April 20, 2010

G14: Red Sox 7, Rangers 6

Rangers - 101 310 000 - 6  8  1
Red Sox - 100 102 021 - 7 13 0
It was the worst of games, it was the best of games.

The first game of Tuesday's single-contest doubleheader was innings 1-5, in which the Rangers stole a whopping nine bases (five in the third inning alone), took five walks from Wakefield (who also hit a batter, balked, and threw two wild pitches), and outscored the Red Sox 6-2. It felt much more like 46-2.

Game Two was innings 6-9. Against a quartet of Texas relievers, Boston scored five runs - all of them driven in by the #9 hitter in the lineup: Josh Reddick and then Darnell McDonald, the two outfielders summoned from Pawtucket this afternoon when Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury were placed on the disabled list.

With two outs in the sixth, after singles by Victor Martinez (3-for-4) and Jeremy Hermida (solo dong in the fourth), Reddick hacked at Chris Ray's first pitch and lofted a pop-up down the left field line. Josh Hamilton ran over to the stands, but he overran the ball and had it drop behind him. The ball then caromed up into the seats, hit a fan in the head, and landed back on the field. However, the umpires, much to Texas manager Ron Washington's dismay, did not correctly rule it a ground-rule double, so the Red Sox got two runs on the play, instead of having Hermida stop at third. That cut Texas's lead to 6-4.

In the seventh, Boston loaded the bases after two were out on singles by Kevin Youkilis and Martinez and a walk to Mike Lowell (who pinch-hit for David Ortiz against the lefty Darren Oliver). Adrian Beltre grounded out to first to end the potential rally.

Jason Varitek (now hitting in Hermida's spot) doubled into the left field corner to begin the eighth and McDonald, pinch-hitting for Reddick, crushed a 2-2 slider from Oliver over the Wall for a two-run, game-tying dong!

Youkilis began the bottom of the ninth against Frank Francisco with a line drive off the pitcher's arm that caromed over by third; no play was made. Francisco's next pitch - to Bill Hall - was a passed ball, and Yook took second. Hall then bunted the Bearded One to third. After a big meeting at the mound, Lowell was walked intentionally. With runners at first and second, Beltre took a strike, then lunged at an outside pitch and popped it straight up. Texas 1B Chris Davis caught it for the second out.

Varitek walked on four pitches to load the bases for McDonald. (Since Hall at third was the only runner that mattered, Texas may have been pitching around the Cactus.) McDonald hit an 0-1 pitch to deep left. NESN's cameras had me (and likely thousands of others) totally truped, thinking the kid had hit a grand slam (capping a 6-RBI night), but the ball was not deep enough. Hamilton leapt near the out-of-town scores, but the ball struck the tin high above his glove. It was a single, Yook scored, the Red Sox won, and the entire team mobbed McDonald in the infield.In the 3rd picture, the ball,having hit off the wall, is falling by the "38" under the 2 Outs in NESN's score bar.

It's only one game, the team remains in fourth place at 5-9, but this win has got to do wonders for the players' attitudes. In the fifth, when Texas stole its ninth base -- tying the 1913 Senators for the most SB in a game against Boston -- I was imagining how many they would end the game with: 10, 12, 15?

Instead, the night ended with a celebration worthy of a pennant-clinching victory. And why not? The Red Sox have played like dogshit since beating the Yankees on Opening Night. Maybe a comeback like this -- after being humiliated by Tampa and being utterly incapable of stopping Texas from running the bases at will in the early innings -- will break the team out of its collective slump, get it loose and playing baseball like we expect it to.

Also: In the team's first AB tonight w/RATS ended the 0-for-32 drought. With runners on first and second in the first inning, Martinez singled to center. With that streak over, we can now concentrate on building a winning streak.
Example
Colby Lewis / Tim Wakefield
Scutaro, SS
Drew, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Youkilis, 1B
Martinez, C
Ortiz, DH
Beltre, 3B
Hermida, LF
Reddick, CF
Reddick is hitting .179/.200/.359 for Pawtucket this year. He played 27 games for the Red Sox in 2009: .169/.210/.339.

