April 17, 2011

G14: Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 1

Blue Jays - 010 000 000 - 1  7  2
Red Sox   - 040 002 02x - 8  8  1
Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jacoby Ellsbury -- the #8 and #9 hitters in the order -- each drove in three runs, as Boston cruised to its second straight victory. After an 0-6 start, the Red Sox have gone 4-4.

Four straight hits in the second -- singles by Jed Lowrie, J.D. Drew, and Salty, and a three-run bomb to right field from Ellsbury (his 3rd homer of the season) -- quickly erased Toronto's lead and gave Lester (6-6-1-3-5, 110) a decent cushion to work with.

Salty's second single of the afternoon drove in two runs in the sixth. In addition to his hit in the second, Lowrie also reached base twice on errors. His line drive past first baseman Adam Lind in the eighth scored the Sox's final two runs; it was ruled a two-base error.
Example
Jesse Litsch / Jon Lester

SoSH has a "Dear Red Sox" thread. Some of the notes to the team:
Please lose less often than every game.

It is not necessary or proper to honor Earth Day by turning the lights out on the 2011 season.

Giving the other teams in the AL East a 10 game head start may "sound" like a good idea in theory, but it's not actually one.

Please turn your 3rd one game winning streak of the season into a two game winning streak. Is it really that fucking hard to win two in a row!!! Thanks for listen.
AL East: Orioles/Cleveland (1 PM); Twins/Rays (1:30 PM); Rangers/Yankees (8 PM).

124 comments:

allan said...

Jed Lowrie has reached base in 11 of his last 16 plate appearances. So let's drop him from leadoff down to #6 and put the guy with the .185 OBP and fuckin -4 OPS+ at the top of the order. Brilliant.

Crawford LF
Pedroia 2B
Gonzalez 1B
Youkilis 3B
Ortiz DH
Lowrie SS
Drew RF
Saltalamacchia C
Ellsbury CF

laura k said...

It is not necessary or proper to honor Earth Day by turning the lights out on the 2011 season.

Love it.

Lineup obsession.

Love it not. Matters not. He's playing, let's be glad for that.

9casey said...

Baseball players are very delicate creatures..... And Carl Crawford is a 9th spot away from completely wilting....I am actulaly shocked Lowrie is playing , this has to be the end for Marco, I could see starting Jed against a lefty , but this is a sure sign he will be the SS. And if he goes 0-4 does he bench him. I am always amazed how mangers treat lower paid athletes. they use them more as pawns they can actually actulally move were high paid guys offer no flexibilty....

allan said...

Lineup obsession.

I got through 13 games without a complaint (I think).

This team needs every edge it can get. Why not give the most PA to the hottest guy on the team? Then again, if the 3-4-5 guys get on, he can drive them in. (Plus, The Craw might go 5-for-5 today.)

(If Lowrie had the PA to qualify, he'd be #1 in MLB in AVG, #2 in OBP (#1 in AL), and #3 in OPS (#2 in AL).)

allan said...

Escobar SS
Patterson CF
Bautista RF
Lind 1B
Hill 2B
Arencibia C
Snider DH
Rivera LF
Nix 3B

allan said...

Tito Explains It All:

On Crawford being back in the lineup:
"We talked for a little while. I just wanted to do a couple of things: reassure him how we feel, which I think is pretty obvious and find out if I can help, how can I help? I haven’t been around him for forever. He actually was really good. He said he feels good. If work has anything to do with it ... he almost beat us to the ballpark today. I thought a day yesterday of being in the cage and not having to take it right into the game sometimes can help. Once he gets going — I think we all know it, I know I do — he’s going to get real hot. Hope it starts today. This is certainly not a guy who when he doesn’t hit, you run from. He’s going to be a huge part of our offense."

On Lowrie hitting sixth:
"We talked about that a little bit last night. Jed’s so hot right now, how do you keep him out of the lineup? Then the thinking was, he’s such a good righthand hitter, if we sandwich him in between the two lefties, maybe that takes away a potential opportunity for Toronto’s bullpen."

allan said...

When did the Red Sox last win two games in a row? The final two games of last year.

Last three-game winning streak: September 22-25, 2010.

johngoldfine said...

"tito explains...."

He makes it make sense, sort of.

meunier said...

Is there a delay?

allan said...

1:35 start

allan said...

That Yook error in the 9th yesterday was changed to a hit.

allan said...

all 3 balls to bautista look like they are on the edges of strike zone in gdgd's f/x data.

johngoldfine said...

Crawford homer to start?

allan said...

I'll pay $1 to see that.

johngoldfine said...

blup

allan said...

Krawford.

johngoldfine said...

