September 28, 2010

G157: White Sox 5, Red Sox 4

Red Sox   - 012 001 000 - 4  9  0
White Sox - 000 200 111 - 5 9 1
The Rays beat the Orioles 5-0 and the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 6-1, officially eliminating the Red Sox from the AL East and the Wild Card, respectively. But Boston wanted to make sure they were totally dead, so they blew leads of 3-0 and 4-2 and lost to the White Sox.

Lackey (6-3-2-2-5, 108) pitched well enough to earn a win, but the six relievers used over the last 2.2 innings allowed 6 hits, 3 walks, 3 stolen bases, and 3 runs.

J.D. Drew and David Ortiz both hit solo home runs; Jed Lowrie and Adrian Beltre had the other two RBI. Boston had a couple of singles in the eighth (Ortiz and Lowrie), but left runners at first and second.

Outside of Flo's dong in the sixth, the last man the Red Sox had at third base was with two outs in the third inning (that was also Ortiz).
Example
John Lackey / Edwin Jackson
Patterson, CF
Drew, RF
Martinez, 1B
Ortiz, DH
Beltre, 3B
Lowrie, SS
Reddick, LF
Varitek, C
Lopez, 2B
We still have a chance*! Gotta win the last six games while the Yankees go 0-5.

*: Somewhere around 0.07%, according to BP.

A seven-game winning streak for the Sox (including last night's game) would be the longest of the season. Can New York lose six in a row? They are 17% of the way there! But their longest losing streak of the year has been only four games (which they have done twice this month).7 PM:
Yankees/Blue Jays
Orioles/Rays
Example
September 28:

1975 - Four Oakland pitchers combine to no-hit the Angels. Vida Blue (5 innings), Glenn Abbott (1), Paul Lindblad (1), and Rollie Fingers (2) share the honours in a 5-0 win on the final day of the season.

1988 - Orel Hershiser sets a new record for consecutive scoreless innings: 59.

1995 - Montreal's RHP Greg Harris becomes the first pitcher to pitch with both hands since Elton "Ice Box" Chamberlain (1888, American Association). Harris faces four batters, two from each side, in a 9-7 loss to Cincinnati. During his time in Boston (1989-94), Harris wanted to pitch lefty and righty, but GM Lou Gorman refused to allow it.

132 comments:

allan said...

Pierre, LF
Vizquel, 2B
M. Ramirez, DH
Konerko, 1B
Pierzynski, C
Quentin, RF
A. Ramirez, SS
De Aza, CF
Morel, 3B

***

Point:
We still have a mathematical chance!

Counterpoint:
Lackey is pitching tonight.

allan said...

PPaterson

Amy said...

A leadoff walk!

allan said...

MFY - 101 01
TOR - 001 00

BAL - 000 00
FKR - 011 1

allan said...

double-double = run

Philip said...

Dammit, Canada, pull this one out.

Tomorrow, it's Cecil vs. injured!Pettite--gotta think Toronto has the advantage there. Then, the ball is in our court.

laura k said...

Canada is going to pull one out tomorrow.

Non-baseball talk.

Kathryn said...

I'm still stuck on how much the loss the other night hurt. We could really be in position to do something with an elimination number of three instead of one. Ugh. Pap let, what, four of the first five batters he faced on base?

I know that it is only one game and you could do this with any of our losses, but it was quite an untimely blown save.

laura k said...

It was a terrible loss.

OTOH, chances are very very very slim that it would have made a difference in the outcome of the season. Slim to the point of nil.

allan said...

FIRE!!!!!!!!!!

laura k said...

J.D.ONG!!

En Fuego

Kathryn said...

FIREman.

Amy said...

That loss was sickening. But I feel that way about each of Pap's blown saves.

Kathryn said...

Slim to the point of nil? Maybe. But it would have been fun to see the MFY sky is falling talk if it came down to the final series.

allan said...

flo has wheelz.

RedSoxDiehard said...

I'm enjoying 90-second peaks at the Ken Burns 19th Inning between innings, but I just realized I'm going to miss hearing from Buck O'Neill in this chapter.

Kathryn said...

I've got the DVR recording it. I

allan said...

if we had won sunday and yesterday went the same way, the tabloids would have been epic.