Peter Abraham looks closer at who is at fault for the woeful 0-for-32-w/RATS* stat:
0-for-7: Hermida
0-for-5: Beltre, Scutaro
0-for-3: Martinez, Youkilis
0-for-2: Hall, Ortiz
0-for-1: Cameron, Drew, Lowell, Pedroia, Varitek
*: I must stop using the highly inaccurate term "scoring position". So how about Runners At Third and/or Second?

297 comments:

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gojohn said...

Who went on the DL/waiver wire for Reddick?

gojohn said...

ahh never mind, just had to scroll down on the blog -- Cameron on the DL

FenFan said...

Let's go SOX! Let's go SOX!

allan said...

Essex Junction gets a Q in Amalie's Mailbag!

allan said...

Are we into Necessary Pre-Game Shots of JD yet? ... Because I'll do it if I have to.

9casey said...

redsock said...
Are we into Necessary Pre-Game Shots of JD yet? ... Because I'll do it if I have to.




That right there folks is a teamplayer...

fusionmouse said...

Going to the game tomorrow night. Right field Roof Box... anybody know how windy it is up there?

fusionmouse said...

I was looking at this link from another blog about the tater trot records http://www.wezen-ball.com/tater-trot-tracker/tater-trot-tracker/tater-trot-tracker-april-12.html and saw that 2 of the brothers Molina were listed as the slowest home run trots and therefore implying that they were "hot-dogging".

I think that's unfair because they were probably running at near top speed for a Molina.

On the other-hand Adam Rosales' trot came in as being faster than Huff's inside the park home run! He clearly doesn't know how to show up the opposing pitcher!

allan said...

nesn!

allan said...

Ellsbury finally on DL too.

allan said...

mcdonald is indeed up for lbj.

laura k said...

Win.

fusionmouse said...

Here's a better link to the tater-trot tracker at TaterTrotTracker.com.

allan said...

fookin cruz, swings at an inside pitch at the last second, bloops it over yook. can we have even 1/4 of that amount of luck?

Zenslinger said...

I have been away/sick/busy. I am discouraged. And we are again behind in a game.

And, yet, I'm hopeful. Maybe I'm feeling a little high on flu recovery. But I'm celebrating 420 in an hour or so and enjoy seeing Reddick in the lineup.

C'mon, now, guys. Hup, hup!

Zenslinger said...

C'mon, DJ. You ARE the outfield, buddy!

laura k said...

ow!

allan said...

send drew now?

laura k said...

Does flu and 420 celebration go together well? I dunno about that. Hope you feel better.

laura k said...

sweaty walk, well earned

allan said...

3-2 & 2 outs, sending him anyway!

allan said...

HIT w/RATS!!!!!!!!!!

laura k said...

ZOMG we score a run!!!!!!!

andy said...

a hit with RATS!!!!

Zenslinger said...

I don't know, either, Laura. I feel better. Mostly. I'll take it easy.

mattymatty said...

0 for 32 we hardly knew ye!

allan said...

treanor being dumbo!

andy said...

damn that was exciting.

Patrick said...

V-Mart has a .220 BABIP, while hitting Line drives 25% of the time.

That won't last.

andy said...

not one to turn the tide too swiftly, tiz with the K

laura k said...

OTT!

laura k said...

I don't want to go out on a limb here, but it appears that we might be playing baseball tonight.

johngoldfine said...

I'm sitting here cursing MLB & WEEI--where's my frippin sound?

Uh, turn the speakers on, big guy....

allan said...

psst josh - remember, it's still spring training.

johngoldfine said...

"it appears that we might be paying baseball tonight."

Wouldn't that be grand!

laura k said...

Last night I happened to catch the last 5 minutes of the Bruins-Sabre game, and I remembered why hockey is such a good game. So exciting.

Patrick said...

Ugh, now we leave it up to Drew...I'm not confident.

Patrick said...

Warning track fly = WTF

Zenslinger said...

V-Mart has a .220 BABIP, while hitting Line drives 25% of the time.

That won't last.


Good to hear. BABIP can be very useful.

laura k said...

Reinforcing V-Mart's decision to never try to throw out a runner...

laura k said...

As I was saying...

mattymatty said...

I have no idea what to do about it, but this stolen base thing is getting really old.

laura k said...