This has got be pretty fucking humiliating for CC

johngoldfine said...

If EB made it to 2d "easily" with his speed, that passed ball must have been hard to find....

allan said...

I hate it when OB says, as he did after AG went to 2nd, "a base hit from Youkilis will give the red sox a run". Not necessarily, especially with a slug like AG.

He did all night on Friday. When the Sox were rallying, "a base hit will score two". He states it like it's a rule. It's not.

andy said...

A bit ago Allan you were referencing the pitchfx thing to justify what at the time seemed like a horrible call on a bad pitch. What I meant to say then is I noticed that if the pitch is called a strike but is obviously out of the zone they just drag it back to the edge of the zone on pitchfx. If its a ball they leave it where it was. This is from a fair amount of empirical evidence.

johngoldfine said...

baseball announcers always have a problem with verb tenses--they create a 'fantasy future' tense that somehow keeps the standard present in form but not in intent--you've put it in the actual future tense, but I always hear: a base hit now ties this game; if that ball gets past the catcher, a run scores

allan said...

it is the same problem i have with "scoring position". yeah, the guy can score from there, but not always. i always think of a person who doesn't understand baseball very well hearing the game - and being confused when the run actually doesn't score on the single.

wasn't there a game in which dumbo could only go from 2nd to 3rd on a crazy fenway double?

johngoldfine said...

Yes!

allan said...

andy: but i have also gone back and seen the ball well outside the zone on a pitch that was called a game-ending strike 3.

allan said...

come on, houdini.

allan said...

fuckin shit

johngoldfine said...

fuckshit

meunier said...

What a cheap ass run

johngoldfine said...

why wouldn't they just let him have second via defensive indifference???

allan said...

too early in the game?

(wouldn't it be a SB for the same reason?)

meunier said...

I would hit that like Papi

allan said...

although "too early" would also be a good reason to not throw down against a running team that might try to come home from third.

meunier said...

Salty fucked up the checkdown

Michael Holloway said...

#5 3,H
#8 CS
FC?
Cool.

allan said...

O. FIRE!

allan said...

come on, salty.
hit for fucks sake

Benjamin said...

Two men on. Now we just need to get through our three pitchers to Pedroia.

SoSock said...

2 hits in a row!!!!!!
(Sad that that's a cause to celebrate..)

allan said...

3 HITS!!!!!!!!!!!

WOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

johngoldfine said...

salty on fire!

meunier said...

Salty redeems himself!

SoSock said...

Salty!

Kathryn said...

Put some salt on that rib eye!

(Okay, maybe not)

Michael Holloway said...

Seeing eye run scoring single.

allan said...

OB: ellsbury has a stolen base in each of the last 2 games.

wow.

allan said...

LBJ DONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fufkcing yeah!@!@!

johngoldfine said...

Yeeha!

Michael Holloway said...

Right fielder pulls up an hour before the ball was hit.

meunier said...

JACOBY!

Rob said...

LYNDON B. JOHNSON FLASHING SOME DONG.

Kathryn said...

LAURA'S BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jake of All Trades said...

Crushed!

SoSock said...

Four? Seriously? Wow.....

allan said...

Boston's 1st 3-run dong this year.

allan said...

... not a bad shot for a "pitcher".

Michael Holloway said...

4-1 again.

allan said...

Orioles have lost 6 straight and are down 3-1 in the 6th to the Spiders.

SoSock said...

Well now, 6 - 9 get consecutive hits, then 1 & 2 effectively crush the momentum. meh, It'll work out though

Benjamin said...

Maybe the basement homeschooling is finally doing some good.

Michael Holloway said...

cats and mouses.

Kathryn said...

Yes, whatever L did to him in the basement...it worked!!

allan said...

DP!

allan said...

Laura email:

MY BOY!!!!!!!​!!!!!!!!!!​!!!!!!!!!!​!

Kathryn said...

This is going to take some getting used to. My streaming video is behind.

Man, that really could have hurt Lester.

Kathryn said...

Catch the ball CC.

Michael Holloway said...

Any good reads lately (Crawford)

allan said...

I have work and am muting the game, but will put comments through as often as I can. Should be back for the last few innings.

meunier said...

Why don't they put LBJ back in left and CC in center?

SoSock said...

Was that last strike t Bautista as high as GDGD showed it to be?

allan said...

Maybe this is the reason:

Crawford
LF: 1180 games (includes today)
CF: 54 games

Michael Holloway said...

excuuuuse me!

Kathryn said...

Was that last strike t Bautista as high as GDGD showed it to be?
I think it was high, he tried to check his swing, but gave a half-hearted effort instead.