Kathryn said...

EPIC. You would have had to spend the entire night and day on Schadenfreude.

allan said...

as it stands, i will have to wait until the alds.

laura k said...

But it would have been fun to see the MFY sky is falling talk if it came down to the final series.

No doubt about that.

Kathryn said...

Okay, here is my poor dog story.

We had our usual 50 or so Canada Geese in the backyard. (Hey L, I said *Canada* Geese.) There was a time when our dog would have taken care of them. But she is now older and on prozac due to her anxiety. T and I were sitting on the deck. She's just staring at the yard, not thinking about clearing them out. Our neighbor's miniature poodle (I swear that dog can't weigh more than two pounds) comes over and runs them all off. It took her a few rounds, but she got rid of them all. T? She just sits there staring. Shown up by a two pound poodle. That's gotta hurt.

laura k said...

Oh boo. Could it be she's happier not chasing the birds? Or maybe dogs so live in the moment that she is content to just watch. I hope so.

Canada Goose, my work is done here. :)

allan said...

nah, smart dog. why waste energy? geese will leave soon, anyway. better to keep relaxing.

Kathryn said...

Thanks for those options. I guess she is happier not chasing the geese!

Amy said...

OK, I admit it---why Canada geese? I must have missed the lesson!

RedSoxDiehard said...

LOL that I wrote "19th inning".

P.S. Wait till you guys see what happens in the 2091 World Series!

allan said...

MFY - 101 010 02
TOR - 001 000 0

BAL - 000 000 000 - 0 6 0
FKR - 011 120 00x - 5 6 0

Sox eliminated from east

allan said...

LOL that I wrote "19th inning"

Is that where Jeter manages the Yankees to a 0-162 season?

laura k said...

Amy, you are the one who had the lesson, IIRC :)

(Which I may not.)

It's Canada Goose or Canada Geese, not Canadian Geese.

laura k said...

I was wondering about 19th inning! :)

allan said...

come on, you useless fuckin jays.

laura k said...

Elimination :(

Amy said...

Like many things, I have forgotten the lesson. Is it a general rule or just for the geese?

Well, it's over. Sigh. I just wish we weren't playing the Yankees this weekend.

Kathryn said...

Amy, you are the one who had the lesson, IIRC :)

Nope, it was me. You can't rag on Amy for having a poor memory on this one.

allan said...

end of 8th
nyy 5-1

Kathryn said...

We've only lost the east. We still have one more inning for the Jays to keep us in the Wild Card race:)

allan said...

hey, jays: hit some of those dongs you are so famous for.

allan said...

Lackey is Lackey.

Amy said...

Anything is possible, but I am not going to get my hopes up that the Jays score 5 runs in the 9th.

Philip said...

I don't know why Cito Gaston hates the Sox more than the Yanks...but he clearly does. F you too, Jays bullpen.

Kathryn said...

Lackey, Lackey, Lackey

laura k said...

Jays fans hate the Sox! It's a much more heated rivalry - although one-sided, all in the heads of Jays fans.

But that may not be what you meant.

allan said...

i have an amusing lackey post coming later this week.

allan said...

amusing and/or annoying. not sure which.

Kathryn said...

Can't wait!

Because as everyone knows, I hate Lackey.

laura k said...

Nope, it was me. You can't rag on Amy for having a poor memory on this one.

Ha! As if I rag on Amy's memory. AMY rags on Amy's memory!

But that's cool, glad to help no matter who is learning about Canada geese. :)

Philip said...

L-girl: huh, all the Jays fans I've met at games have been amiable and slightly drunk.

allan said...

jays fans -- all 36 of them -- are huge assholes.

Kathryn said...

Amy, now the Jays need 6 runs and the top of the inning is not over yet.

Amy said...

Did you see that the Rays are giving away free tickets to the final game to try and spur some interest? Even with winning the ALEast, they can't sell out.

Pathetic.

allan said...

contract those fuckers and send some good players to us...

Amy said...

Yup, I see that, MrsG.

So why is it Canada geese? I have always heard them referred to as Canadian. Is it some kind of slur or something? Or just the technically correct term that everyone says wrong, like grounds rule double? :)

Amy said...

