June 15, 2011

G67: Red Sox 3, Rays 0

Red Sox   - 000 000 300 - 3  4  1
Rays      - 000 000 000 - 0  1  0
Beckett (9-1-0-0-6, 97) pitched the first one-hitter of his career, his first shutout since July 12, 2009, and the Red Sox's first complete game of 2011. It was also Beckett's ninth career complete game of nine innings (six in the regular season and three in the playoffs).

With two outs in the third, Reid Brignac hit a medium-speed grounder down the third base line. Kevin Youkilis came in and gloved it, but his throw was on one hop to Adrian Gonzalez and, most likely, not in time. AG couldn't scoop the throw and Brignac was safe. That was Beckett's only baserunner, as he retired the next 19 batters. (Beckett threw more than five pitches to only two of his 28 batters.)

Hellickson (7-4-3-2-2, 94) matched Beckett pitch-by-pitch for six innings. He allowed only two baserunners -- Dustin Pedroia's first-inning single and Jacoby Ellsbury's walk in the fourth -- and both of them were immediately erased on double plays.

With one out in the seventh, Pedroia tripled off the wall in right-center. Matt Joyce drifted back and leapt at (or maybe crashed into) the wall, but could not catch the ball. The Rays intentionally walked Gonzalez and pitched to Youkilis, who had a miserable game last night and was 0-2 so far against Hellickson, including an ugly three-pitch strikeout his last time up. Youkilis took a strike, then drilled a fastball about four rows deep in left field for his 10th dong of the season.

At 2:20, it was the Red Sox's quickest game of the season. The second-quickest game (2:24) was played last night.
Example
Josh Beckett / Jeremy Hellickson

Last 7 starts
              IP    H   R  ER  BB   K   ERA   AVG   OBP   SLG
Beckett      44.2  33   9   9  18  38  1.81  .209  .309  .241
Hellickson   46.0  29  12  11  19  29  2.15  .180  .267  .304
In his last start, Hellickson allowed five earned runs and seven hits to Baltimore in 5.2 innings. Since May 1, Beckett has made eight starts with a 1.65 ERA. Beckett also has had six no-decisions in his last 10 starts.

Jacoby Ellsbury has hit safely in 17 of his last 18 games (.397/.455/.603/1.057). During his current 11-game hitting streak, he's batting .423. From June 7-12, Ellsbury had six straight multiple-hit games.

Adrian Gonzalez has hits in 20 of his last 23 games, with a .406 average. Over the last month or so (May 8, 33 games), he's hitting .388. Gonzalez has a hit or a walk in 58 of his 66 games.

Marco Scutaro is hitting .432 in his last 10 games (which includes four games before his DL stint). ... Since getting the good news on his shoulder, Dustin Pedroia is hitting .412/.524/.706/1.230.

AL East: Rangers/Yankees and Orioles/Blue Jays at 7 PM.

160 comments:

allan said...

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

allan said...

PeteAbe:

Andrew Miller has decided to stay with the Red Sox, manager Terry Francona said.

The Class AAA starter had the option of declaring free agency today if the Red Sox did not promote him to the majors. But as the Globe reported last night, a compromise was reached that will culminate with Miller joining the rotation next week. He is expected to pitch against the San Diego Padres on Monday. ...

***

allan said...

Damon, DH
Zobrist, 2B
Joyce, RF
Longoria, 3B
Kotchman, 1B
Upton, CF
Jaso, C
Ruggiano, LF
Brignac, SS

allan said...

NESN!
Bingo in the Trop!

laura k said...

I feel like we should post Game 7 updates.

Jere said...

Okay, I know I complain about camera angles a lot, but could they at least zoom in a little on the main shot? The whole top half of the screen is crowd and wall. Zoom the fuck in!

allan said...

nesn seems fine/normal on my tv. the rays feed last night was horrible; it made it seem like i was sitting in the bleachers.

Zenslinger said...

ESPN ticker: the Angels have released Scott Kazmir. He went 0-5 giving up 30 runs in 5 starts in the minors.

Man, he fell off a cliff.

Zenslinger said...

Yanks quickly come back in bottom of 1st; 2-2 now.

Jere said...

I feel like I'm behind the bleachers.

allan said...

i think nesn missed the 1st pitch to longoria.

laura k said...

Kazmir, yeah, that's crazy. Was it an injury that he never recovered from?

Kathryn said...

If drew cared...

Zenslinger said...

Can't remember. He started going downhill while still with the Rays.

Kathryn said...

What was his record against the sox?

laura k said...

I used to hope he would end up with Boston - him and Crawford. Glad only half my wish came true!

allan said...

Kazmir vs Sox

Amy said...

Hi, everyone. Long time, no see, but I decided I needed some JOS spirit tonight.