Yes. Very.

allan said...

i'm surprised teams don't run every single time they get on 1st. like 10-20 times a game. make the sox throw a few guys out before you stop. it's free bases. ... thank goodness for the unwritten rules of being nice, i suppose.

mattymatty said...

I hate walks that turn into triples because we can't throw anyone out.

mattymatty said...

Fortunately Vlad's knees should prevent that walk from turning into a triple.

Patrick said...

I look forward to the day the sox can throw out a runner.

I wonder if this is influencing any contract negotiations for V-mart.

I assume yes.

allan said...

our catchers could make a molina look like rickey henderson.

laura k said...

Soon people who run like Slowell and Doug Mirabelli are going to be running on us.

mattymatty said...

Oh you've gotta be kidding me! That's it; robot arm for Martinez.

Patrick said...

Even Vladdy steals bases against us.

allan said...

texas has hit one fair ball this inning. 3 BB, 3 SB,

SIX SB!!!

laura k said...

Nice catch Werd!

allan said...

ron washington must have read my comment.

mattymatty said...

Ultimately what really matters is pitching. If our pitching doesn't suck then there aren't as many of.. oh holy crap.

6 steals in 2 2/3 innings....

Patrick said...

Soon people who run like Slowell and Doug Mirabelli are going to be running on us.

This is sad but EXTREMELY funny!

allan said...

vlad DID make it a triple. jeez.

laura k said...

This is sad but EXTREMELY funny!

That's how I feel about the Red Sox right now. Funny but sad.

mattymatty said...

Lucky for Wake the Rangers aren't allowed to steal first.

Patrick said...

If we traded for a decent catcher (I would love Kurt Suzuki), and put V-Mart in the DH hole (and I mean black hole), we might be 5 times better.

Maybe 6.

laura k said...

Lucky for Wake the Rangers aren't allowed to steal first.

LOL

Sad but very funny!

Amy said...

OK, I am so turned off this season so far that I actually forgot there was a game. Huh. Weird.

But I see we are actually only behind one run! Wow...

laura k said...

It's deja vu all over again

Amy said...

OK, two behind.

Zenslinger said...

We are forcing them to resort to traditional RBI's -- rather than just running around the bases without hitting the ball.

A good sign?

laura k said...

FOR GOD'S SAKE MAKE IT STOP

johngoldfine said...

not playing baseball tonight after all, l-girl

laura k said...

Yes, John. I went out on that limb and it turned out to be premature.

Amy said...

So, was this guy supposed to be a better catcher than Tek? Or just a better hitter...?

laura k said...

Like everyone didn't run on Varitek?

Amy said...

This feels like bizarro world baseball. Is the real time on Krypton or something?

laura k said...

But yes, mostly just a much better hitter.

Zenslinger said...

Fans at Fenway must all have their heads between their knees right now.

Amy said...

Not saying Tek was the best, just saying this guy is no better.

allan said...

this is like rubbernecking a gruesome roadside accident.

laura k said...

yooooooook

johngoldfine said...

Yook!

Amy said...

Just ignore me anyway. Just mad and pissed off and not happy. And that's just about baseball!

allan said...

how many SB will they have this game?

10? 15? 25?

johngoldfine said...

I've run through anger, denial, and all those other steps. Now I feel sorry for them, embarrassment and pity.

andy said...

ddayyyyum man.

laura k said...

You know I'm not good at ignoring, but I'll try. :)

I think it's funny you call Victor Martinex "this guy" like he just dropped in from nowhere.

Amy said...

I am not at the pity stage yet, John. Still in between shock, anger, and denial.

allan said...

SASAHE-itis.

Amy said...

This guy = not someone I yet care about, along with half the team!

laura k said...

HERMIDER!!! THANK YOU

Amy said...

Now THAT guy I could learn to care about. He and FY and Youk are the only ones I like right now.

Zenslinger said...

Somehow, that HR was important.

Amy said...

Oh, and poor LBJ with the bruised rib. He's still ok with me also.

allan said...

good to keep the score close, so texas keeps stealing. i want to see how many they will get.

(at least victor sometimes throws down to 2b, unlike tek. it does no good, but he does it every now and then.)

Amy said...

(at least victor sometimes throws down to 2b, unlike tek. it does no good, but he does it every now and then.)

when he manages to stop the ball from going all the way to the backstop...

allan said...

