June 20, 2009

G68: Red Sox 3, Atlanta 0

Atlanta - 000 000 000 - 0  5  1
Red Sox - 000 011 10x - 3 7 0
Beckett: 9-5-0-0-7, 94 pitches. In a tidy 2:11.

Beckett did not allow an Atlanta runner to second base until there was one out in the eighth inning. At one point, he retired 17 of 18 batters. Pitches by inning:
14-8-12  12-11-9  13-10-5
The Red Sox hit five doubles off Lowe (6.1-7-3-1-2, 110). Back-to-back two-baggers from Jason Varitek and Nick Green with two out in the fifth broke the scoreless tie. J.D. Drew doubled to start the sixth and scored on Kevin Youkilis's single. In the seventh, Varitek doubled (again!) with one out, took third on Green's single, and scored on Dustin Pedroia's fielder's choice.

David Ortiz had the other double, which he golfed to dead center field in the second inning. The ball hit the wall just below the camera porch.

***

Derek Lowe (4.08, 104 ERA+) / Josh Beckett (4.15, 113 ERA+)

The last time Lowe was on the Fenway Park mound was in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. His last appearance in the park was the following April when he received his World Series ring. His 2009 game log is here.

74 comments:

allan said...

Blogegr was down for me since about noon. Glad it returned in time for the game!

allan said...

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. J.D. Drew, RF
3. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
4. Jason Bay, LF
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Mark Kotsay, 1B
7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Nick Green, SS

1. Nate McLouth, CF
2. Yunel Escobar, SS
3. Chipper Jones, DH
4. Brian McCann, C
5. Garret Anderson, LF
6. Martin Prado, 3B
7. Casey Kotchman, 1B
8. Jeff Francoeur, RF
9. Kelly Johnson, 2B

allan said...

Extra Bases:
Daisuke Matsuzaka will miss at least his next start in the rotation, and an MRI and other tests could be performed on the struggling righthander's shoulder, Red Sox Manager Terry Francona said Saturday afternoon.

Amy said...

Enjoy the game tonight. We will be out celebrating our 33rd anniversary.

GO SOX!

allan said...

Yay - Congratulations!

allan said...

Today in Baseball History

1894 - Denny Lyons scores the winning run in the 9th inning to lead Pittsburgh to a 7-6 win over Washington. Lyons gets into scoring position by running from first to third -- across the pitcher's mound -- on a fielder's choice. The umpire did not see Lyons's transgression, a common one in the 1890s.

1916 - Tilly Walker's home run over the LF wall is the only home run the Red Sox will hit at Fenway this season; Boston beats the Yankees 4-1.

1965 - The Atlanta-bound Braves ban sportswriter Lou Chapman from the clubhouse for his "stories of a negative nature" and their "disquieting" effect on players and management. The ban is rescinded a day later upon protest by Milwaukee BBWAA members.

1980 - Freddie Patek, one of the smallest players of his era (5-4), hits three home runs and a double in California's 20-2 rout of the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Patek will end the year with five homers.

[I remember that Patek game very well.]

allan said...

Patek Game on a Friday night. Would have said it was a weekend/Saturday afternoon.

Barth said...

There are fans in and around NY trying to make something of the fact that Pedro in pinstripes would drive us crazy. I don't know about everyone, but for me, it would not mean much. We have already faced him wearing a NY uniform (albeit the Mets uniform, a team with which, despite 1986, there is no special anguish). He left here yelling and screaming, acting as if something bad had been done to him, and most of us did not think so. He's gone. He was great when he was here, but that was that.

I say that tonight, because D-Lowe presents a different circumstance. He was part of us for so long---not exactly homegrown but close enough. We rode his ups and downs but his ups, especially in the 2003 LDS against Oakland, and his crucial role in each series of the 2004 post season, were memorable and something for which we will all be permanently grateful.

When he was asked to close, he did and he did so wonderfully. His off the field stuff may have been weird (and I gather from his discussions on the pregame last night about how great Cox and Torre are made me think that he and Terry may not be on each other's dance card) and I do not question management's decision not to resign him in 2005 or this winter, but I cannot get any head of steam about beating him tonight, though, of course, I hope we do.

