Red Sox - 000 100 100 - 2 10 0Beckett (5.2-5-1-3-5, 98) was solid in his return, allowing an early run, but working out of a few other jams. Bill Hall broke a 1-1 tie by smacking the first pitch of the top of the seventh out of the park for his 10th home run of the year.
Mariners - 100 000 000 - 1 6 1
Ichiro Suzuki singled, stole second, and scored on Jose Lopez's two-out double in the first. Another single by Ichiro, a walk and a fielder's choice put Mariners at first and third with one out in the third, but Beckett got Lopez on a pop up and Justin Smoak on a grounder to second.
A couple of one-out doubles -- Michael Saunders in the fourth and Josh Wilson (who was pinch-hitting for Chone Figgins (see below)) in the fifth -- amounted to nothing.
The Red Sox got on the board with two outs in the fourth, when Kevin Youkilis singled and scored on Adrian Beltre's double.
In the fifth, Mike Cameron doubled to left, but Saunders was a little slow to get the ball on the warning track and his throw into second was not fielded by anyone. When it rolled past the bag, Cameron took off for third and made it safely. Vargas (7-8-2-3-3, 101) stranded him, though, by getting Hall to pop to short, Kevin Cash to foul out to first, and Marco Scutaro to ground out to third. Figgins may have been pulled after a confrontation in the dugout with Russell Branyan and Jose Lopez about not hustling after Saunders's wild throw.
Boston had the bases loaded with one out in the sixth, but David Ortiz was picked off third base on a perfectly-executed play by catcher Rob Johnson and Lopez. Vargas reloaded the bases, but Cameron (who walked, singled, and doubled in his other PAs) fanned.
Papelbon gave up a two-out double in the bottom of the ninth, then walked Ichiro intentionally, a wise move even though it put the potential winning run on base. Wilson fouled off five pitches before striking out to end the game.
The Yankees beat the Royals 7-1 and the Rays lost a rain-shortened game in Cleveland 3-1. Tampa Bay is now 4 GB in the East. Boston remains 7 GB New York, but is now only 3 GB the Rays for the WC.
Beckett last pitched for the Red Sox on May 18, against the Yankees. Before the DL stint, Beckett made eight starts and had a 7.29 ERA.Scutaro, SS
Lowrie, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Youkilis, 1B
Beltre, 3B
Drew, RF
Cameron, CF
Hall, LF
Cash, C
Michael Bowden has been optioned to Pawtucket.
Tim Wakefield has moved back to the bullpen. Francona: "I don't think he wanted to hug me." ... Victor Martinez caught Wake's side session yesterday and will catch Buchholz tomorrow. ... Jacoby Ellsbury took on-field batting practice yesterday in Fort Myers and might play in a Gulf Coast League game next week.
Back in Pawtucket, Daniel Nava belted a three-run home run last night. He also walked to begin the bottom of the 10th inning, moved to third on Mike Lowell's single, and scored the winning run on Lars Anderson's single. Lowell was 1-for-5 as the DH.
At 7 PM:
Royals/Yankees
Rays/Spiders
1907 - The Austin Senators (Texas League) steal 23 bases and beat San Antonio 44-0.
1939 - The Dodgers use a "dandelion yellow*" baseball, but lose to St. Louis 12-0. Brooklyn uses the balls in four games, which are thought to be easier for the batter to see against the backdrop of white shirts in the bleachers. (* - see page 23)
1958 - Bob Holbrook, Boston Globe: "[After grounding out in the fourth inning, Ted] Williams jogged part way to first, saw the play was routine and then made an abrupt turn and started back to the dugout. For his lack of fire on this play the Kansas City fans set up a crescendo of boos. Ted bristled and made his dying swan leap, spitting at the fans as he pirouetted through the air." (If only today's players respected the game like they did in the Golden Age.)
2002 - Nomar Garciaparra celebrates his 29th birthday by hitting three homers and driving in eight runs as Boston routs Tampa Bay 22-4 at Fenway. (The Red Sox trailed 4-0 after two innings.)
PA says: "Red Sox catchers last drove in a run on June 29."
ReplyDeleteThat's 0 for 18 games.
