July 16, 2011

G92: Red Sox 9, Rays 5

Red Sox - 023 100 102 - 9  9  2
Rays    - 300 010 001 - 5 13  2
After Lackey's hard-luck first inning, extended by some poor fielding by Marco Scutaro, the big-chinned, long-suffering righty held the line (5.2-10-4-1-7, 107). He never had a 1-2-3 inning -- in fact, Tampa got a runner to second base in every one of his innings -- but he kept the Rays off the board while Shields did his own Lackey impersonation (6-6-6-3-8, 106).

After barely fouling off a 3-2 pitch in the second, Josh Reddick hit a two-run home run (Bernie Carbo-style). Boston scored three times in the third, taking a 5-2 lead, before Shields recorded an out, as Adrian Gonzalez walked, Kevin Youkilis singled, and David Ortiz and J.D. Drew both doubled.

Shields threw 71 pitches in the first three innings, and only 35 over the next three frames.

Jacoby Ellsbury homered on Shields's first pitch in the fourth. Dustin Pedroia homered off Jose Cruz in the seventh, extending his on-base streak to 26 games. For both LBJ and FY, it was their 13th homers of the year.
Example
John Lackey / James Shields

In his last four starts, Lackey has gone from shitty to good to very shitty to very good. That's not a promising trend when thinking about today's start, but fortunately, it has zero predictive value. Still, Lackey may follow along and go for "very, very shitty".

Since Shields's June 14 shutout over the Red Sox -- the first of three consecutive complete games -- he has a 1.31 ERA in six starts. Last Sunday, he allowed one unearned run to the Yankees in eight innings.

Adrian Gonzalez is having a super-fantastic year at the plate, but Jose Bautista is still blowing him out of the water. Evil Bert has a 14-point edge on Joey Bats in average (.350 vs .336), but he trails Bautista by 60 points in OBP (.410 vs .470) and 116 points in slugging (.585 vs .701). Bautista is the only MLB batter with an OPS over 1.001, and he's at 1.171!

Dustin Pedroia has a 13-game hitting streak and has reached base safely (hit or walk) in 25 straight games. ... The Mariners have an MLB-worst team batting average of .222. ... Houston's Jeff Karstens shut out the Astros last night (9-5-0-0-2) on only 83 pitches.

AL East: Yankees/Blue Jays at 1 PM.

66 comments:

allan said...

Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Gonzalez, 1B
Youkilis, 3B
Ortiz, DH
Drew, RF
Saltalamacchia, C
Reddick, LF
Scutaro, SS

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

Bobby Jenks to DL
Randy Williams UP
Tommy Hottovy DFA

allan said...

MFY - 02
TOR - 1

Sabathia/Romero

allan said...

ERA
Lackey 6.84
Shields 2.33

Nearly three times as high!

allan said...

Bot 9th: Jays down 4-1, get a one-out single off Fruitbat. Ya never know ...

allan said...

Another soft single! 2 on!
Tying run at the plate - the mighty Aaron Hill!

allan said...

Hill: bfcffff K.

Two outs, Snider up

allan said...

Sadly, there is no way Snider - with his laughable little schoolboy moustache - can get over on Rivera.

allan said...

Snider: ccbfbf 6-3.

Fin.

MFY - 021 100 000 - 4 10 1
TOR - 100 000 000 - 1 5 2

CC: 8-3-1-3-8, 110
FB: 28 pitches

allan said...

McCarver: "With a ball like that, Ellsbury is running on contact."

Well, he was the batter, so we assume he's running right away.

Stockton and McMoron. I should mute right now.

Anonymous said...

Is there any way to watch this game if Fox is showing NYM vs. Phillies?? Thanks to MLB.tv for blacking it out nationally... unbearable.

allan said...

You Know Who, re Gonzlez: "He's been a hitting monster playing in the same park as the Green Monster."

I wish I had been collecting these for years.

Kathryn said...

Hey Allan (and anyone else who is here). There is a lot going on around here and I'll only be around for a few innings today. I'm very much looking forward to a time when I can see/hear an entire game again.

Stupid FOX. I've got Mets/Phillies here so it's WEEI for me. At least that means no McCarver.

Kathryn said...

You Know Who, re Gonzlez: "He's been a hitting monster playing in the same park as the Green Monster."

I can even hear his inflection on this one.

allan said...

Thanks to MLB.tv for blacking it out nationally.

I was told by MLB that Canada and the US are the same when it comes to Fox-type blackouts. And yet I am watching the game.

allan said...

It would cause Laura to murder me (probably), but I'd love to be able to really imitate McC's cadences.

(Also doing Sutcliffe's earnest insistence would be fun, but I would be dead for sure with Sut ...)

Kathryn said...

Allan, that means that your FOX affiliate has chosen to show this game. Our FOX affiliate is showing Mets/Phillies. FOX has rights to four afternoon games today and the affiliate chooses which one to show. The crazy part is that you can't get the ones they don't choose to show in your area anywhere else. So, there are three games everywhere that people can't see.