HI-OH!!!!!!!

laura k said...

I see how not knowing who new Sox players are is related to not knowing players on non-Sox teams or in the Sox farm system. So when the Sox acquire players like Scutaro, Beltre, V Mart, or call up young prospects, for you they come out of nowhere and are strangers.

This is probably stating the ultra obvious, but I just now realized it.

Plus it lets me think about something else besides Rangers running wild on the bases.

allan said...

#9!

Amy said...

Yeah, it's pretty much true. I don't have much ability to keep straight all the players on other teams unless we play that team enough times that they become more familiar---like NY or the Rays or Jays or Baltimore. I DO know OF other players, but I admit not to being a true "student of the game" in that I do not keep other stats or info in my head.

It's also probably why I get so sentimentally attached to the players I DO know!

Amy said...

I sure hope Wake gets to pass Clemens on innings pitched.

laura k said...

I want to see someone caught stealing just to hear the crowd reaction.

Amy said...

And just to be clear---I did know who Beltre, Scutaro and Martinez were; I just didn't know much about them or care at all about them.

laura k said...

Well, each of us is a fan in our own way.

So far this season is a test of true fandom!

meunier said...

It figures the year I buy an MLB tv subscription the team sucks.

allan said...

texas & 1913 senators are the two teams that have stolen 9 bases vs sox in a game.

no team has stolen 10 vs sox ... but stay tuned!

laura k said...

Oh wow, I thought you actually hadn't heard of them before. I must take you too literally (as I am known to do).

meunier said...

I do know the bigger prospects but I usually don't know what they are doing. E.G. I don't know how Tazawa is pitching or if he is at pawtucket or portland.

allan said...

It figures the year I buy an MLB tv subscription the team sucks.

so all this is your fault ...

laura k said...

I don't usually know what the big prospects are doing, either. I just know their names and the general idea of what they're good at.

I do miss being able to follow baseball much more closely. I just don't devote the time to it anymore, outside of watching or listening to every game I possibly can.

meunier said...

The Sox should call up Angel Sanchez soon, with our lack of offense we can't leave a guy hitting .382 in the minors.

Amy said...

LOL, Laura. I really am not THAT clueless! I do follow the sport, just not as capable as others to remember all that data. (For example, I could not tell you what teams those three guys were on before they came to the Sox. I once knew, but that info is gone!)

And I have been a fan in worse times, so I am just ranting and raving. Nothing changes my love of the team or the game.

And there's FY! He definitely is my new favorite.

laura k said...

Wait a second... Amy, when you say "Who's that?" you really do know who the player is? I think most of us assume "Who's that?" means... "who's that" !

meunier said...

I think its about time for Theo to try to make some trades.

Amy said...

Another RATS stranded.

Amy said...

It depends, Laura. I do not know the minor leaguers who come up until...they come up! I do know established players' names. And sometimes I am just being...funny??

allan said...

re sanchez - we have a shortstop (and a 2B).

laura k said...

Figures I can't tell when you're joking!! You know I am challenged that way. Ha ha, silly me.

meunier said...

Tazawa is inactive this year due to having elbow ligament replacement surgery this month.

johngoldfine said...

"I think its about time for Theo to try to make some trades."

For any of these guys??? That train has left the station.

meunier said...

Or start cutting people, starting with Ortiz.

johngoldfine said...

"It figures the year I buy an MLB tv subscription the team sucks.

so all this is your fault ..."

Ring me in too--this is my first year buying anything--MLB AB audio.

nick said...

I've had the game on mute while doing other things... I look up.."gee more runs" "oh yes another stolen base" "look JD struck out"....

Feeling Mudville here. Maybe it's like the movie "After Hours".

laura k said...

I am as disgusted and frustrated as the next fan, but (a) it is only April 20 and (b) who do you think we could get for anyone on this team? Teams are not going to line up to give us their best players for our shitty ones.

This is our team, at least for now, like it or not. Trade talk is fantasy right now.

laura k said...

I love that movie.

meunier said...

I hate to say it but I think when Dice-K comes back Wakefield needs to be told it's time to ride off into the sunset; or the manager's spot for the Spinners.

allan said...

who thought lewis would be pulled before wakefield?

nick said...