Are we stuck with Lackey next year?

laura k said...

When it comes to the Red Sox, Jays fans are decidedly un-amiable. Total a-holes.

If you met them at Fenway, I'm sure they're fine. At Skydome/Rogers, not so much.

laura k said...

The Rays deserve better than that. They're a really good team, they deserve good fans. Another example of how Florida sucks.

Kathryn said...

I don't know why. L just said that's the way it is and, since she's in Canada, I didn't question it. Leave it to the lawyer to need an explanation!

laura k said...

Canada Geese or Canada Goose is just their correct name. Canadian Geese is a misnomer.

I can't tell you why. It just is.

allan said...

Are we stuck with Lackey next year?

Yes.

And 2012.

And 2013.

And 2014.

And maybe 2015.

It's gonna be GREAT!!!!!!!!

laura k said...

It's even in the AP style book. Can't get more official than that.

Kathryn said...

It's not like the Rays being good is a new thing this year. You would think that they would have gotten some kind of following by now. Wasn't even their opening game this year poorly attended?

laura k said...

Canada Goose

And check your AP style book!

Amy said...

Another example of how Florida sucks.

ROFL!

OK, Canada geese. Got it. Sounds weird, but heh, I am in the US, so I will defer to the Canada resident.

Amy said...

GO PAPI!

laura k said...

Quadrangular!!!

allan said...

i recall during one rays game they were saying what a huge pain in the ass it is to take pubic transportation to a rays game. that could be one reason


FLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy said...

Excuse me, Canada citizen.

laura k said...

Hey, this Canadian resident is now a Canadian, you know. :)

laura k said...

Ha ha, just saw that Amy. :)

RedSoxDiehard said...

Love love love when Papi hits 'em like that!

Amy said...

Uch, if only this mattered. But it does. A win is a win.

Just wait til next year, you bastards.

allan said...

Bel-TRAY!

Kathryn said...

Are we stuck with Lackey next year?

Yes.

And 2012.

And 2013.

And 2014.

And maybe 2015.

It's gonna be GREAT!!!!!!!!


Thanks for that reminder Allan. That only adds to the low of tonight.

laura k said...

I'm sure the economy in Florida - and lack thereof - has something to do with it. But still. It's sad.

Amy said...

Phew, corrected myself JUST in time!

allan said...

jays

1 on, 0 outs

Kathryn said...

I love the first pitch back homerun.

allan said...

maybe bautista can hit a 6-run dong

RedSoxDiehard said...

My father always corrects people who say Canadian Geese too. He says if we want to know whether they're also Canadian Geese we'd need to check their passports.

Kathryn said...

maybe bautista can hit a 6-run dong

Well of course he can. It's not like he's JD Drew or anything.

Benjamin said...

Especially since many of them don't even migrate anymore.

laura k said...

Let's hear it for RSDH's dad.

I guess it's one of those things that brings out the proofreader in people, like "begs the question," "ironically" and "Catch-22".

And... well, everything else.

allan said...

cc out and fruitbat in.

Amy said...

You think that was Tek will be back next season? Or was that his last AB in a Sox uniform?

laura k said...

I love to see the geese flying in their V's. When we drive down to NJ for US Thanksgiving, we always see them flying over Western NY State. It always makes me a little sad, but in a good way.

allan said...

why wouldn't he play this weekend?

allan said...

2 on, 2 outs for jays

Amy said...

I dunno. How often does he play these days? But yeah, I guess he will now that the season is just in mop up mode... :(

Rob said...

Watching the Tenth Inning on PBS tonight. Having the Red Sox on the little TV. Booyah.

***

That was at 8:00. Blogger ate that comment.

It fucking hates Firefox, it seems. I haven't been able to comment on Firefox, so I'm using Chrome.

allan said...

oh, deer.

mfy win

Rob said...

And I come back just in time to see the Red Sox get eliminated.

Rob said...

The deer is officially dead.

Amy said...

Ish, I was having problems with Firefox also, though it seems much better tonight. Only had the problem once...so far.

Amy said...

WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR.

allan said...

our sox feed is all fuzzy like it is a giant pixelated crotch shot

RedSoxDiehard said...

Damn.

I've suspected this would happen for about the past 3 months, so why am I so pissed right now?

