Game 137: Can I get a Witness? The Defense Of The Fens

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 3, Baltimore Orioles 2

I love being in Boston and being able to sleepwalk to the 57 bus on a lazy Sunday and wander into Fenway without any bothers or troubles whatsoever. It’s a privilege that has no equal in Brooklyn. I never knew what I was missing.

My first visit to Fenway this year came complete with an awesome victory from our super B squad. Cora, Moss, Ellsbury and Cash were in the lineup in an attempt to play down to Baltimore’s level. It almost worked. Moss, Cash and Cora (and Drew and Youk for that matter) were plain old horrible at the plate today. Nothing but 0’s and K’s for this crew. From my seat in the grandstand I could hear boos for Drew, but not for the other mooks who couldn’t manage to reach on Daniel Cabrera of all people. At least Drew got a WALK.

Anyway, it was Pedroia, Lowell, Papi and Ellsbury (first HR!) who stepped up and got the Sox the measly 5 hits and 3 runs it took to finish this puppy. The real story was the defense that protected the slim lead for starting pitcher Jon Lester. The fans at the Fen went CRAZY for Ellsbury’s diving catch, Pedroia’s diving stop, Youks sick snag at first, Moss crashing into the scoreboard (knocked down an inning plank) and Drew’s nasty outfield assist. When Coco replaced Ellsbury in center (who replaced Drew in right) to back up Papelbon in the 9th, something big just HAD to happen. Coco didn’t fail to excite with an awesome sliding catch to get one of the 3 outs to end this little match-up. Lester got the win, Oki got the hold, Paps got the save and that’s all she wrote. I filed out with a big smile on my face and gained a hop in my step when I saw the final in the Yankee/Tampa game. Love the 6 game lead.

So going back to the great defense again, who (if anyone) is inline for a Gold Glove this year? I say there should be 3 handed out to the Sox players. Coco needs some props for his outstanding acrobatic skills in center (might be tough with Ichiro out there), Youk has something like a million games without an error at first (the man is a beast) and Pedroia should get a golden mitt for his efforts at second this season. No kidding. Dispite his small size and less than swift feet, Dusty P has been a vacuum and has now has a saved no-hitter added to his repertoire. The little guy should walk out of this season with a ROY and a GG no questions asked.

Game 112: Treated Curt-Ly

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 2, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 4

Fresh off a dominating stint in rehab (honestly who dominates rehab? Well besides Lindsey Lohan?) Schilling took the mound against the mighty City Winged Humans of Another City. It was good to see him back, he seemed to have command on all of his pitches… but honestly I’m not sure how he did. Keep in mind that I watched this game from beginning to end, I looked at the stats and the box score, I was aware of his mound presence... and yet with the inconstancy and awful umpiring from James Hoye in this game, you could make an argument that Schilling was WORSE than he appeared. The same argument could be made for Weaver. They (and the bullpen) got some head scratching strike calls that borderline on criminal offenses.

Assisted pitching lines aside, Schill did look ok in his return. His shoulder looked as strong as advertised and he seemed to be making his pitches. Unfortunately, the hits came so quickly it was almost as if they were just subtle mistakes during an otherwise well pitched game. It just so happens that he made a few more mistakes than Weaver. In the 7th, things really started to fall apart and Tavarez came in to… I dunno… prove his near worthlessness? Just an ugly inning full of homeruns, weird plays and distraught looks from me. Combine that with the dozen or so wasted opportunities the Sox had batting and this makes for an awesome pile of puke.

Going back to what I was talking about before, there was some really odd officiating in this game. Well I guess it’s only “odd” if you think a “totally rage inducing event” is “odd”. On an 0-2 count, Manny held up (and replays show he HELD UP) on an inside pitch, James Hoye said he swung and then tossed him after less than 5 seconds of arguing as he walked back to the dugout. This forced roster move meant that it was call up Brendan Moss facing K-Rod in the 9th inning as the go-ahead run. Guess how that turned out. It was HOGWASH all around and it wasn’t the first time it’s happened this season. Add this to all the OTHER awful calls he made (Lowell’s phantom strikeout comes to mind) and I think this game should be protested by the Sox management… I’m not even kidding.

Maybe umps are getting power hungry or something because they wield the “I’m tossing you!” penalty like a 7 year old with his dad’s gun. These zero tolerance ejections are counter intuitive, counter productive and seem to be for the sake of the umpire’s ego. There needs to be a serious investigation into the conduct of these “eject first, ask questions later” umpires. But lord knows I don’t expect Bud Seilig to do anything worthwhile as he’s busy following those record breakers around… somehow that’s the true priority with this messed up sport.

Please excuse me as I step down from my soap box. Didn’t mean to make things uncomfortable. Kinda awkward huh? Good thing we signed that Carrot Top looking freak Bobby Kielty to lighten the mood.

Yeah… it’s not working for me either.