Kathryn said...

Radio says it Johnny Damon bobblehead night and that he has a mohawk!

allan said...

I'm at work with MLBTV, so there is only link to click: "FOX".

I don't think I have an affiliate.

Kathryn said...

Well, I know that's how it works on TV.

But I am really confused about MLB.tv. When I go to MLB.tv I get the schedule of games, with four listed as FOX. When I click on any of those links, I get national blackout restrictions. How are you seeing FOX games on MLB.tv? Maybe that is a Canada/USA difference, but I don't think so. I remember Jonny changed settings and had them thinking we were in London one time so as to see a FOX game.

Kathryn said...

Tough inning, Scutaro.

Kathryn said...

Okay, time to take Scutaro out. Radio says he is hurt.

Maxwell Horse said...

Is Scutaro drunk?

allan said...

i sense a lackey meltdown a-comin'.

Kathryn said...

I can't imagine the looks Lackey has given Scutaro this inning.

Kathryn said...

Crap, maybe this is the very, very shitty Lackey today.

Maxwell Horse said...

I'm glad I never posted my prediction for how I thought Lackey would do this game. I still claim 100% accuracy rate on my psychic abilities.

Maxwell Horse said...

"I can't imagine the looks Lackey has given Scutaro this inning."

Imagine the climax of Superman 2 when General Zod tries to make the tanker truck blow up using his laser vision.

allan said...

I missed all of that. ... But it still counts, I suppose.

I did see Lackey going to cover first or something and then the play was not made and he raised both hands and arms to the heavens (or roof, in this case), crying out why was he a modern-day Job?

Maxwell Horse said...

Reddick soothes some of my misery.

allan said...

FUCK YEAH MOTHERFUCKERS

Kathryn said...

REDDICK!!!!!! It is time to play him a little more, how 'bout it?

allan said...

he thought he k'd on the previous pitch, but ump called a foul. then ... boom!

allan said...

okay, 3-2, we got a game again ... tito should go to the pen to hold the rays here, though ...

allan said...

how about launching another one?

allan said...

... i was talking to you, fy.

Kathryn said...

Buy guys. If Lackey continues pitching, it's probably good that I can't stick around for the rest of this one.

Maxwell Horse said...

Have a nice rest of the day, Kathryn. Maybe you'll come back to find some pleasant news of a Sox comeback.

allan said...

ONE LARGE FUCKIN' FATHER, PLS!!!

Patrick said...

Shoulda gone quad on that. We're gonna need more runs.

Maxwell Horse said...

Even though the outfielder sort of fell trying to get that ball, they credit Ortiz with a double.

allan said...

FIERY CORPSE!!!

allan said...

despite the double, i hope (expect) reddick will be in rf every night when crawford returns next week.

allan said...

PC

Small Game: 17-24-30 = 70
Blamethrower: 27-23 = 50

allan said...

McCarver: "We saw young Randy Williams warming for the Sox."

Williams is 35.

Patrick said...

Yeah, I appreciate the walking dead coming up big right then, but I almost wish he would just stay dead.

Let's leave no doubt about who our RF is.

allan said...

Lackey says fuck you and your stolen base.

WTF was McCarver saying about Upton? He's really a .300 hitter but has been in a four-year slump?

allan said...

Ellsbury grabs Shields by his ears and shakes him around.

aka DONG!

allan said...

023 10

sox have a chance at a nice palindrome.

allan said...

Lackey suddenly rockin' and rollin'.

allan said...

oh brother.

allan said...

get your head out of yr ass, lackey, and finish this inning.

allan said...

nice foot on the bag, shields!!!!

Kathryn said...

Just checking in...yay!

Blamethrower, ha. Have you used that one before?

allan said...

A few times. It is not original. I think a Maine newspaper guy started using it and I saw it at SoSH. Not totally sold on it, myself.

Patrick said...

FY, of course.

laura k said...

You know what we are, don't you?

Amy said...

Fuck yeah!!!

Kathryn said...

GDGD says in play, run(s) with the lead off. FY!!!!!

laura k said...

Well, if nobody knows, I will tell you. We are...

UNSTOPPABLE!

allan said...

Well, if nobody knows, I will tell you. We are...

UNSTOPPABLE!


If Lackey can't stop us, no one can ...

Patrick said...

If that's true, let's call up Gagne!

laura k said...

If Lackey can't stop us, no one can ...

Essackly.

Jere said...

1.5

Jere said...

This Seinfeld ep my Fox station is showing is like the post-game cig.

"you coulda done a LOT better than him...."

allan said...

Classic Comedy Related: We got the Complete Get Smart box last week and started watching them during the break!

Jere said...

Nice.

I just finished reading Game Six so it's funny you compared Reddick to Carbo--worst swing followed by the best. *crack*