It really sucks that after Sunday there's nothing till April. I guess I need to book my flight to Ft. Myers.

Rob said...

Because it actually happened.

allan said...

I know 0.06% is no chance, but it still feels different to know it is 0.00%.

Rob said...

It has that sense of finality. It's reality. Does it really feel much different than losing a playoff series?

Our season is over, our team has died, even though they're still playing. It's something we haven't had to experience much of in the last ten years. Feels so strange to know when the final day of our season will be.

allan said...

now we need a good old brawl this weekend.

laura k said...

For me, Blogger only behaves with Firefox. Only only.

Sorry about the elimination sadness, folks. I feel like some kind of traitor than I can't share it. I did that months ago, felt awful, frustrated, sad, pissed off... then passed through it to resignation. Tonight no different than last night.

Wait til next year.

laura k said...

It would still be great if Boston can keep the Yankees from winning the division. So there's still a reason to play.

(Besides that the season is 162 games.)

laura k said...

I switched to Firefox only because of Blogger. Other than that, I wouldn't have used it.

allan said...

And we already have our first 3 movies on deck and waiting.....

Rob said...

In other news, Part One, "Top of the Tenth Inning" was excellent.

Rob said...

And for Joe and me, the Bruins regular season begins October 9th in Prague, and I will be caught up in my other love.

Dr. Jeff said...

W-L contest update anyone?
Currently at 87 wins with 6 to play including tonight. The only contenders:

Lewis S 93-69 856 +141
Matt M 93-69 843 +194
Jeff R 90-72 775 +125
Peter L 89-73 720 + 72

Likely to be Jeff (not me) I would think, esp if he gets 91 also.

allan said...

lewis is out because of the tiebreaker.

laura k said...

It's good you can turn to hockey, Ish. For us it's movies. It's good to switch focuses. Foci. Focus. Whatever.

allan said...

shift that

Dr. Jeff said...

10th inning is marred by the George Will appearances.

Dr. Jeff said...

Re: brawl. I want to see Yook come out of the dugout and smash Joba's face in. With his good hand.

Dr. Jeff said...

So who are people rooting for in the WS this year? I'm going with Texas and S.F. Texas, because they have never won, and S.F. because they haven't won in 56 years, never in S.F., and because I grew up in the Bay Area. But really, anyone but MFY.

Rob said...

I'd love to see a no-hitter against the Yankees.

Rob said...

I'm rooting for the Braves. Long shot (still don't know if they're going to the playoffs), but I'd LOVE to see Bobby Cox win the World Series in his final season.

laura k said...

10th inning is marred by the George Will appearances.

That's a shame. Burns trying to be fair and balanced? Bah.

****

I love SF so maybe the Giants.

I can appreciate Ish's feelings for Bobby Cox, but the racist logo and "chopping" blow it for me.

I will probably go with the Rays. I really like them (when we're not playing them) and I'd like to see them go all the way.

Amy said...

I have no idea who I will root for yet. I usually sort of feel my way through as the playoffs proceed.

allan said...

Steve Wynn's Baseball Project teamed up with Craig Finn of The Hold Steady to record a totally rocking song -- "Don't Call Them Twinkies" -- that almost had me thinking the Twins were cool.

allan said...

which team has the most canadians on it?

allan said...

yet another blown save for bard.

Amy said...

OK, so our WHOLE bullpen sucks, not just Papelbon.

laura k said...

I gotta shut the computer off and get to bed. Tomorrow is THE biggest day of the WR campaign in our entire 6 years. At game time tomorrow, A & I will be celebrating at the campaign's regular pub.

Good night, JoSers!

allan said...

bring in hall.

Amy said...

Good night, Laura. Good luck with tomorrow's event.

Kathryn said...

After a brief absence, I'm back.

Firefox works great for me. That's all I use.

Yuk to another blown save.

allan said...

K-actus

Amy said...

Hate to leave before the game is over, but I can't hack these games that go past 11 pm.

Now if it were a post-season game....

But whatever.

Good night!

allan said...

goodnight!!

allan said...

calm down, don.

allan said...

OH FUCK YOU

allan said...

JUST GET A FUCKIN OUT, WILL YOU?

allan said...

shit