Suzuki, RF
ReplyDeleteFiggins, 2B
Gutierrez, CF
Lopez, 3B
Smoak, 1B
Bradley, DH
Saunders, LF
Johnson, C
Wilson, SS
KCR - 000 00
ReplyDeleteMFY - 400 0
FKR - 010 00
CLE - 101 0
Both of those games are in rain delays.
ReplyDeleteThe MFY game was basically in tornado delay.
ReplyDeleteyikes, close to an itchy dong
ReplyDeletedon implies that ichiro can hit lots of home runs -- he puts on a laser show in BP -- but "it's not what he wants to do". he wants to hit singles, a lot of singles.
ReplyDeletethis is the dumbest thing i have heard in months.
Allan hates when I say this, but I really dig Ichiro. He has been one of my favourite players since he came to the US.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think it was dumb at all. He said Boggs had the same style of play. What's so dumb about it?
ReplyDeletewhy would a player who can supposedly hit a lot of home runs decide to not do it and hit singles? (and it's not like he would hit .300 with HR or .600 with singles.)
ReplyDeleteit's nonsense - it also seems to play into the "rally killer" meme, which we rightly make fun of, but a fair amount of people in the game apparently believe it.
it's like when people say "beckett can throw a strike whenever he needs to".
ReplyDeleteso why not do it all game long?
why throw so many balls?
It's not possible that a player who could be a power hitter cultivates a different style of play? One, I may add, that you don't appreciate?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, of course I know you have stats to back up your dislike, but nevertheless, you do just dislike it. If you liked it, you'd find stats to back it up.
So the guy reaches over and grabs the ball in play, gives it to a kid. The kid is smart enough to say, "Hey, dumbass, I don't want to get thrown out. Don't give it to me." Then they have to make an announcement over the PA to not touch balls in play. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteIt's dumb of Don to say because it's what every sports caster says about Ichiro. That's one of his biggest talking points, and Don is just repeating conventional wisdom.
ReplyDeletei am not saying anything like that.
ReplyDeletei am saying if player X can hit home runs when he wants to*, why is it better for him (and his team) to consciously not do that and try to hit a single?
if he's going to hit .320 for the year anyway, why is (for example) having 145 singles and 5 home runs better than 100 singles and 50 home runs?
it can't possibly be better.
*: i do not think that is possible, but every single time the story gets told about a player (suzuki, boggs, whoever), the media guy never says anything about that, though.
There's a kiosk display about Ichiro's 2004 season at the Baseball Hall of Fame. I'm pretty sure it mentions the "he could hit for power if he wanted" bit even there.
ReplyDelete"he could hit for power if he wanted" sounds damn close to "he could hustle all the time if he wanted"
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty big assumption that he'd still hit .320 if he swung for the fences. Maybe he'd just hit .270. There's bound to be a trade-off, and it matters what magnitude.
ReplyDeleteAs for his motivations, he's getting into the Hall of Fame doing what he's doing now. Would he get in with a .270 average and 200 home runs?
It's dumb of Don to say because it's what every sports caster says about Ichiro. That's one of his biggest talking points, and Don is just repeating conventional wisdom.
ReplyDeleteThat I get.
I get that a lot more than what Allan is saying.
Which is exactly what I said he would say. But that's because we've had the same conversation every time the Sox play Seattle.
I have to agree with Allan here. If you can hit home runs and thus score runs for your team, why would you settle for a single which in most cases does not score a run?
ReplyDeleteNot staying up to see the game, but wanted to just drop in and say hello. Enjoy the game!
It's not possible that a player who could be a power hitter cultivates a different style of play?
ReplyDeleteIt's very possible.
Forget about this being connected to Ichiro. Why should I appreciate or want on my team someone who decides to hit singles when he apparently could be hitting home runs?
It's like Dice saying it is better if he throws 25 pitches per inning rather than 10-12. Even if his ERA is roughly the same, it is not as good for what he should be doing.
Well sure, if it's a choice between hitting a home run and hitting a single, you'd want to hit the home run.
ReplyDeleteIf it's a choice between hitting a single and maybe hitting a home run or maybe striking out, it matters what the maybes are. It also matters who's batting behind you. Lots things go into it.
