September 16, 2009

G144: Red Sox 9, Angels 8

Angels  - 001 011 401 - 8 17  1
Red Sox - 000 005 022 - 9 13 1
After the Red Sox fell behind 3-0, led 5-3, trailed 7-5, tied the game at 7-7, lost lead at 8-7 and then won 9-8 ... well, Joaquin Andujar was right.

Brian Fuentes began the bottom of the ninth by retiring Jason Bay on a pop up to second and Mike Lowell on a fly to center. Five pitches, two outs. Then he walked David Ortiz on four pitches and Joey Gathright pinch-ran. He fell behind J.D. Drew 2-0 and Drew hit a little flair behind second base. Shortstop Erick Aybar ranged far to his left on the outfield grass and gloved it but had no play. Infield single, potential tying run at second.

Dusty Brown was due up and Jed Lowrie pinch-hit. Since Fuentes is a lefty, Lowrie was batting right-handed, which causes him much less wrist pain than batting lefty. Jed looked at strike one before pulling a pitch hard down the third base line. Chone Figgins dove to his right for it, across the foul line. The ball glanced off his glove and rolled away. The bases were loaded.

Nick Green was sent up to bat for LH Casey Kotchman. Green quickly swung and missed twice and fell behind 0-2 -- one strike away. On the third pitch, he tried to check his swing and it was ruled a ball; it could easily have been a game-ending strike three. Blessed with a second chance, Green fouled off three tough pitches, then took three balls. Fuentes had walked in the tying run! 8-8!

Alex Gonzalez stepped in next. His two-run single in the sixth had broken a 3-3 tie and his eight-pitch walk in the eighth -- his first BB in 101 PA as a Sock -- prolonged the inning so Jacoby Ellsbury could tie the game at 7-7 with a single to right. Seabass went foul, ball, foul, then dumped the ball into short left field. Neither Figgins nor left fielder Juan Rivera could reach it -- it landed near the foul line jut for a single -- and Drew danced home with the winning run.

The East standings stayed the same -- 6.5 GB -- as the Yankees walked off against the Blue Jays 5-4. The A's one-hit the Rangers 4-0, so the Red Sox's wild card lead is now 6.5. Terry Francona will likely ease up as it seems all but certain that Boston has grabbed a playoff spot, and that is the wisest move, but damn, I want to push hard for the division.

Goddamn Blue Jays, thanks for ruining what would have been a perfect night.
Example
Joe Saunders (4.81, 95 ERA+) / Paul Byrd (6.08, 78 ERA+)

Byrd makes his fourth start for the Sox. His first three have run the gamut from superb (6-3-0-3-1, 83 against Toronto on August 30), shitty (2.1-10-7-0-3, 60 against the White Sox on September 4) and serviceable/lucky (5-6-2-3-1, 83 against the Orioles on September 9).

Yesterday, Boston gained a game on New York and padded its wild card lead over Texas. The Red Sox play nine more games -- two against the Angels, three at Baltimore, and four in Kansas City -- before a three-game series in New York. Both the Orioles and Royals are last in their respective divisions. For the MFY, they host the Blue Jays tonight, then fly out west to play three against both the Mariners and Angels.

BP's odds for the Sox to win the East have moved from 0.4% to 2.2% in the past five days (they are now 96.3% for the wild card). Cool Standings has them at 3.8%

This can be done.
East       W   L   PCT   GB    RS   RA  DIFF  EXP W-L
Yankees 93 53 .637 --- 838 690 +148 86-60
Red Sox 85 58 .594 6.5 757 631 +126 83-60

Wild Card W L PCT GB RS RA DIFF EXP W-L
Red Sox 85 58 .594 --- 757 631 +126 83-60
Rangers 80 64 .556 5.5 700 643 + 57 78-66
Example
Blue Jays/Yankees at 7 and A's/Rangers at 8.

413 comments:

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allan said...

Ouch.

Jason Varitek since the break: 125 PA, .164/.256/.255.

David Ortiz's season on the road: .203/.302/.351.

Bartman said...

Does Dumbo have an agreement with Sabithia to do the mock "Let me go, I'll murder the guy" hold?

allan said...

Boid:
"I'm having a blast. All days are good days. ... Every day is fresh for me. Every day is fun. This time of year, usually you've played so many games, you're a little beat up. ... Right now, I'm charged up. I'm fresh. I really appreciate to be playing in the big leagues. ... What's that song by Cinderella in the late '80s? 'Don't Know What You Got Til It's Gone?' You don't really realize until you leave, there are some really good things about being in baseball.