Me too, but I haven't seen it in years.

Here comes the 8-run sixth!

allan said...

theo (on phone): "yeah, we have a bunch of shitty high-salary players who are the laughingstock of baseball. can you give us a handful of all-stars for them?"

then sit back ... and watch the wins!

laura k said...

I haven't seen it in ages, either.

laura k said...

Another hit for Mr Offense!

nick said...

420 Miracle? Smokin'!

meunier said...

Aaron Bates could possibly replace Ortiz if the Sox wanted to.

allan said...

reddick's shitty hacking ways = a luckybreak

meunier said...

That's the kind of thing I am talking about making some call ups for!

Amy said...

Hey, lookie! We are only two runs down, and it is only the 6th inning!

nick said...

The Chronicles of Reddick!

Amy said...

Wow, talk about a baby face! How old is Reddick?

Fair!

allan said...

it hit a fan in the head!

Amy said...

It did look like that ball hit the stands.

laura k said...

it was definitely, obviously a ground rule double

allan said...

ron washington pissed -- and correct. sox get a break and a run.

and it was still a shitty AB by reddick.

nick said...

definitely, obviously and yet not. Of course I'd be irked if it happened against the Sox (or even another team), but just now I'll take it as a cosmic balancing.

laura k said...

Oh yeah, can't change it, so might as well enjoy it.

allan said...

yay - swing at everything.

assholes.

Joe Gravellese said...

We'll take the lucky break.

laura k said...

The return of Joe Grav to gamethreads!

Zenslinger said...

Will it not be totally and completely whacked if we win this game?

meunier said...

In my MLB 2k10 season my pitching rotation does not match the Sox because unlike them I skipped the 5th starter with the off days earlier.
I have no idea why this was not done in real life, maybe we would have a few more wins.

Joe Gravellese said...

I'm thinking the Slump is my fault. The Red Sox won the game threads I participated in during spring training.

clearly, that's all it is.

laura k said...

I think the problem is that you're not managing the team.

Joe Gravellese said...

Maybe

Joe Gravellese said...

In My Day, pitchers threw 350 pitches!!!!!!

laura k said...

Then the slump should be easy to fix. Thread a little now and again, eh?

laura k said...

How'd your friend do in the Marathon?

Amy said...

Hey, Joe, aren't you graduating this spring?

Joe Gravellese said...

@Amy: Yes

@L: she finished! not sure how long , I think ~4 hours. I'm in awe of anyone who can do that. I can't even run 5 miles.

Amy said...

I can't even run 5 miles

ROFL, I can't even run five yards!

What's up after graduation, Joe?

Joe Gravellese said...

What's up after graduation, Joe?

Are you hiring? ;)

Joe Gravellese said...

As of right now I'll be volunteering at Governor Patrick's campaign office and continuing to work scooping ice cream 3-4 nights a week until I find "real" employment.

I have a few decent prospects, but nothing for sure landed yet.

laura k said...

OMG another hit.

Marathoning is amazing, and a little crazy, I think.

Amy said...

Good for you, Joe. The economy is turning around, so something should turn up soon, I'd hope.

Joe Gravellese said...


Marathoning is amazing, and a little crazy, I think.


Definitely.

Joe Gravellese said...

Watching the Elite runners go by is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen. They fly by at speeds I can't hit at top speed - and by the time they passed me they've already gone 20 miles. Insane.

Amy said...

Oh, I am not hiring, but I am on the admissions committee if you want to go to law school at the last minute. ;)

Joe Gravellese said...

The economy is turning around

Lies. Teh socializm has ruined Amurrica.

laura k said...

Some sectors of the economy are turning around, but for many people it's as bad as ever.

I'm sure Joe will find a good job, I just feel the need to say that.

laura k said...

3-hit night for V-Mart

johngoldfine said...

Poor Papi.

johngoldfine said...

My wife gave up marathoning a while back but here she is, eligible for Medicare, training to run her usual two half-marathons this fall.

She ran the half-marathon on Mt Desert with Sandy Koufax once--she said he had the biggest hands she'd ever seen.

Especially the left, I asked?

That she didn't know....

Joe Gravellese said...

