G89: Red Sox 4, Orioles 0

Orioles - 000 000 000 - 0  4  1
Red Sox - 000 030 10x - 4 10  0

Lackey (6.2-3-0-1-7, 106) walked off the mound in the seventh inning to a well-deserved standing ovation, keeping his cool despite allowing the leadoff batter to reach base in four of the first five innings. And Boston struck for three runs in the fifth when two intentional walks ordered by Buck Showalter both blew up in his face.

In the fifth, Jacoby Ellsbury tripled with one out, but was caught in a rundown when Dustin Pedroia grounded back to the mound. Two outs and FY was on second. Adrian Gonzalez was put on, but Kevin Youkilis doubled over Nolan Reimold's head in left to give Boston a 1-0 lead. Then David Ortiz was intentionally walked -- and Josh Reddick roped a 2-run double to right field.

Youkilis's second double of the game scored Pedroia in the seventh. Yook also singled in the first for a 3-for-4 night. Ellsbury was also 3-for-4, singling in the first, doubling in the third, and tripling in the fifth. He had a shot at a "natural cycle", but grounded out to first to end the sixth, and was left in the on-deck circle at the end of the eighth.

Lackey hit Derrick Lee in the left thigh with an 0-1 fastball with two outs and the bases empty in the seventh. Unlikely Lackey's HBP of Nick Markakis on an inside pitch in the previous inning, this fastball (Lackey's 101st pitch of the evening) seemed at least semi-intentional. Both teams were warned.

The Yankees beat the Rays 5-4 this afternoon, as Derek Jeter went 5-for-5, collecting career hits 2,999-3,003. While Jeter is the 28th player in history to have 3,000 hits, he's only the second to both reach the milestone with a home run (joining Wade Boggs) and have at least five hits in the game (along with Craig Biggio).

Alfredo Simon / John Lackey

Simon has pitched for the Orioles for parts of four seasons: 4, 2, and 49 appearances before this year. He has started only three times in his major league career: once in September 2008 and twice in April 2009. I believe these facts will work to our advantage.

My friend Kap sent this, with the note "i think this sums it up":

And over at SoSH, Savin Hillbilly juxtaposed quotes from Kevin Gregg ("We have just as much right to play the game here ... they think they're better than everybody else") and C.S. Lewis:

No man who says I'm as good as you believes it. He would not say it if he did....The claim to equality, outside the strictly political field, is made only by those who feel themselves to be in some way inferior. What it expresses is precisely the itching, smarting, writhing awareness of an inferiority which the patient refuses to accept.

Maybe another beating and a 10+-spot on the board will helps the patient accepts their reality.

Will (or can) Lackey "step up"? Having the worst starter in MLB shut down the Fightin' Os would be nice. The MASN Morons will likely attribute any signs of life from the Baltimore bats to Showalter's uncanny ability to inspire his troops to sink 16 games out of first win, but the more likely reason will be the presence of Mr. Lackey. So if that happens, we'll simply have to win 15-12.

AL East: Rays/Yankees (Price/Burnett) at 1 PM.