Kathryn said...

I would much rather have LBJ in center. I don't think anybody else can cover the ground he can.

allan said...

just pointing out a good reason why the sox won't do it (i didn't know the game splayed were so one-sided). they certainly would not do anything while he is unable to hit.

Michael Holloway said...

(Bautistas funny swing)

Sportsnet pointed out Bautista talking to Patterson between innings. Talking about running with 2 strikes on the batter?

Michael Holloway said...

For the Jays, it's broke bat mountain.

Michael Holloway said...

The other side of the green monster.

Nix's slam would have been a HR anywhere else - instead a single! He was running for the double out of the box; good play off the wall by CC.

Michael Holloway said...

That steal was announced - the whole league knew he was running on that pitch. Slow breaking ball for a low ball and Nix has his 2 bases.

Michael Holloway said...

Sorry you have to work Allan, I'll stop interrupting your concentration - so you can get back to the game sooner. See ya!

allan said...

break time!

loaded for salty.

allan said...

in play, run(s)

!!!!!!

tim said...

FUCK YOU BOGAR

Kathryn said...

More salty rib eyes!!

allan said...

rut-roh ... bogar?

(#8 and #9 hitters with 3 RBI each)

tim said...

castig said bogar waved him.

Kathryn said...

I'm watching hockey and following on GDGD. Was it close? Drew trying to score from first?

Edward Lee said...

Really impressed that Drew was even close to scoring. It looked like he hadn't even rounded third when Bautista fired the ball back in.

allan said...

"don't bogar that baserunner"

meunier said...

boingoingoing :(

Kathryn said...

Now I'm watching on the computer. Lowrie just booted a perfect DP ball, everybody safe.

Kathryn said...

FY with the DP!!!!

SoSock said...

Go higher!

SoSock said...

Was with my computer guy for a while. Did Bard start the 7th? Or did Lester get in trouble?

SoSock said...

Oops. Nevermind.....Found it in the box score. 2 Batters and out. Guess it was trouble

Michael Holloway said...

With these Jays a BB is a double - it seems every time they get on base they steal.

Michael Holloway said...

Double steal?

allan said...

it seems every time they get on base they steal

With Salty de Milo back there, why not?

Michael Holloway said...

(Hill didn't move.) Salty not good with the arm thing?

Michael Holloway said...

I watched every game the Jays have played - they're running no matter what the battery.

allan said...

jenKs

Kathryn said...

I like this Jenks better than Friday's.

allan said...

EB 2B!

allan said...

PASSEDBALLA!

allan said...

Loaded for Lowrie!

allan said...

MEET YOUR MASTER, JED LOWRIE!

allan said...

two base error and no rbi?

Kathryn said...

Swing Out Sister!

(Yes, it's corny, but I'm going to keep posting it until somebody acknowledges what I'm talking about.)

allan said...

i know it's something music-related, but not the scissor sisters.

Kathryn said...

Their big (only?) hit was Breakout in the '80s. Yesterday's game was the Red Sox "breakout" game. And it continues.

Michael Holloway said...

I was looking at the scorecard from Friday - I forgot about the 4 run 7th with all the fake steals that rattled them both.

Michael Holloway said...

Different game when Varitek is in.

allan said...

let's nail this shit down.

Kathryn said...

Don't hurt yourself Youk.

Kathryn said...

1

Michael Holloway said...

Break Out! The Toronto Blue Jays way.

I knew this would happen.

For reference purposes only: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnivOKYyWLY

Kathryn said...

2

allan said...

nice and quick, is wheeler.

Kathryn said...

Wheelin' dealin'

Michael Holloway said...

3.

See you tomorrow morning.

allan said...

one step at a time

4-10, 4.5 GB

Kathryn said...

3.

Dirty two in a row!!

SoSock said...

YeeHA! A 2-win streak! We rule! There's no stopping us now! Watch out world! It's on!
(Let's see, did I miss any?) ;>

Who knows? Maybe its a start.
I really do think we'll be in it at the end. I just wish we weren't starting in such a hole

allan said...

Can't win 10 in a row without winning the first two!

MFY tonight; O's and Rays lost:

MFY 8-5 ---
TOR 7-8 2.0
BAL 6-8 2.5
TBR 6-9 3.0
BOS 4-10 4.5

4.5 out with 148 to play.
A mere bag of shells.

laura k said...

Delayed can't-thread-at-work reaction:

THAT'S MY BOY!!!!!!!!!

and

Don't drink the water! It's dirty!!

So disappointed to miss tomorrow's game, my favourite of the regular season. I'll be able to catch an inning or two from the airport, so I'll check in with the thread from there.