Dwight Evans showed up in Fenway in an Orioles uniform, and Luis even showed up in pinstripes and we forgave both of them. We had to put up with Pudge (ours, not the guy on Houston) in someone else's uniform, and when Lynn and Rice went back to back in the All Star game but Freddy was wearing an Angels uniform it was both a great moment and a painful one. It was odd seeing Nomar on another team, playing against us a few months ago, but not as conflicting as this one is.

So, yes, I am looking forward to seeing an old friend tonight. I hope we beat him, but, well, the whole thing is tough for me.

laura k said...

Yay, Blogger is back for game time! Altho I don't think I'm threading much today.

laura k said...

"Tilly Walker's home run over the LF wall is the only home run the Red Sox will hit at Fenway this season"

Let's hear it for Deadball!

Also: girls team.

laura k said...

"He left here yelling and screaming, acting as if something bad had been done to him, and most of us did not think so. He's gone. He was great when he was here, but that was that."

Each to his own, but for many of us - including the owner of this blog - Pedro is in a class by himself.

The Face? It's hard to feel too nostalgic for him.

Joe Grav said...

hola

allan said...

Everyone has their own players that it's hard to see in another uniform. I'm alright with it as long as I agree with the decision to let them go (Pedro in a Mets uni was fine). MFY uniforms are a different story, though.

So let Lowe and Beckett duel 0-0 thru 8.5 and the Sox can win it on a walkoff.

Joe Grav said...

I left a comment earlier kvetching about the papelbon 'scandal' and the terrible hanging-sox hats, but it appears to have been eaten up by the blogger failure

laura k said...

Oh Amy, I just saw your post now. Congratulations!! It's your Varitek anniversary. :)

laura k said...

Hi Joe! I tried to put your comment through like 10 times, then it disappeared. :(

Joe Grav said...

YEah, Blogger is still being weird to me

Joe Grav said...

is anyone really surprised that the '04 guys all get cheered except for damon?

allan said...

we cheered damon ALL THE WAY THRU THE 2005 SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he did not leave after 2004 -- and then get booed.

fuckin' a guys -- get it right.

Rob said...

That's amazing David got that ball squared up like that even tho it was so low. Almost in the dirt.

laura k said...

Firefox crashed as I was about to post PAPI HALF DONG

Benjamin said...

It's your Varitek anniversary. :)

Amy gets to throw weakly to second and hit the showers afterwards with Heidi?

laura k said...

I don't think Amy's into the shower with Heidi thing.

Maybe Harvey SASHEs but Amy tells him he's the heart and soul of her team.

laura k said...

ish, cute avatar

Rob said...

Thanks, L!

Anything you can do I can do better!!! /Jacoby

laura k said...

THAT'S MY BOY!!!

Wow, what catches he's making.

allan said...

my scoreless duel idea is moving right along ...

Rob said...

John Henry is alive and well on Twitter tonight:

".500 unis. Wearing red we are 3-3, gray 16-16, blue 1-1. But white = 20-7. Dustin leads all MLB hitters in interleague career hitting.374"

tim said...

Just finished the two easiest exams of life and I'm here to say HEY!

How was the reception for Lowe?

Rob said...

50 minutes into the game we are in the bottom of the 4th and Don's for laugh snort.

tim said...

And congrats Amy! Funny, yesterday was Steph and I's 5 year "anniversary" (of when we first started dating) as well. Cool.

Rob said...

Don's FIRST laugh snort. Fail.

Rob said...

This one's moving right along...

laura k said...

Easiest exams of life? That sounds good. Five years sounds good too.

tim said...

An introductory french exam (I took french for 9 years in elementary school + 1 yr of highschool) so it was already pretty easy. But they let you have a freakin dictionary in the exam! A dictionary that has a ton of other supplementary info that was tested. It was great.

Rob said...

I would say this game is on pace to be a little over 2 hours but it's actually not on pace to end, because they're tied.

laura k said...

A dictionary in an exam? Cool!

We're on pace to be here forever.

Rob said...

McClouth being Jacoby!

Rob said...

I wonder what the record is for length of innings a game is scoreless.

Rob said...

