September 12, 2006

G144: Red Sox 6, Orioles 5

Mike Timlin?
Bottom of the 9th, Red Sox up 6-1:
Single, single, F8, 3-run home run, single, single, K, RBI-single.
Not. A. Fan.

***

Kason Gabbard (3.93) / Daniel Cabrera (4.84), 7 PM

From the Dept. Of Information You Probably Shouldn't Think Too Much About, Lest You Run Straight To The Kitchen And Start Swigging Drano:
On the morning of Sunday, July 30, the Red Sox had the second-best record in baseball. There is now the very real possibility that they won't finish the season with 85 wins.

8 comments:

Jere said...

Is it more or less amazing that if they go just 14-8 the rest of the way (probably only three of those games will mean anything to the other team), you can actually call these guys a 90-win team?

Jere said...

Timlin couldn't quite blow it tonight. Almost. Oh, wait, that's good.

allan said...

Cooked.

Anonymous said...

Can anyone enlighten me as to Timlin's contract status? Last night was yet another vivid, painful example where a guy who has come up so big for us so many times looks to have hung on a little too long.

Nearly coughing up a six-run lead in the 9th was absolutely brutal. With the season lost and the team playing out the string, one wonders why Francona doesn't reinsert Hansen (as a guy with a strong future) into a more familiar role as closer, and stick Timlin (a guy with a strong past) back into a middle relief or set-up role?

I cannot imagine a scenario where the Sox would have Timlin back in the 'pen next season, contract or no contract. Then again, who could have foreseen Tavarez emerge as arguably our best starter?

Kyle said...

I'm far from sold on Hansen as closer but if they continue to tag him as the "closer of the future" it would make perfect sense to have him closing ballgames now.

Although, I was content to see Francona use him in that key situation in the 6th inning to get the K of Tejada. Hansen clearly has amazing stuff, just has to learn how to use it.

In my mind, I would have asked Foulke to pitch the 9th last nite. But, I'm just the "monday morning qb"

Peter N said...

Mikey made us all way uneededly nervous last night. Oh, and Paps?? I hope Paps is back, with sound shoulder, for the closer excitement. NEXT YEAR. The rotation for him?? We'd have to do so well with free agents, and a few (one) names come to mind. And if that happens, and he'd better be darned good, then starter slot number three is reserved, right here right now, for Jonathon. That would be nice, but we all saw last night what life would be like without a "shut 'em down" closer like Paps has been this year. And there is NO reason for him to pitch the rest of the year, just like there is no reason for Manny to play and risk further injury. Wakes? I almost feel the same way, but he has an injury that, when healed, cannot be hurt further. Not so for Manny's knee. And for Hansen to be ready for full time closer duties next year, and I hope he can do it in these few short months, he, like Josh, cannot rely on fastballs. When his timing, his change of speeds, his fooling of opposing batters gets better, he will BE A FORCE. But for the start of season '07, we can only hope.

laura k said...

They weren't ready for the bigs. They weren't meant to be used this much this season. Obviously.

9casey said...

sean o < I went back out of sure boredom to see the reactions when Crisp was traded to the sox , and your opinions of what he would do are almost exactly dead on....Nice call...