He is consistent!
ReplyDeleteSingles
2001 AL 192 (1st)
2002 AL 165 (1st)
2003 AL 162 (1st)
2004 AL 225 (1st)
2005 AL 158 (1st)
2006 AL 186 (1st)
2007 AL 203 (1st)
2008 AL 180 (1st)
2009 AL 179 (1st)
2010 AL 100 (1st)
Yeesh.
It's like when you're on a plane that's behind schedule and then they tell you, "Don't worry, we can make up some time. You'll still make your connecting flights."
ReplyDeleteIf you can fly faster than usual, why not just fly that fast all the time?
I would think it would go without saying that trying to hit more home runs would reduce his average... and while he may put on shows in BP and know he can hit for power.... no one knows how good he'd be at it. Whereas we all know he's damn good at hitting singles and getting on base, so no need to risk it. He's a leadoff man, and a HOFer at it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the plane comment.... cars drive fast too, but they tend to burn more gas when they do. If you want to drive 90 and get their fast (but pay more for gas) then go ahead. I think the airlines are ok with losing the money they lose now while trying to be on time, as opposed to flying faster (and losing more) just to get there quicker.
This is partially why he is not as productive as some people think.
ReplyDeleteOuts Made (and AL rank)
2001 AL 475 (9th)
2002 AL 470 (10th)
2003 AL 482 (6th)
2004 AL 464 (9th)
2005 AL 494 (3rd)
2006 AL 478 (2nd)
2007 not in top 10
2008 AL 492 (2nd)
2009 not in top 10
His Black Ink and HoF Monitor have him as a no-doubt Hall of Famer, and yet his 3rd most similar player comp is Mickey Rivers.
***
But I think Don's (and others) comment are the real problem.
Ichiro cannot hit dongs at will. If he said I could absolutely hit 50 HR but I choose not to, then we've have a problem!
Like I posted before, when we hear announcers say that a pitcher can "always seem to get a strikeout when he needs it", we roll our eyes. You think his ERA would be near 0.00 then, if that was true?
WHY DON'T THEY BUILD THE ENTIRE PLANE OUT OF SINGLES?
ReplyDeleteIt's like when you're on a plane that's behind schedule and then they tell you, "Don't worry, we can make up some time. You'll still make your connecting flights."
ReplyDeleteIf you can fly faster than usual, why not just fly that fast all the time?
This doesn't seem like a good analogy for baseball, IMO. Power normally comes with a tradeoff. We all agree getting on base is the most important thing. An increase in power will most likely mean a decrease in OBP.
But I think Don's (and others) comment are the real problem.
ReplyDeleteIchiro cannot hit dongs at will. If he said I could absolutely hit 50 HR but I choose not to, then we've have a problem!
Right. This is the thing I always have a problem with - it seems like holding a player's publicity against him. The biggest example of this has to be Jeter, but Ichiro is a good example too.
Before tonight, his OBP this year was .366. That is 28th in the AL. (He is 10th in SB.)
ReplyDelete(SSS and all, but Nava was at .381 before he was sent down. 105 PA.)
Ichiro has been in the Top 10 in OBP 3 times in 9 years (AL rank)
2002 .388 (10th)
2004 .414 (2nd)
2007 .396 (9th)
He is 26th among active players in OBP (.377).
He is good -- and I would have liked him in our outfield -- but (like many players) not as good as his reputation.
****
oh now, don and jerry are defending players sleeping in the clubhouse during games. i guess manny always stayed awake.
What a pickup Beltre has been. Besides the fact that he's taken out a few other players here or there, he's been excellent for the Red Sox.
ReplyDeleteOr not as bad as their reputation, in the case of MUMS and other slander.
ReplyDeleteBeltre had an even better 2004, but this has been a hell of a second-best season for him. I feel like we've been squandering it.
ReplyDeleteSee, Allan, Beltre decided to hit 48 dongs in 2004. Good decision.
ReplyDeleteHe leads the lead in "ribs broken (others)" by a wide margin.
ReplyDeleteThe plane analogy's from a Seinfeld monologue that I was reminded of with the "well then why doesn't he just throw every pitch for a strike?" (Sadly, I pretty much relate everything in life to either baseball or a Seinfeld episode.)