Question: Andrew Miller's deal---how long do the Sox have to keep him in the majors under the contract in order to avoid free agency? Is one game sufficient? I don't usually care too much about these things, but this intrigued me.

Damn, DP.

Kathryn said...

Thanks Allan. Do you get tired of being the go-to stats guy?

laura k said...

Rips foul - another one for the list

laura k said...

Amy, you succumbed to the laptop tonight I see. :)

laura k said...

Everyone can use B-Ref, you know.

Maxwell Horse said...

The Swisher/Papelbon shaver commercial looks like a frat-guy's Youtube "vlog." But hey, I can understand that a little Mom & Pop company like Norelco couldn't afford to shoot with film, so I give it a free pass.

Amy said...

Yes, I needed a fix of JOS!

And no, not everyone can use B-Ref. Some of us are too overwhelmed. I do not find it user friendly.

Was that in response to my question about Miller? I wouldn't even know where to begin to find the answer to that question!

laura k said...

OTT

allan said...

No, I don't mind looking stuff up. But when I read "what's his record?", I wonder if all my work here has been in vain...

Not sure about Miller. It should be in some of the stories, or in the SoSH thread I (think I) linked to.

allan said...

TEX - 202
MFY - 210

Amy said...

OK, I will see what I can find about Miller.

And perhaps someone could create a tutorial for using B-Ref. I just really find it confusing. But then I have never spend much time trying to figure it out. I can find simple things, like a player's overall record, but no clue how you find things like a player's record against a particular pitcher.

Kathryn said...

Why would that make your work in vain? I've been to B-Ref. I've even found some answers there. But I never seem to get the search right on the first try, or even the second.

How do you complete that search?

allan said...

For what I found, I looked under "splits" on Kazmir's page, and then "career", and scrolled down to where each team is.

Also on the pitcher's page is "vs batter" or something like that.

Kathryn said...

Hi Amy. Good to have you here tonight.

Wow, this is another very quick game.

Tom DePlonty said...

In the SoSH thread about Miller somebody said he would have to clear waivers if they send him down.

laura k said...

Was that in response to my question about Miller?

Nope.

Kat asked if Allan minded being the go-to guy for stats.

allan said...

because what his record against the red sox is/was means nothing and i want everyone to stop caring what it is/was.

laura k said...

Oh god, more Heidi eating spots.

allan said...

i don't get the waiver thing. i thought he was simply a free agent and could then do whatever he wanted with any team. (maybe i'm wrong.)

laura k said...

My guess is Baseball Reference is like any other tool: it gets easier with practice.

Amy said...

Yes, it seems that if they send Miller back down, he would have to clear waivers first, but there is a clause in his contract where the Sox gave him a $3 million option for 2012 if he is claimed on waivers by another team.

Not that I really have a clue what that means... Some day I will have to learn more about how these contracts work.

I assume, however, that it means they can send him back down to AAA without triggering the free agency clause.

Amy said...

This is my source. Here

allan said...

oh, okay. i got their decision today and any future demotion confused/combined.

Amy said...

Hi, Kat---good to be here!

allan said...

Amy using Fangraphs!!!

Tom DePlonty said...

I don't understand the waiver thing either, but the impression I got was that once they decided to bring him up, keeping him with the Sox (because there was a clause in the minor league contract that let him walk if they didn't) they want to keep him up to keep him off waivers.

Kathryn said...

Oh, it's the record thing. I get it. Sorry, I guess that was a momentary lapse.

Thanks for the instruction. That made sense and I got to the page.

johngoldfine said...

greetings from vacationland, jos

allan said...

Well, I *was* kidding. For us old farts, batting average and W-L are so ingrained, it's hard to let go or to not use them even as shorthand for something else.

laura k said...

Amy using Fangraphs!!!

You see, your work is not in vain!

laura k said...

These Sullivan Tire ads are AWFUL

Kathryn said...

It seemed that Kazmir usually pitched well against us. Just a feeling, though.

johngoldfine said...

We used to have a local tire company that advertised itself as "the one with the friendly feel, where you get satisfaction wrapped around a wheel." I thought that was pretty gross/funny.

Kathryn said...

Hey John. Where are you vacationing?

Amy said...

Well, not really using Fangraphs. Just what I found by googling Andrew Miller free agency contract terms.

I guess the thought is that no team will take him through waivers with the $3 million option he has with the Sox available? Got me!

Amy said...

Kat, I have the same sense---that Kazmir was our nemesis on the Rays for several seasons.

allan said...

Pitch Count:

JB: 10-9-17 5-13-10 = 64
JH: 15-14-8 11-9-8 = 65

laura k said...

That's why I wanted him to go to Boston.

laura k said...

But then he started sucking.

johngoldfine said...

Hey Kat--Maine is Vacationland; says so right on our license plates. I am vacationing in delightful Swanville Maine, chez moi.

laura k said...