****

Cinderella?

allan said...

If the Red Sox go 13-6 or better, they are going to make the playoffs no matter what.

Jack said...

Moreover, if the Sox win 12, they are guaranteed to at least tie for a playoff spot. There's a good site at http://riot.ieor.berkeley.edu/~baseball/american_league.html where a guy at Berkeley has been tracking the 'real' magic numbers for several years. It's good stuff.

allan said...

Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Bay, LF
Lowell, 3B
Ortiz, DH
Baldelli, RF
Varitek, C
Kotchman, 1B
Gonzalez, SS

tim said...

Re: that 13-6 article, they didn't publish my comment regarding the typo that was in there (corrected now)....guess they don't like grammar nazi tim.

allllfuckin right - WEEK END!

done my 12 hours of class for the week, feelin good, time for a couple beers and a FUCKIN WIN!!!!!

Anonymous said...

LOL from the Boston Herald gossip pages; "Nick Green and NESN Fenway honey Heidi Watney putting on a major display of PDA while out to dinner with Jacoby Ellsbury and his S.O."

allan said...

is that herald thing recent? that seems like old news.

Anonymous said...

Yes it was from today.
No Passaballa for 4 games for the MFY.

tim said...

Nick Green?

Yeah, he is old news.

allan said...

alright, bird, you shit-"metal" loving son of a bitch ...

Anonymous said...

I always call him Chode Figgins.

s1c said...

IT IS ON!!!

allan said...

we say chone like bone and stone

tim said...

Thats how I pronounce it (bone/stone) with the 'ringing e'

Fuck. There goes the no-no.

Sweet. 26 to go.

tim said...

While we're on their fucked up names, "abreu" sounds like baby talk.

"a goo goo gaa gaa a breee youuuuu"

tim said...

Love that dirty wind.

allan said...

LOVE that wind.

Unknown said...

Quick inning, although a lot of those outs were hit fairly hard.

Anonymous said...

The wind better keep up for Byrd's sake.

tim said...

Alright, lets fuck up this Saunders fellow like his chicken fucks up my digestive system.

Unknown said...

Gah, effing double play

allan said...

the wind's gonna turn around when we are batting, right?

tim said...

Fuckass.

tim said...

Saunders...heeeey joe....

Ron said...

Apparently the perfect night for Paul Byrd to pitch. I hope the wind holds steady until morning...

allan said...

if this keeps up, the angels are gonna whine and cry like never before.

Ron said...

Lackey: "We're a better team than them, but my teammates kept hitting the ball into the wind."

Unknown said...

OTT

allan said...

hey, chief!

tim said...

Sweet OTT.

This wind is pretty amazing.

Ron said...

Hey Redsock. I've been lurking all summer. I heard your email on the radio! Good stuff.

Ron said...

For any of you that miss "Fire Joe Morgan," they had a runion at Deadspin today.

http://deadspin.com/tag/fjm/

Anonymous said...

Sounds like Ernie Harwell is being given a living wake at Comerica tonight :{ Castig says that Harwell has a fast moving inoperable cancer.

laura k said...

Chief! I came out of exhausted-noncomputer mode to say hi.

Dear Wind,

Please keep blowing when non-Sox are hitting.

Thank you,

A Concerned Fan

Unknown said...

Bleh

laura k said...

It's great that they can honour Harwell while he's here, tho. I'm sure it means so much to him.

Anonymous said...

And he's 93 or something, that's enough game days that I woulnd't complain much.

Amy said...

Evening, folks. Must be chilly at Fenway tonight. Awfully chilly here in western MA.

tim said...

thanks for that link, chief! was unaware of that, but that'll provide me with some good reads tomorrow!

tim said...

wonder if our pitcher has a twitter account.

after all, i do expect this byrd to tweet!

HA!

Anonymous said...

Dice-K's performance last night caused the MFY blogs to panic somewhat.

allan said...

i think o'b was lying a bit with the dice/mfy panic. right?

Unknown said...

Shit

Ron said...

crap

tim said...

fuckin' shit.

Anonymous said...

fuck that's some bad luck there.

allan said...

there is no clear AL MVP candidate???????????

is o'b on crack?

allan said...

dear dave:

there is a baseball team in minnesota. they have a catcher ....

Unknown said...

Runs. Score some.

allan said...

TOR: 001
MFY: 20

jays still batting in 3rd

Unknown said...

Kotch Rocket!

Amy said...