ReplyDeleteHere's the full quote:
I'm on the plane, we left late, and the pilot says, "We're going to be making up some time in the air." I thought, "Isn't that interesting. They just make up time." That's why you have to reset your watch when you land. Of course, when they say they're making up time, obviously they're increasing the speed of the aircraft. Now my question is, if you can go faster, why don't you just go as fast as you can all the time? "Come on, they're no cops up here! Nail it! Give it some gas! We're flying!"
if ichiro doesn't want to hit rally killers, at least he is fast enough to not clog the bases.
ReplyDeleteRibs Broken In?
ReplyDeleteRibs Broken In?
ReplyDeleteNice.
Aka "ribbies".
ReplyDeletedon talking about the market
ReplyDeletedon: we should go down there tomorrow.
jerry: who?
don: you and me.
jerry: no.
Ribbies, good one.
ReplyDeleteI better get the hell off this computer. Later taters.
and while jerry said "no" bluntly and without emotion, it was clear he'd rather do anything than go to the market with don.
ReplyDeleteDon: If i wake you up at 5 am I'd be sleeping with the fishes instead of throwing the fish.
ReplyDeleteKCR - 000 000 010 - 1 8 1
ReplyDeleteMFY - 400 002 10x - 7 11 0
FKR - 010 000 0
CLE - 101 001
Maybe the league could have pity on Cash and let us have two DHs.
ReplyDeleteWell that was a painful squander.
ReplyDeleteVictor can not come back soon enough!
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm just lost on how anyone can believe someone can hit home runs "at will" to begin with... or even give weight to another person saying a player could.
ReplyDeleteOBP is a great stat, but flawed when looking at it from that point... if you batted Pujols leadoff how many walks would he have each season? How much lower would his OBP be if he hit leadoff, and wasn't a threat coming up after the 8/9 hitters that don't get on. Instead of batting 4th where he gets pitched around whenever 1b is open with a man on, or opponent is up enough that his bat isn't going to tie the game and he gets pitched around anyway.
Ichiro having the 26th active OBP tells me nothing... especially when Jeter is the only other leadoff man up there (at 17). Batting leadoff is different from batting in an RBI spot where you hit for power and get pitched around regularly. Where does his OBP rank among active leadoff men or all time leadoff men, that would tell something....
At least we aren't the only ones who squander runners at third.
ReplyDeleteshift this!
ReplyDeleteNice to see it's the opposing team tussling in the dugout and not ours.
ReplyDeleteIt turns out Ichiro has the best OBP of any leadoff batter in the AL (and is 3rd in MLB).
ReplyDeleteScutaro is #6 in the AL, 8th in MLB.
FFS.
ReplyDeleteugh.
ReplyDeleteno idea what ichiro would do batting 4th ... we can only go on what he has actually done.
ReplyDeletepls cameron, do something good.
ReplyDeleteOh hey, no runs. Whaddayaknow.
ReplyDeleteBrutal. That was an even worse squander.
ReplyDeleteI was reading a thing this afternoon showing that having a lot of LOB without a doubt correlates to winning. I should go read it again.
ReplyDeleteWhat's with all the space between the A and K on Smoak's jersey? Did they put a C on and later rip it off?
ReplyDeleteInstead of batting 4th where he gets pitched around whenever 1b is open with a man on
ReplyDeletethe rest of the team sucks with the bat, so why wouldn't ichiro get pitched around wherever he hits if there is a base open?
he has been BBI'd 9 times this year. (only cano and ortiz have more in the AL: 10)
pooholes has 24 BBI!
ReplyDeleteRuns, please.
ReplyDeleteLike that.
ReplyDeleteIan Browne wrote on Twitter that Bill Hall hit two dongs with the Mariners in 2009, and then he hits two dongs in two games against them this year.
ReplyDeleteHa!
ReplyDeleteIchiro is Choosing to Not Hit Homeruns. Good Call?
July 27, 2007
Ichiro was quoted as saying something like: "If I'm allowed to bat .220, I could probably hit 40. But nobody wants that."
