May 2, 2012

G24: Athletics 4, Red Sox 2

Athletics - 000 103 000 - 4  9  1
Red Sox   - 000 000 101 - 2  8  0
While the Red Sox had runners on base against Brandon McCarthy (6.2-5-1-3-4, 113), they could not get any hits when they truly needed them. Boston was 0-for-13 with runners at second and/or third, and left 11 men on base.

Daniel Bard (5.1-8-4-2-1, 101) fell apart in the sixth inning and, once again, Bobby Valentine was unprepared. Josh Reddick singled to start the inning and with one out Bard allowed back-to-back doubles on fat fastballs to Seth Smith and Kila Ka'aihue. Oakland was ahead 3-0, Bard was at 92 pitches and tumbleweeds were blowing through the Red Sox bullpen. Bob McClure came out for a chat and it was only then that Matt Albers started to warm up. Bard drilled Kurt Suzuki in the left hand with a pitch and allowed another run-scoring double (grooving a fastball pitch to Brandon Inge) before being relieved.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled to lead off the seventh, Will Middlebrooks doubled into the right field corner, and Salty scored on Marlon Byrd's fly out to left. Dustin Pedroia had an RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Adrian Gonzalez, representing the tying run, grounded out to third. Gonzalez did not hit the ball out of the infield tonight and is 0 for his last 17. (He also struck out with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning.)

Middlebrooks walked on four pitches in his first major league at-bat, with two outs in the second inning, and promptly stole second. He beat out an infield single to third in the fifth and doubled in the seventh. He struck out swinging in the eighth. He had two chances at third and fielded them both cleanly.

Clayton Mortensen pitched the final three innings for Boston and after allowing a single to his first batter, retiring the next nine: K, K, 3U, 3U, K, K, 3-1, K, K.
Example
Brandon McCarthy / Daniel Bard

UPDATE: Kevin Youkilis has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to last Sunday.

Bobby Valentine says that third baseman Will Middlebrooks is in tonight's starting lineup, making his major league debut. (Sox Prospects has The Book on Middlebrooks.)

The Red Sox have also called up pitcher Clayton Mortensen - just another bullpen arm for a day or two, I presume. ... Peter Abraham notes that since the start of 2009, McCarthy is 7-0, 3.50 in 12 starts against AL East teams.

Since April 23, the Sox bullpen has a 0.74 ERA (2 runs in 24.1 IP). ... Boston's seven games with 10+ runs scored lead the majors and are the most in franchise history through the first 23 games of a season.

Bard is the first Red Sox pitcher to strike out 6+ batters in his first three major league starts since Aaron Sele (June 23-July 5, 1993). The last Boston pitcher to do it in his first four starts was Lynn McGlothen (June 25-July 4, 1972).

And it's Throwback Night - 1936!

12 comments:

Jere said...

Bought tix to this one when they went on sale in December, since I knew it was one of the throwback nights. Now I get the Middlebrooks debut too!

allan said...

Aviles, SS
Sweeney, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Gonzalez, 1B
Ortiz, DH
Ross, LF
Saltalamacchia, C
Middlebrooks, 3B
Byrd, CF

Crisp, LF
Pennington, SS
Reddick, RF
Cespedes, CF
Smith, DH
Ka'aihue, 1B
Suzuki, C
Inge, 3B
Sogard, 2B

allan said...

Happy Birthday, Salty (27)!

allan said...

Tim Britton @TBritton_Projo
Youkilis did not officially say he's going on the DL, but it was strongly implied. Said 3-4 days from being able to play.

John Tomase @jtomase
Youkilis said he's 3-4 days from playing. Back issue has been bugging him since spring training, and now it's being "properly addressed."


Holy fucking Jesus! What the fuck is wrong with this team and its medical staff?

Mark said...

Also Mark Prior was signed, This could be another piece to a better bullpen.

allan said...

Busy afternoon!

allan said...

Now someone go start that game thread!

Mark said...

Some bad news about other Boston sports; Former Pats LB Junior Seau blasted himself in San Diego this afternoon.

allan said...

Middlebrooks wearing #64.

hrstrat57 said...

I flat out love the sawx uni's...esp the sox.....look like real ballplayers - what a treat.

Please let's lose the sweatpants and make the blue white stripe red sox a regular feature.

Very classy!

Jere said...

"Please let's lose the sweatpants and make the blue white stripe red sox a regular feature.

Very classy!"

Those socks (stirrups) were still part of the uni until early this century--I also wish we'd never gotten rid of them.

GK said...

I saw a link to a video on the Globe site, with the title "Cafardo on Gonzalez's struggles". I was thinking how appropriate it would be if it was a link to a video titled "Gonzalez on Cafardo's struggles"

Needless to say I did not watch it.