SCORE RUNS NOW! DO NOT SQUANDER.

Unknown said...

Bleh

Amy said...

JERKS. Why didn't they listen to me?

allan said...

red sox will now feel the wrath of amy.

allan said...

TOR: 002
MFY: 20

allan said...

yo, wind, wtf?

Amy said...

Why do I have the sinking feeling that they will get their leadoff double home?

Anonymous said...

mmmm Dogfish Head pumpkin ale.

Amy said...

Unfortunately, the wrath of Amy has little effect---on the Red Sox or almost anywhere.

Unknown said...

That's convenient

Rob said...

Ah, threading time! Got home from a bike ride, chowed down a domino's pizza and drinking up a Mike's hard lemonade.

BASEBALL.

Unknown said...

Jam escaped again.

Score runs.

allan said...

looked like byrd could have tagged hunter, but he tossed it to seabass. why?

Ron said...

Has Byrd been around long enough (too long?) to acquire an official JoS nickname? I'd assume "Frasier" since he looks like Kelsey Grammer, the Boston connection, and nothing ever seems to go quite right for him.

Rob said...

I like that Byrd has, fittingly, a bird face.

Anonymous said...

I am so tired of having to turn down dates with women because they own cats. Every cute woman has one. I am very allergic to cats.

allan said...

OB says scoscia out to argue "wearing his angels jacket" --

as opposed to what? a marlins jersey? bare-chested?

allan said...

7 of 8 leadoff batters have reached tonight.

Unknown said...

Shit

tim said...

Fuckin Fucky.

Rob said...

Heh. What the hell was that?

tim said...

OB says scoscia out to argue "wearing his angels jacket" --

as opposed to what? a marlins jersey? bare-chested?


this made me lol.

very carlin-like (i think)

Amy said...

That's too bad, meuniermr. I have cats (not that I am available for dating), and I seem to have so many friends who are allergic. Including L-girl.

Where is she? Doing homework or at a resisters' meeting?

allan said...

i think baldy thought it was a caught liner so he headed to the bench.

Anonymous said...

/ playing tiger woods 2010

allan said...

looked like the angels were running a fielding drill with no one on base.

allan said...

she was watching here -- no threading though. now went upstairs to watch in bed.

Unknown said...

Shit

allan said...

fucking shit

allan said...

TEX quickly behind 1-0 to OAK

Unknown said...

Alright, no squandering this time. Score some runs.

allan said...

5-6-2-1-2 is a decent byrd line. could not expect much more than that, realistically.

we need some fucking runs !

tim said...

Welp, out for a good ol fashioned night of university debauchery soon. Only 11 more weeks of this shit left.

Byrd has been more than respectable thus far. Let's just hope we can whack some dongs and get some runs tonight!

Anonymous said...

runs please.

allan said...

sasafuckinhe

Unknown said...

The Cactus swings through a high fastball...well, we've never seen that before.

tim said...

Remy explaining the mystery cactus SASAHE. Wonderful.

tim said...

Fuckin' colonel.

Alright seabass, continue your amazingness please.

Anonymous said...

What do people do for a job here? I don't have one now since I am about to move.

allan said...

i know we have all but clinched a playoff spot, but i still have my eye on the east, so this game is really pissing me off.

tim said...

I'm done my degree at university but in for 4 more months to take a few additional courses to be eligible to write the C.A. exams starting in January. (US equiv is the CPA). I have a job lined up for January, so basically I'm an accountant-to-be.

allan said...

FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK
FUCK

tim said...

i know we have all but clinched a playoff spot, but i still have my eye on the east, so this game is really pissing me off.

ditto. we're not sticking to THE PLAN!

fuck. gone with the wind.

allan said...

saito up

tim said...

no, you saito up.

Amy said...

Damn. Why can't we get any runs tonight? So much waste. Good thing Laura isn't threading, or she'd be telling us not to complain about leaving men on base but to be glad they got on base.

Meuniermr, I teach law. What do you do? Don't you live out in the Dakotas or something, or do I have you mixed up with someone else? Or was it Canada? Sorry, my brain is a bit fried.

Anonymous said...

Muerte para un mil cortes.

nick said...

Hi everyone. stopping in for a bit. been too busy to catch much baseball, let alone hang here with all you groovy cats. I'm listening to the radio stream tonight.

I fully expect some dastardly run scoring in the bottoms here.

Anonymous said...

I am dyslexic at math so I could never do that.

Rob said...

Byrd Turd.

tim said...

