Dustin Pedroia became the first Red Sox second baseman in team history to get four extra-base hits in one game. The last AL 2B to have four extra-base hits: Carlos Baerga (Sept. 20, 1990).
J.D. Drew was named American League Player of the Month for June: .337/.462/.848, with seven doubles, two triples, 12 homers, 29 RBI, 27 runs scored and eight multi-hit games.
David Ortiz is making progress:
I'll probably be hitting in the field maybe when I get back to Boston [July 7]. It all depends on how I feel. This is kind of a weird injury, and it's because one day you feel really good, and another day you feel kind of weak. ... Every day I feel better. Every day I discover something new, but in a good way.Jason Varitek continues to slump. He is hitless in his last 17 at-bats and is 3-for-48 (.063) in his past 15 games. Since the beginning of June, Varitek is hitting .113 and slugging .163 (23 games, 90 plate appearances).
Tampa walked Kevin Youkilis intentionally twice and both times, Varitek ended the inning with an out. And when Boston had the tying run at first with one out in the ninth inning, not only did Terry Francona allow Varitek to bat, but he called for a hit-and-run. Varitek swung and missed and Lowell was easily thrown out. Three pitches later, Tek was called out on strikes (his 3rd whiff of the night) to end the game.
More on Tek's woes at The House That Dewey Built.
Also in New York:
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The odds and the universe say that soon the Rays will stop getting lucky wins and the Sox will stop getting fluky one-run losses. How many times have you seen a runner BEAT a DP fair and square but get called out because of runner interference? That was one run. With Pedroia up next on this night, probably 3. A relief pitcher is slow covering first, and it cots at least four runs, and maybe all six.
ReplyDeleteAbsurd.
But if the Sox are going to win these close games, Farncona has to find his misplaced brains. A 9th inning hit-and-run with a slow runner and a batter who is helpless. Hmmmm. Great idea, Terry.
Tampa is performing at four wins better than its Pythag, while Boston and New York are dead on.
ReplyDeleteIt's a long season.
Shouldn't mean something that when the Sox and Devil Rays meet the Sunrays win more often than not? I mean records and stats are all great historically speaking but when you can't beat that team then it's hard to make an argument that it is a long season and they are playing better than they should. I agree they are playing better then they are. I still think they are like the Rockies of last year. Problem for Rays is they got HOT at the start. Those players are not ready for 162 straight HOT games a la Mets 2007.
ReplyDeleteBut we still cannot beat them.
Melissa links to Beyond the Box Score, which finds says the Rays have played a tougher schedule so far than the Sox:
ReplyDelete"... the Rays are going to have a relatively easy schedule and the Yankees a very difficult schedule, with the Red Sox somewhere in between. ... The Rays are in prime position to maintain their division lead, whereas the Yankees will need to play significantly better if they hope to overcome their deficit..."
Barring serious injury on either side, the East should go down to the wire.
Maybe the "C" on the uniform stands for catcher.
ReplyDeleteBartman said...
ReplyDeleteMaybe the "C" on the uniform stands for catcher.
Cute But,
it stands for Captain.....that has never been debated....
Yeah he is the captain. He is also a satisfactory catcher. Why is he being called into question here? His contribution is more coach like but it is hugely significant.
ReplyDeleteAndy: I guess you could look at that "by hand".
ReplyDeleteDice's 2008 game log. He is 9-1 with 4 ND. The team is 11-3 in his starts. (You can click on the date to get the game's box.)
Beckett's 2007 game log. He went 20-7 with only 3 ND. Team was 21-9 overall in his starts.
The Sox were 17-15 in Dice's 2007 starts. In 2008, the Sox are 8-7 in Beckett starts.
I think the "C" now stands for Corpse.
ReplyDeleteC = can't hit?
ReplyDeleteWhy is he being called into question here?
ReplyDeleteAn OPS+ of 18 in June?
A season OBP that's about to dip under .300?
A slugging percentage that is 100 points less than Pedroia's?
Being a far blacker hole in the lineup than the much-hated Lugo?
His contribution is more coach like but it is hugely significant.
I have serious doubts whether his contributions are "hugely significant" -- what are they, how can they be measured, and how much more of them does he give than an average player/catcher? -- but if he is more like a coach, then make him a coach.
Tek gets tons of credit when the staff does well, but he gets no blame when they suck. That makes no sense.
I'm sorry, but Tito's insistance on batting Veritek as high as 7th, not pinch-hitting for him as he would any normal awful hitter AND doing stuff like making him the point man in a hit-and-run with the game on the line demonstrates either senility or that he's been possessed by the spirit of Don Zimmer.
ReplyDeleteI know it's a long season. I am pretty confident that the Sox will pass the Rays and stay in front. But that doesn't make throwing away games more acceptible. These 5 losses could have been turned around by a couple of lucky plays, a few two out hits, some decent bullpen performances, or better managing.
The incessant praise of Varitek's clubhouse leadership and catching skills seems in direct proportion to his sucking performance.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it strike any of you as fawning a la Jeter? If Tek was a Yankee and getting this kind of praise for intangibles, you'd be all over it.
Or do Red Sox catchers always get a pass, no matter how bad they play?
Throwing away games is never acceptable, no matter what the standings. But whether or not games were in fact thrown away by bad managing is still a matter of opinion, not fact.
ReplyDelete