Satisfaction wrapped around a wheel! Ha ha, yes, gross/funny.

Kathryn said...

L, where have you been? Crawford is sucking, too!
*sarcasm*

allan said...

i did not look at the yearly stats but one year had a 1.xx ERA, right? i'm sure there was a good stretch in there where he was on. i also remember him throwing a ton of pitches, of being up to 100 by the 5th.

Amy said...

So, John, where do Mainers (or Mainiacs) go for vacation?

Seventh inning already?? Wow.

johngoldfine said...

Damned if I know, amy. I guess we get on I-95 and head south, hoping for the best.

Kathryn said...

Thanks John.

That's two things that have gone over my head already tonight. Ugh. Maybe it's the 'old fart' in me coming out.

Kathryn said...

I'm hollering, "That looks good. That looks good." and then...foul.

laura k said...

Ontario, yours to discover

Just a tourism slogan, not really a state nickname like The Empire State, Vacationland, or The Garden State, which now makes everyone snicker.

I had to look up Massachusetts: The Bay State.

Amy said...

FY!!

johngoldfine said...

FY!!!

laura k said...

FY!

Jere said...

score here

allan said...

yook, break out of this 1.5-game tamper slump.

Amy said...

We would have told you that, Laura! If Allan can look up weird stats for us, the least we can do is tell you the state nickname.

Connecticut is the Nutmeg State, NH the Granite State, Rhode Island the Ocean State. Can't remember Vermont. But that takes care of New England. :)

Kathryn said...

Triple!! Now bring him in.

johngoldfine said...

"I had to look up Massachusetts: The Bay State"

Aw, laura, that's insulting to a native son! Dja know there's a humongous stuffed cod hanging in the chamber of the Mass. house of representatives--either a reminder of our Bay heritage or a former legislator who forgot to go home....

Amy said...

YES!! YOUK!!!

laura k said...

SWEAT POWER!!!!!

allan said...

SULTAN OF SWEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3-0.

johngoldfine said...

Shit yes!

Amy said...

Green Mountain State.

Jere said...

payment received

Kathryn said...

And, Virginia is for Lovers.

Tom DePlonty said...

Cool beans.

laura k said...

Green Mountain State.

I knew all the others you named, only didn't know Massachusetts.

But I looked it up myself! I usually do. :) (But thanks!)

johngoldfine said...

VT=Green Mountain State

Benjamin said...

Love the extra bonus run.

Kathryn said...

Ha, that's not a double play!

YOUUUKKKK!!!

laura k said...

Anytime there's a triple in the early innings, I always start thinking cycle. Normally the 7th inning seems too late, but who knows. FY could do it.

Amy said...

Of course, Massachusetts is a Commonwealth, so it should be the Bay Commonwealth. But whatevah!

laura k said...

Virgnia = Old Dominion

Jere said...

We have 2: besides Nutmeg State, we're also Constitution State. (And that's the one that made the license plate.)

Amy said...

Isn't Maine's real nickname the Pine Tree State or something?

Kathryn said...

Virginia is also a commonwealth. Along with Kentucky, right?

Amy said...

PA: Keystone State

I think that may exhaust my knowledge. After all, those are the license plates I am most likely to see, along with NY and NJ.

laura k said...

John, don't take it personally. I have no connection to Mass except the Red Sox. Even Allan didn't know it was The Bay State!

Amy said...

Yes, PA and KY are also commonwealths.

Some call RI Little Rhody. I'd hate that.

johngoldfine said...

Amy--Pine Tree State has about a million more times more dignity than Vacationland, but the license plate does not lie.

laura k said...

Wikipedia says yes, Maine is the Pine Tree State.

I also know it as Vacationland, so those license plates are very effective.

Jere said...

I know Louisiana is Sportsmen's Paradise from Jaws.

johngoldfine said...

No offense taken, laura--but the Red Sox are just the tip of the iceberg of the glories of my home state!

Amy said...

Why is Connecticut the Constitution State? It wasn't signed there, and CT was not the first to sign it. Was CT the first state to have a constitution?

laura k said...

Stanley Cup: 1-0 Boston end of 1st period.

Kathryn said...

My additions:

North Carolina: Tar Heel State
Kentucky: Bluegrass State
Tennessee: Volunteer State
West Virginia: Mountain State
Georgia: Peach State
South Carolina: Palmetto State

laura k said...

Stories of state nicknames

Jere said...

Another one I better know is Nebraska being the Cornhusker State.

laura k said...

Boston right now in the Sunshine State

Amy said...

Ah, yes, I should have remembered all those.

There's a hockey game tonight?

Just kidding...even I am aware of that.

Jere said...

I never really knew WHY my home state is called the Constitution state. Or the Nutmeg State. It's not like we all ate nutmeg on everything. Constitutionally.