It's still a decent start from byrd.

Shit from the O though. But 4 runs is more, MORE than attainable with the dudes we got out there. As long as the colonel stops stymieing us.

Alright off to the bar to waste money on expensive booze!

Amy said...

Hi, Nick. Good to see you. It does seem many of us have been too busy to thread lately. I assume we will find a crowd when we get to or closer to the post-season.

Amy said...

You don't need math to do law, so I assume you were referring to Tim and being an accountant, Meuniermr!

Amy said...

Bye, Tim.

allan said...

tyrd

tim said...

ok this is about to turn to shit.

bullpen pls.

Rob said...

Tyrd. I like it.

allan said...

i blog and download music and watch mlbtv from a big downtown toronto law firm. sometimes, i am asked to create or edit legal documents in word and powerpoint or to transcribe tapes and other audio files.

nick said...

no, it's not shit yet. just a challenge.

Hi, Amy. it's good to swing by here. I've been keeping up on the posts, but haven't even been reading the comments much.

Now that Helsinki has closed I find that I really have to go out of my way to actually hang out with friends and acquaintances.

meuniermr, by day I am the operations manager at our public access TV station.

allan said...

that's FSS. on MTWT i surf the net, read, do chores, hang out with the dogs and otherwise jack off rather than researching and writing another book.

Amy said...

Nick, what is Helsinki? I saw some mention on FB, but did not know what you were referring to.

Amy said...

I am imagining how Laura would respond to that last comment, Allan, but I do not think I could capture her sarcasm well enough to try!

Amy said...

All right, two away. Let's keep this a three run game.

Amy said...

Perhaps I should focus on making sure Toronto wins and Tampa loses.

nick said...

just one out....

Amy said...

OK, now SCORE RUNS.

Unknown said...

Saito is the most underrated member of this bullpen

Score runs

allan said...

down by 3 with 12 outs.

the party starts now.

Unknown said...

Does anyone know if Youk is available for pinch hitting?

allan said...

yook - i'd say no, from his globe quotes

Amy said...

What happened to meuniermr? I wonder where he is moving to. Is he still here?

Amy said...

I agree re Youk. He said he was still having spasms.

Ron said...

Wheels!

Amy said...

No one gets LBJ! Nice play, but still too late.

Unknown said...

I'll take an infield hit

allan said...

laser pls

nick said...

Helsinki Cafe and Club Helsinki were an amazing two-headed bohemian beast. I worked there for 10 years.

On the club size it held under 100 usually, but featured such performers as Burning Spear, the Tom Tom Club, Antibalas, a whole slate of jazz greats from Mose Allison to Don Byron, and a list longer than I can imagine of folk, jazz, rock, world, etc. musicians of big and small names plus a strong contingency of local musicians. Back when, they turned down a residency with the new artist Norah Jones before she hit the big time (she used to sing with the band Wax Poetic at the club before going solo)--oh well, but at that time it was a reasonable call.

It really was a family and a number of the waitress got tea cup tattoos. How many people voluntarily get branded with their former place of employment?

Unknown said...

F yeah!

s1c said...

get some runs now

Amy said...

Nice! I thought LBJ might score, but I guess it was hit too hard.

allan said...

91 in, 161 past figgy

Amy said...

So what happened to it, Nick? A victim of the recession?

(BTW, I don't know any of those performers, except, of course, Norah Jones. I really need to get out more!)

Unknown said...

Thunderous RBIs!

allan said...

RUNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy said...

All right! Two in, and no one out!

Anonymous said...

Get some.

allan said...

YEP

party time!!!!!!!!!!!!

nick said...

RUN(S)!!!!!

Unknown said...

HA!

allan said...

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAAHAH

do a dance aybar!!!!!!!!!

Rob said...

HA! Scoscia losing his shit.

s1c said...

that is two, now keep the line moving here.

WoW, the Angels defense keeps the line moving,

Good call ump.

Ron said...

Suck it Angels.

Amy said...

What the hell could Scioscia be arguing about? How could that be an out??

Rob said...

And he's gotten his shit back.

allan said...

bag o' dicks for so-shaw

s1c said...

A little Papi magic would go great here.

Amy said...

Papi, drive in the tying and go ahead runs, please.

allan said...

whoever at halo heaven is CERTAINLY losing his shit!!!!!!!!!!!

allan said...

JAYS 3-2

Amy said...

Great D by the Angels.... not.

Unknown said...

Alright, it's dong time.

nick said...

correction: tea pot tattoos.

