August 16, 2011

G120: Red Sox 3, Rays 1

Rays     - 100 000 000 - 1  3  0
Red Sox  - 003 000 00x - 3  3  0
Jacoby Ellsbury's three-run home run was all the offense Jon Lester (7-3-1-1-8, 113) and the Red Sox needed to win a pitchers duel in Tuesday's afternoon game.

After Josh Reddick and Mike Aviles singled, and light rain began falling at Fenway, Ellsbury cranked an 1-0 pitch to right-center (#21). Boston's only other baserunner off "Complete Game" James Shields (8-3-3-1-6, 114) was Kevin Youkilis, who walked in the fourth.

Tampa Bay scored in the first when Desmond Jennings led off the game with a double, stole third, and scored on Evan Longoria's ground out. Lester hit Sean Rodriguez in the second inning and walked Kelly Shoppach, but stranded both runners. And over the next seven innings, the Rays had only one base runner (Longoria's single in the sixth).

Daniel Bard threw 12 pitches in the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon threw 10 in the ninth, so they both may be available tonight.
Example
James Shields / Jon Lester

First game of a day-night doubleheader. Game thread here.

The Rays/Yankees game on Sunday afternoon was rained out. With Monday as an off day, the Rays took the train from Penn Station to South Street station, wearing 1950s-style fedoras as their latest travel attire theme.

Shields was scheduled to pitch on Sunday in New York. ... Lester had a rough start against the Twins last Wednesday, including a season-high five walks. ... David Ortiz has hit safely in seven straight games (13-for-26, .500). ... Adrian Gonzalez leads MLB with 54 multi-hit games.

The Yankees won yesterday and moved into a tie for first place in the East. Both Boston and New York are 73-46. There are 43 games remaining in the season.

7 comments:

johngoldfine said...

MLB GDGD gets it wrong, not for the first time ever, I guess.

Boston has no "South Street Station"--it has North Station and it has South Station. There's about a mile between them, and ever since they were built people have bemoaned the impossibility of getting from one to the other.

If you want to get from South to North by subway, you take the Red Line to Park and then the Green Line to North Station (though sometimes you will have to switch at Government Center for a Green Line car that is going all the way to Lechmere. It's a stone pain in the ass.

Going from Logan Airport to North Station Friday, I got stuck at Government Center; two Green Line trains rolled in but were taken out of service, and we were told to wait, but time was short, though not as short as my patience, and I wound up hoofing it to North Station, a pleasant enough walk in the afternoon sun.

Architecturally, North Station is the Penn Station of Boston--completely hidden and nondescript under whatever it is they call Boston Garden now. But it never had a glorious earlier incarnation like Penn Station. South Station has been hollowed out, but its old fancy facade remains, and the interior makes sense and functions well.

Back in the day, I think there were players (Yaz? Jackie Jensen?) who hated flying and who would use the train from NYC into South Station when they could..., and South Station must always bring to mind the old slam against the team: 25 players, 25 cabs from the train station to the hotel.

allan said...

I wondered about that when I posted it.

laura k said...

25 players, 25 cabs from the train station to the hotel.

As a child of 1970s baseball, that was one of the first things I learned about the Sox. :)

Thanks for the Boston info, JG. I love it.

Mark said...

test

Amy said...

So I see a recap?? Am I dreaming? :)

allan said...

:>)

They take only a few minutes. (My tea is steeping.) I may still do shorter ones.

Amy said...

And habits are hard to break...and everyone loves them so that makes it even harder.

Not that I am complaining, you know. ;) Enjoy your tea and game 2. We should be home for part of this evening's game, and perhaps I will practice on the new game thread board.