Kathryn said...

Sprays it foul. Do we have that one yet?

Amy said...

TX: Lone Star State

Tom DePlonty said...

Amy - yes, CT had first state constitution.

Kathryn said...

I kinda like "Land of Steady Habits" for CT.

allan said...

Hatchet-Faced Nutmeg Dealer?

Amy said...

"Connecticut was designated the “Constitution State” by the General Assembly in 1959. As early as the 19th Century, John Fiske, a popular historian from Connecticut, made the claim that the Fundamental Orders of 1638/39 were the first written constitution in history."

Amy said...

All you want to know about state nicknames is here .

laura k said...

Sprayed foul! No Kat, that's new. :)

Amy said...

There are definitely some state nicknames I have never heard. Alabama the Yellowhammer State? Colorado the Centennial State? And so on.

laura k said...

California = The Golden State

laura k said...

Amy, scroll up. I linked to that a while back.

laura k said...

Wyoming has a cool one: The Equality State.

Too bad that's history.

Amy said...

Oops, I must have missed it. In fact, I still can't find it. Sorry!

Amy said...

Assuming it was ever true of Wyoming...or any other state.

johngoldfine said...

Maine has the towns of Unity, Amity, Liberty, Freedom, laura. No Equality, though.

laura k said...

Ha ha, no problem. It says "stories of state nicknames". I thought that's why you were quoting from it about CT!

Jere said...

"California = The Golden State"

I always forget that one despite the Golden State Warriors.

Amy said...

Nope, we just both found the same site. The wonders of Google!

laura k said...

WY was the first state with women's suffrage and women in the state legislature. The influence of the pioneer women in the west was very positive.

Now it's anti-choice and anti-equal marriage.

laura k said...

That's how I know a lot of the nicks, too. Like Tennessee, Volunteer State. And your Cornhuskers.

allan said...

"sprayed" is not new; it's on the bingo card.

laura k said...

But we have this alt-bingo game: Don's verbs for foul balls.

laura k said...

The Dunkin Donuts iced coffee ads are killing me.

Kathryn said...

Sprayed foul. Damn, there it is, under the G.

allan said...

TEX - 202 000
MFY - 210 12

laura k said...

Another super fast game!

allan said...

time of game is 2:13 in mid 9th

allan said...

beckett at 84 - hope he's back out there

Amy said...

This game really did fly. Like the olden days.

Kathryn said...

1

(counting for Beckett is different)

allan said...

Like the olden days.

1938?

Kathryn said...

2

Amy said...

1960s, 1970s.

Damn, I may have to watch hockey. Not that I am complaining about an easy win tonight.

laura k said...

Last night was really fast, too.

Amy said...

Yes, but we lost that one. Better a fast game we win!

johngoldfine said...

Nice!

laura k said...

Dirty Joshing Water!

What a beauty. Thanks, Josh!

Amy said...

And we do! One hitter!

Beckett of 2007!

Laura, is it inevitable yet?

Tom DePlonty said...

Beautiful.

Kathryn said...

3.. A beautiful one hitter for Josh.

Jere said...

shoulda had a no hitter

laura k said...

Oh dear, the I-word. Too early for me - still before the ASB.

allan said...

if yook gets brignac to end the 3rd, it is impossible to say how the next 6 innings would have gone. the sox could have lost 15-4.

Kathryn said...

Good night everyone. I enjoyed the game and the company.

allan said...

Still 1-0 with 8:30 left in the 2nd.

allan said...

2-0!!!

Amy said...

OK, I was trying to remember when it was that you started saying that four years ago.

Yes, probably still too early. Just hoping!

I guess I will watch some hockey. Can't ignore all the Boston excitement.

allan said...

Bruins short-handed! 3-0!

Tom DePlonty said...

Tonight and last night the two shortest games of the season so far - 2:20 and 2:24 respectively.

Jere said...

It's cool how watching a game 7 gives you a slight hint of those feelings you get when a team you actually DO care about is in a championship series or whatever.

9casey said...

Kazmir relased from the angels. I will be somewhat suprised if the yankees don't grab him.

allan said...

Kazmir relased from the angels. I will be somewhat suprised if the yankees don't grab him.

In five starts for Salt Lake (AAA), Kazmir pitched 15.1 innings and allowed 22 hits, 20 walks, and 30 runs (29 earned), for a 17.02 ERA and 2.74 WHIP. He also hit 6 batters.

Checking his game log, one of the starts was decent. In 3 of the other 4 starts, however, he recorded only 5, 5, and 7 outs.

Maybe some team thinks they can help him.

I am shocked that he is only 27!

Jere said...

Vancouver rioting live!

charlie pioli said...

For now lets toast to the Bruins. In November we can toast to the sox.