Recession didn't help, but the margin was way low on the music side of things considering the number of tickets available per production costs.

They're going to be opening a new larger place in Hudson, NY which will be amazing. Just couldn't keep this place going in the interim. Doesn't help that the local slumlord/landlord was uncooperative over the whole 15 years they were in his building.

I'm sure I could come up with some musicians that even you :) know. Odetta?

More runs now, please.

Amy said...

YES!!! We are TIED!

Unknown said...

Nice

Anonymous said...

Gonna fly now..

s1c said...

Rocco!!!

Don't give this team any extra outs, they will make you pay!!!

allan said...

we rock

Amy said...

Odetta, for sure. I am a big fan of the XM folk station.

Was Helsinki in Great Barrington? Too bad I never got there.

Unknown said...

Cactus, please do something useful for once.

Ron said...

Is this the Club Helsinki in Great Barrington? Not sure if we are talking local or not.

nick said...

"battled all the way back" -- yes the have actually scored 3 runs in six innings!

Thank you LAAA defense.

Amy said...

Uch, Tek, do not be a rally killer.

allan said...

yeah nick "battled back"

fuck you OB

Amy said...

Hey, TEK GOT ON BASE. Granted, not by a hit, but still....

Unknown said...

Hey, the Cactus didn't make an out!

Ron said...

Saunders getting the Lackey mouth-breather face.

allan said...

time for krotchman to kick 'em in the nuts

Amy said...

Kotchman says, "wow."

nick said...

yep, chief, that's the place. Where are you located?

Also, the inside was utterly amazing. broken glass mosaics on the ductwork and parts of the walls. murals of naked ladies over the fireplace, life-sized egyptian artwork in the back room below wide plank wooden ceilings, amazing light fixtures, mixed table cloths in the the restaurant, beautiful tinted plaster designs on the walls.

Amy said...

Ack, poo. I thought that would drop in.

allan said...

this team is gonna kick copious amounts of ass in october. copious.

Amy said...

Sounds wonderful, Nick. Wish you had promoted it here BEFORE it closed. :)

Ron said...

I'm in Clarksburg (up by the VT border). I liked that place, long drive for me, but great place.

allan said...

ramram up

Rob said...

SEABASS RIBEYE!!!

Unknown said...

Sea Bass!

Amy said...

Seabass does it again!

s1c said...

I am Gonzo for Gonzo!!!

Benjamin said...

When NESN flashed Gonzalez's stats on the screen, did they say they were just for Boston (.287 BA, .287 OBP)? Because they were.

Attaboy.

Amy said...

This team is full of surprises.

Ron said...

Copiousness.

Benjamin said...

That shot of Lowell in the dugout clapping was positively Jeterian.

nick said...

5! I think I heart AGon.

Anonymous said...

How did this guy not hit in other places?

Amy said...

If the BA and the OBP are the same, does that mean the player has only gotten on base by getting hits? Or I guess it could be that he is getting on by walks in the same proportion as getting hits? The math is too complex for me at this point in the night. Where did Tim the accountant go?

allan said...

PC

Sauders: 12-17-12 14-14-37 = 106

Benjamin said...

(What Lowell lacked in fist-pump, he made up in feigned enthusiasm.)

Gonzalez has gotten zero sac flies and zero walks with Boston this year. It's possible to get some of each and still have AVG = OBP.

s1c said...

this team is gonna kick copious amounts of ass in october. copious.
August 23

We can change that from if to a when.

Ron said...

Amy - all hits, no walks. You had it right.

Amy said...

Thanks, Chief. How odd that he has not walked at all.

Unknown said...

Scoreboard watching:

Baltimore leads Tampa 2-1 in the 8th, currently in a rain delay

Toronto leads New York 4-2 in the 7th

Oakland leads Texas 4-0 in the 6th

Dr. Jeff said...

Hey there. I need to check my TV listings more often, just turned on ESPN to see that the game is on. Looks good so far.

allan said...

TOR: 002 001 1
MFY: 200 000

:>)

allan said...

OB again saying they are "nervous in ny" -- where is this?

Dr. Jeff said...

Glad to read that you guys enjoyed your trip to NM. What did you think of the Isotopes ballpark?

nick said...

Amy said...

Sounds wonderful, Nick. Wish you had promoted it here BEFORE it closed. :)


Well, where do you think I was every Saturday night? You'll just have to drive to Hudson like the rest of us.

Well, chief, normally I'd invite you down to Helsinki on a Saturday night and buy you a beer, but...

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