This game is no longer on pace to never end.

!!! Clean Diesel!

laura k said...

Apparently Blogger does not want me to celebrate.

Ish, you've probably heard (several times) about the game A & I saw in Montreal. 22 innings - ended 1-0.

Rob said...

L I've heard of it but didn't file it away on being scoreless. I barely remember it.

Rob said...

Yoooooooooooooooouk

laura k said...

Come on Blogger... 2-0!

laura k said...

Ish, good, I'm glad. It means maybe I don't talk about it ALL the time!

Rob said...

NESN's Twisted Tea promo highlights the own-a-piece-of-yankee-stadium-sod... Don read the promo as if he were speaking to Yankee fans. Then at the end he said, "That's twisted!"

Rob said...

As per the promo.

Rob said...

L, if I had seen that game I'd talk about it all the time.

laura k said...

It's Allan's favourite in-person game. They did "Take Me Out to the..." 3 times, at 7, 14 and 21 innings.

At around 16 or 17, one team thought they won and were celbrating on the field, but a ball was ruled foul and they were called back to play more.

It was also the first time we ever heard people cheering for baseball in French. "Oui, Monsieur!" :)

laura k said...

"Don read the promo as if he were speaking to Yankee fans."

I know, I was all confused! I thought it was an actual ad, and was about to post, ummm, why are they advertising this...? Then realized what it was.

Rob said...

Josh Johnson pitching for FLA against Yankees.

Mark Feinsand: The Yankees have hit three balls out of the infield all night against Johnson. Burnett has hit two of them, including the Yankees' only hit.

laura k said...

There were only a few thousand people left in the crowd by the end of the game. But it seemed like anyone who stayed past 13 or 14 innings was there for the duration.

We sat the whole time with a man from Halifax. I asked him if he spoke French (not realizing where Halifax was, and that no one there speaks French) and he looked at me like I asked him if he hung around playgrounds looking for little boys to molest.

Also, the concession stands all closed and we were SO hungry! We had food in the fridge at our B&B, but when we finally made it back there, the host had locked everything up!

Rob said...

L it took me quite a few years to figure out all of Canada didn't speak french, that really only a small portion did.

That's because all of Canada I saw did the French/English thing... Western NB.

We were astounded when we walked into a store and it seemed like the person working knew instinctively whether you spoke English or French.

Then one year we went to Fredericton and everyone spoke English. The next year went to Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec and everyone "only" spoke french.

Ordering food at A&W there was interesting.

laura k said...

Allan was the same way! Growing up in Northern Vermont, he also was under the impression more of Canada was French-speaking.

However... I found out that many people outside North America have that impression. When we were in Peru - our first time travelling since moving to Canada - everyone would ask we're from. When we said we were from Canada, people automatically asked (in Spanish), Canada French or Canada English?

laura k said...

Nick Green is having himself a night. Making me apologize again.

laura k said...

Nice ovation for Lowe and nice hat-wave back.

allan said...

frenchy millars it to left

whew

laura k said...

Nice DP!

allan said...

JB is a bad MF.

Rob said...

JB is such a bad MF that we don't have a nickname for him still.

Rob said...

How many pitches has Beckett thrown now?

Rob said...

On the NESN pregame tomorrow, a look at this year's summer solstice game in Fairbanks. Cool!

Rob said...

Amalie tells me 89 pitches.

laura k said...

I wish we could see that piece on the Alaska game.

For that matter, I wish I could go to a midnight baseball game!

Rob said...

L you might be able to see it on NESN.com tomorrow afternoon sometime.

laura k said...

Is that the nickname, do you think? Bad MF? BMF? BadMF?

laura k said...

I'll be at work, but I can try. Thanks.

laura k said...

Filthy Water!

YEAH JOSH!!!

Rob said...

H20! Plus some dirty stuff.

allan said...

9-5-0-0-7, 94

Amalie tells me 89 pitches.

Personally?

Rob said...

...I wish.

tim said...

Nice win tonight. Now off to the bar to relax after those exams. Night all!

allan said...

MFY lose 2-1, so we are 3 GA.

Benjamin said...

Mezzo Forte Yankees strike again.