in this heat? I sweat through my pants just watching them take the field. Tavarez don’t sweat (he bleeds) and managed to pitch a solid 6 innings only giving up 3 runs. He through about 500 pitches an inning, but still had enough for a bloop single/bunt/monstrosity type deal when called upon to hit. Not that his pitching mattered, cause the bats were dead again. Ugly times at the plate through 5 innings.
Then Tek said “Enough with this garbage” and put one into the seats in the 6th inning. If that weren’t enough, he also tied it with a double in the 8th to prove that:
a) Yes he IS the man
b) No you CAN’T touch him
Phenomenal performance by the captain who had a chance to be an ultimate hero in the 10th with the bases loaded and no outs… but came up short with a swinging K. Not to worry though, cause pinch hitting master Mike “The Hammer” Lowell got a huge sac fly to put the Sox on top for good. Mmmmm happy pants.
The other heroes were the inhabitants of the Sox bullpen. Donnelly, Oki and Paps allowed no runs in 4 innings of work. Oki and Paps struggled a bit, but you couldn’t tell from the scoreboard. Deep breaths are ok as long as the job gets done.
And I guess that brings me to my only real gripe of the day. Julio Lugo is my new whipping boy. Unlike my past targets on this team, he can’t field like the nimble Coco and he can’t get the slap hits like Pedroia. Besides, those are the 8th and 9th batters… Lugo leads off. He needs to get his bat on the ball, NOT hit into double plays and for the love of Pete take a pitch so he can get on base. You know? Just to find out what it’s like out there.
If that was the only problem I could handle it… hell he hit a homer yesterday… but the other issue lies with his fielding, rather his inability to. Unlike Coco the vacuum, Lugo just sucks. He had an error in this game, but the “infield hits” that are really hotshots to his body are starting to pile-up at an alarming rate. It’s getting to the point where I hold my breath every time a ball is hit to the left side. Mr. Noglove McAwfulthrow is gonna boot it and throw it into the stands. I just know it!
Lugo you need to shape up or join the ranks of Nomar, O-cabs, Renteria and Gonzo. Actually, I wish you had the skills of any of those guys at this point. Maybe they should have kept one of them?
No no no… can’t let my head wonder too much into negative town. I love the win too much for that to happen. Sunday Dice-K gets to test his chops against RJ, the Big Unit. He needs to cut Randy down to size samurai style. HAI YAH!
Final Score: Boston Red Sox 7, Texas Rangers 4
Manny took control of the team bus and it stayed on the road. If that’s not a good omen I don’t know what is. The Man-Ram went 4 for 4 with a walk and just a homer shy of the cycle (yes Manny hit a triple and yes questionable physics were involved) while the rest of the team managed just walks until the 6th when the flood gates were opened washing away Padilla and much of the awful Ranger bullpen. Yech… those guys look really bad, no wonder this team already has 30 losses.
Wake was... well… Wake! He allowed 4 runs, pitched into the 7th, the knuckleball danced to the backstop a few times, but all in all it was a fine performance. Besides Lopez walking the only batter he faced (cue slow sarcastic clap), the bullpen laid sand bags for 2 innings as the rising desperate waters of the Texas offense swept past them. Donnally took his psycho pills and finished the 8th with out problem, while Paps hammed down the 9th for his 12th save.
Today Tavarez steps up for the sweep and hopefully he can dodge history as artfully as the rest of this pitching staff. The history I refer to is the small matter of Sammy Sosa’s 600th homerun and the two homeruns he needs to reach it. Keep him in the park JT Killer and you won’t end up a sorry stat in the history books. Let’s get that sweep!
Final Score: Boston Red Sox 14, Seattle Mariners 3
Oh what a glorious homecoming! In a day that had everything from the ’67 Sox throwing out the first pitch, to some singing celebrities (Goulet!) the only thing that wasn’t perfect was the weather. Cold and overcast, this wasn’t the sunny summer day that is usual baseball fare, but I guess the Mariners couldn’t complain. They’ve been buried under snow in Cleveland for the last week.
Yes, it was a fun filled day of spectacle and wonder. I’m sure everyone in attendance had a fantastic time.
Except the Mariners. The Sox kicked the ever-loving crap out of that sorry sack of a team. Those sea green, compass wearing sissies were shellacked from the start.
I can’t tell you how excited I was to see Jeff Weaver starting. This joker was a World Series winning pitcher? Are you kidding me? He couldn’t find the plate all day (if you consider the 2 innings he pitched all day) and anything that did make it over was quickly hit over his head. The best was Drew’s homer to dead center that left Weaver slack jawed. Haha Weaver! So stupid!!
Not much better from the relief pitchers Woods and Morrow. The offense busted out and it was like T-ball. Every starter managed a hit except for Pedroia.
Not that it would have mattered too much if the offense wasn’t this hot. Josh Beckett was putting on a clinic. He had all his pitches working, and except for a 2 hit one run 3rd inning, he was perfect. 7 innings, 8 K and all the bells and whistles. And I don’t know if he is distracted from the Japanese inter-squad game tomorrow, but Ichiro went down swinging 3 times to Beckett. Amazing stuff.
The only blemish to this pristine opener was a little bad blood between former teammates and sparring partners Brendan Donnelly and Jose Guillen. Their history extends back to when the Angeles benched Guillen in 2004 for mouthing of to manager Mike Scioscia and then traded to the Nationals during that off-season. Once there, Guillen had Nats manager Frank Robinson look in Donnelly’s glove for pine tar and got Donnelly kicked from the game (and suspended) which caused some heated words and a near fight.
Flash forward a few years and both players are on different teams and now they hold each other in much higher regard. No… wait. That should read: “want to kill each other in front of 35,000 people.”
Long story short, Guillen struck out, he and Donnelly jawed a bit, the benches cleared, hardly any shoving, Guillen was tossed and then for some reason Donnelly beaned Kenji Johjima in the ass and was ejected. Simple as that. Honestly it doesn’t make that much sense to me, but at least we got another lame pseudo rival out of it. Move over Tampa Bay!
To cap off this afternoon of baseball delight, fresh off the DL Mike Timlin jogged in for the ninth inning to the sound of “Black Betty” and the roar of a standing ovation. Sorry but that pretty much was his highlight. He gave up 2 runs before Seattle remembered that they had already lost this game and relinquished the final out. Thanks for coming Mike… no really, thank you.
But forget all that! All around it was a brilliant day. Big bats, big pitching, big win. I just hope they saved some runs for tomorrow when Dice K goes up against King Felix.
Oh and does this look like a weight loss before and after picture or is it just me?
Final Score: Boston Red Sox 1, Arizona Diamondbacks 5
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