April 7, 2006

G4: Red Sox 14, Orioles 8

Red Sox - 430 310 030 - 14 16 1
Orioles - 000 000 440 - 8 15 0
This game had no business being this close. ... But we're 3-1 now and in sole possession of first place. As I type this, the Yankees are alone in the cellar.

After a bunt single by Coco Crisp to start the game, Daniel Cabrera walked six of the next eight Boston hitters. He faced 10 batters in the first and threw 42 pitches; the Red Sox scored four times, yet hit three fair balls. ... In the second, Cabrera threw another 18 pitches (double, popup, single, walk) before getting the hook.

With 16 hits and 14 walks and 2 HBP, everyone had a hand: Youkilis reached base five times; Lowell had two hits and a walk; Loretta walked twice, singled and doubled; Nixon homered and drive in four; Manny had three hits and scored three times; Crisp, Loretta and Nixon each scored twice; and Alex Cora came off the bench to stroke a first-pitch, two-run double.

In his first start of the new season, Matt Clement was economical -- at least until the seventh inning. I followed the game online, so I can't say how his stuff was.
              H  R  W  K  PIT
Innings 1-6: 4 0 1 6 69
Inning 7: 5 4 0 1 31
Rudy Seanez pitched the 8th. His first six pitches: ball 1, double, single, foul, single, home run. It's almost impossible to give up four runs any quicker than that. (Thanks for playing, Rudy. Bye-bye.) ... Keith Foulke allowed a one-out single in the 9th, then got a game-ending double play. SoSH reports he looked much better.
Pitches Thrown

Orioles P - 42 33 15 22 31 24 6 31 21 - 223
Red Sox P - 14 11 6 13 13 12 31 32 10 - 142
David Wells's line for Pawtucket: 5-6-7-3-1. He allowed two HR and the Pawsox lost 9-1.



Previews: Boston - Baltimore.

4 comments:

Jere said...

I'm just more and more impressed with the infield defense every game. Gonzalez turns DPs like, well, like butta, I guess. So comfortable out there. A natural fielder. And an outstanding, full-on diving play by Snow that prevented the O's from thinking they had a shot to come all the way back.

As I type, Sheffield, as the go ahead run, hit into a double play to end the seventh. 4-1 Angels.

allan said...

Yeah, sounded like some nice fielding tonight. Wish I could have watched this one. Lots of walks, but we got our share of hits too.

It's a 4-1 final. Thanks, OC, for the 2-run homer.

It's early but it always fun to type: Sox in first (3-1), MFY in the cellar (1-3).

From the Vined Smithy said...

Foulke looked good. Painting the upper corner away a couple of times. That's really, really nice.

Jere said...

I'd say Crisp was safe, too, but only because he did the Marty Barrett slide, where you stop short, wait for the glove to swipe past in front of you, then step on the plate. Not every ump is going to give you credit for that, using the "the ball beat him" excuse.

But that's just one more thing Coco will do to make us [warning: cliche ahead] "forget about Johnny."