G142: Athletics 4, Red Sox 3

Red Sox   - 001 001 001 - 3 10  1
Athletics - 000 000 31x - 4  7  0

Terry Francona wears the goat's horns for this loss, as he dozed while Lackey slowly fell apart in the seventh. By the time Daniel Bard had thrown even a handful of warm-up pitches, Lackey (7-6-3-0-6, 111) had allowed a double, two singles, and two runs.

Then Boston's ninth-inning rally against Andrew Bailey -- a couple of two-out doubles from Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre -- was aborted when home plate umpire Mike Winters called David Ortiz out on pitch #9 to end the game.Brooks has similar information. It should have been ball 4, putting two men on for Jed Lowrie.

The Rangers beat the Yankees 7-6 when Mariano Rivera hit Jeff Francoeur with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Fruitbat came into the game with the Yankees up 6-5: BB, 1B, 2B (6-6), BBI, P3, HBP. The Rays beat the Blue Jays 13-1 this afternoon.

John Lackey / Brett Anderson

Scutaro, SS 2B
McDonald, RF
Martinez, DH 1B
Beltre, 3B
Lowell, 1B DH
Lowrie, 2B SS
Saltalamacchia, C
Hall, LF
Kalish, CF

Anderson has had a very good year -- 2.97 ERA in 14 starts -- despite missing most of May, June and July with elbow tendinitis. Ummm, I guess that means he's had a good April and August!

About a week ago, in his look at Boston's Top 25 prospects (end of 2010 edition), Jimmy at The House That Dewey Built referred to the Red Sox as a team that "continues to twitch and convulse like a car-struck deer begging to be put out of its misery".

That is pretty accurate. Things look horrific for awhile, but ... wait ... now the deer is up and walking (sort of) .... oh, shit, he fell down again and coughed up some blood. Looks like the end. But, maybe ... look! ... nope ...

AL East:

Rays/Blue Jays, 1 PM
Yankees/Rangers, 8 PM

September 11:

1918 - The Red Sox beat the Cubs 2-1 at Fenway Park and win the World Series in six games. It is Boston's third championship in the last four seasons and its fourth title in seven years.

1936 - Hod Lisenbee of the Philadelphia A's ties a record by allowing 26 hits in a complete game 17-2 loss to the White Sox.

1974 - The Cardinals beat the Mets 4-3 in 25 innings at Shea Stadium. The Mets have 103 plate appearances, the only time in the 20th century a team had 100+ PA. St. Louis has 99 in this game. The game lasts 7:04 and ends at 3:13 AM.

STL - 100 000 002 000 000 000 000 000 1 - 4 18 2
NYM - 100 020 000 000 000 000 000 000 0 - 3 16 4