This writer wonders -- is it possible that Ichiro could be more valuable even if he did hit .220?
He looks at Adam Dunn, who in 2006, hit 40 HR and batted .234. It was one of the worst 40-HR seasons in history and yet Dunn was more valuable than Ichiro with his .322 avg, 224 hits, and 110 runs scored.
He concludes: "Ichiro Suzuki is choosing to be a less valuable player than he could otherwise be."
***
I can't say if this guy's article is without flaws. I assume other writers have done similar studies.
And gave up two errors to them last night.
ReplyDeleteLooking at B-Ref, Ichiro is 49th in MLB in OBP this year.
ReplyDeleteIt does not matter where in the lineup you hit - your first objective is to get on base. So while he does it as well as any other leadoff guy, he barely cracks the Top 50 of MLB players.
How many times are the 8th and 9th hitters on base when he comes up? Safe to assume all of his IBBs are with men on, as same with Cano and Ortiz... yet Ichiro hits just as well as they do with RISP (even from OBP standard).
ReplyDeleteCano 101 ABs with RISP - OBP of .419 with 18 BBs.
Ortiz 102 ABs with RISP - OBP .395 with 22 BBs.
Ichiro 76 ABs with RISP - OBP .411 with 11 BBs.
Also, 1/4 of his ABs leadoff the game, and last I checked it isn't good to BB a fast guy to leadoff the game.
Not to mention Seattle has 4th best ERA in AL, which means they are usually in the game (like the last two nights), which also means not a good idea to IBB a fast guy....
Also, 1/4 of his ABs leadoff the game, and last I checked it isn't good to BB a fast guy to leadoff the game.
ReplyDeleteBut it is good to get on base. And with his aversion to walks, he would have to hit something like .370 or so to have a truly superstar OBP. That is hard to do.
This is also a down year for Ichiro.
ReplyDeletemay be due to age. he's 36.
ReplyDeletecan we have bard pitch the 9th too? please?
ReplyDeleteFKR - 010 000 0 - 1 1 1
ReplyDeleteCLE - 101 001 x - 3 8 2
rain shortened game
Again, OBP relative to his hitting style and spot in the lineup, I'd say he's still a superstar.
ReplyDeleteIf you took all the guys ahead of him this year for OBP and put them in the leadoff spot, it's pretty safe to assume their OBP would come down. Just like Ortiz striking out to lead off the 8th. No men on, no fear, rear back and fire. Strike one. Strike two. Strike three.
Further, he is always in the top 10 for ABs/K... telling us that he hits the ball when he swings. And does so with better frequency than most players in the league every year. So while some players might squeak out a walk because they only foul off pitches, he actually hits them. He is also regularly at the top of the league in BABIP - so there aren't many players better suited to be at the top of a lineup, period.
Agreed, can't project what he'd do if he went for 40 HRs.... but did any leadoff hitters rank higher than Dunn that year? Apples to Oranges comparing him to a player in a different slot in the lineup, one where they are telling him to hit for the fences.
He's been alternating crappy OPS+ seasons with decent ones going back to 2005. (113, 106, 122, 102, 127, 108)
ReplyDeleteHe is very good. I just don't think he is as great as some people say.
ReplyDeleteNice bunt.
ReplyDeletecrappy vs decent.
ReplyDelete(kind of what i'm getting at; nothing eye-popping, even when he hit .372, he was at a career-high 130, still only 16th in the AL that year)
maybe his fielding makes up for the bat more than i think. i admit i have not looked into it.
well, here he is!
ReplyDeletec'mon snuffer.
and there he goes.
ReplyDeleteThe water is Muddy!!!
ReplyDeleteWater!
ReplyDeleteSnuffer's turning into Sniffer. Close enough to victory you can sniff it, and continue to sniff it until it either gets ripped away or eventually you win.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it should have been Ribs Bashed In. Perhaps indeed.
ReplyDeleteredsock said...
ReplyDeleteHe is very good. I just don't think he is as great as some people say.
I assume you are still talking about Ichiro.....
9 golden gloves
200 hits every year
career .332
1st ballot HOF'er
I don't see him play that much, but when I do . I love his approach, very consistent and never seems to be an easy out..