Haha, yay admissions. I applied to be an Admissions Counselor at Stonehill College and have an interview coming up for that position.

My preference is to find something in government/public sector, and I'm also taking the Mass. licensure exams for history teachers just for the hell of it, and I'll see if any local districts are hiring (I've taken the practice test and aced it). But admissions/recruiting is another thing I'd be interested in.

laura k said...

Oh yeah, elite marathoners, completely crazy! Can you imagine doing that course in under 2 hours???

I know lots of wheelchair marathoners, they are crazy strong.

laura k said...

OK, bases loaded... can we? will we???

Joe Gravellese said...

One of my favorite parts of Marathon Monday is watching the wheelchair lead pack go by! Sadly, since they moved the race up to ~9AM the last couple of years, I'm usually still sleeping when they do :-p

Amy said...

I think the economy is turning around, but clearly it will not be felt by everyone to the same degree or as soon. And for some, it will never matter.

And VM is making me eat my words tonight...

allan said...

the economy

"You can't drive a knife into a man's back nine inches, pull it out six inches, and call it progress." Malcolm X

Amy said...

I do admissions as a faculty member, and it can be fun as well as very frustrating. I think it's a great job for a recent graduate.

Joe Gravellese said...

YES WE CAN
YES WE WILL

nick said...

Just came back from emma. Seeing Ortiz PH for is kinda sad. Let's see this happen!

fuck.

Amy said...

Maybe THIS guy will do something? :)

Joe Gravellese said...

UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH

laura k said...

I guess "turning around" depends on where you look. It looks pretty grim to me.

Amy said...

Useless.

meunier said...

I think Lowell and Ortiz should have been platooning the entire season already.

Joe Gravellese said...

I think Lowell and Ortiz should have been platooning the entire season already.

Agreed

johngoldfine said...

A lot of those good jobs are never coming back. That shows in a community college, for example, where a formerly strong machine tool technology program is being mothballed--no jobs for graduates, no applicants for student slots.

laura k said...

Wow, JohnGF's wife ran a marathon with Sandy Koufax. Pretty cool! (Missed the comment earlier.)

laura k said...

That's right. Without manufacturing, there can be no real recovery. Working class people need good manufacturing jobs, with decent pay and benefits. Without that, it's just Wal-Mart and McJobs - and the army.

Amy said...

Some segments of the economy will not recover, but new segments will develop. Retail and hospitality are starting to show growth, which means people are starting to spend, which means there will be more money infused into the economy, and so on. I know that some people will never get back to where they were before and that there will be areas that will not recover for a long time, but I think that there are signs of SOME positive changes in the economy.

laura k said...

But who will the new segments serve? People who used to work on the assembly line are not going to be IT engineers or corporate lawyers.

Amy said...

Meanwhile, any chance of recovery for this team tonight? This month? This season?

johngoldfine said...

Well, Mrs GF and Sandy started together, but he was pretty fast!

Joe Gravellese said...

Sadly, manufacturing is not coming back to the U.S.... the only good news is that hopefully the next generation of working class people can be integrated into new sectors of the economy... people formerly in manufacturing however are pretty much screwed. It's really sad.

Joe Gravellese said...

huge pitch here

Amy said...

I don't know what those jobs will be. I just believe that as the economy changes and grows, new jobs even for those without advanced education will develop.

Call me Pollyanna. I can take it.

nick said...

Pollyanna.

nick said...

Dazzling. Look at that.

2 run bottom of the 8th to tie it up. 123 top of the 9th and a lovely walkoff in the bottom.

Cactus Dong Time!

laura k said...

Not just people who were formerly in manufacturing (Joe is right, they are screwed totally), but people who *would be* in manufacturing if there were any jobs. Part-time jobs cleaning hotels, flipping burgers, or working in retail do not make a comfortable and secure life.

nick said...

Cactus 1/2 DONG!

Amy said...

TEK!! Extra bases!

laura k said...

Tek half dong! Rally time!

meunier said...

and the letter that you've written dosn't mean your not dead..

Amy said...

Hey, who's that??

(That's for you, Laura.)

laura k said...

Comments are stuck in moderation folks, sorry, blogger is being weird.

meunier said...

Ellsbury was put on the DL and this guy called up?

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