Red Sox - 010 301 000 - 5 9 1 Angels - 200 002 002 - 6 7 2Alfredo Aceves, in his first appearance after serving a three-game suspension for "conduct detrimental to the team", recorded his eighth blown save of the season. No one in major league baseball has blown more saves this year.
After pitching a clean eighth inning, Aceves hit Erick Aybar in the foot with one out, and then walked pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo on four pitches. Mike Trout singled home the tying run (on an 0-2 pitch) and Torii Hunter's sacrifice fly to center brought home the game-winner.
Boston led 5-2 at one point. Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered in the second, cutting the Angels' lead to 2-1. The first five Red Sox batters reached base in the fourth: Dustin Pedroia singled, Jacoby Ellsbury singled, Ryan Lavarnway walked, James Loney singled (2-2), and Salty singled (3-2). Another run scored on Ryan Kalish's double play grounder. In the sixth, Ellsbury singled, stole second and continued to third on a throwing error, and scored on Lavarnway's sac fly.
Buchholz (7-6-4-3-5) faltered in the first and sixth, but between those two Los Angeles rallies, he had a stretch in which he retired 16 of 17 batters. He gave up solo dongs to Trout and Albert Pujols. (Trout is now the youngest player in history to hit 25 homers and steal 40 bases in a single season.)
Podsednik, LFMauro Gomez was named the International League's Most Valuable Player. He hit .310/.371/.589 in 426 plate appearances, with 24 dongs.
Pedroia, 2B
Ellsbury, CF
Lavarnway, C
Loney, 1B
Saltalamacchia, C
Kalish, RF
Iglesias, SS
Ciriaco, 3B
To Read: Gordon Edes: "Red Sox Need To Redefine Strategy"
Adrian Gonzalez says Fenway's left field wall hurt his hitting style, and he believes the media took undeserved shots at him because of his low-key attitude.
What took my power away was the Green Monster. I used to hit line drives that way and they would be doubles. ... [The Boston media] didn't like that I was a calm person. I won't throw my helmet, I won't scream, I won't use bad words if I strike out. That's what they want over there.In the wake of the recent mega-deal with the Dodgers, it may be significant that the Red Sox have placed Daisuke Matsuzaka on waivers. Dice will be a free agent at the end of this season.
I don't know about the Green Monster stuff (although I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibliity that Adrian might know what he's talking about regarding hitting), but I absolutely thought his point about people criticizing him about him not throwing his helmet was spot on.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I say this is because I know talk radio is harping on this quote from him like he's way off base and how it's "just more excuses," and claiming that Adrian was someone who got almost no criticism over the past year.
I must've been living in a parallel dimension over the past year because I seem to remember people absolutely criticizing A-Gon for "not caring" and being just like JD Drew, how he wasn't a "dirt dog" and all this bullshit. I don't mean just the media, but the fans too. (He got tons of flack for a bunch of other stuff too. Hell, he's being ripped into now for apparently not being "clutch when it mattered," an idea I think might be statistically disproven.)
I may be painting myself as an idiot or cynical-beyond-reason for believing this, but I think the media has tapped into the fact that a large percentage of the fanbase actually seem to hate the team they watch. They want them to win, of course, because they live vicariously through them and because they have so identified their own image with them that it's plain imasculating and humiliating if their team loses.
But at heart, they resent and hate these guys. (I'd guess a good part of that is related to resentment over their salaries?) That's why the media is so successful with their cheap tricks and laziness. No matter if the story is legitimate or not, they know that a large percentage of the team-followers is willing to believe anything as long as it plays into their predisposition towards athlete envy.
Love Adrian but... if anything took his power away (he slugged .513 in his almost two years with Boston) it was either his shoulder surgery or just his lousy hitting.
ReplyDeleteI assume the reference is to the first half of this season when he slugged .416 with a .329 OBP. I'm now speaking anecdotally but I don't remember many line drives hitting off the top of the wall and going for singles. That probably happened a few times, but not enough to raise his SLG 100+ points.
Look at this spray chart:
http://pitchfx.texasleaguers.com/batter/408236/?pitchers=A&count=AA&pitches=AA&from=4%2F1%2F2012&to=7%2F1%2F2012
In particular notice the many ground ball outs to the right side and the many outs to left and left center field. Those are all outs in any ballpark.
Did the wall affect his thinking? Maybe, but that's not what he said. Anyway, hogwash says I.
Good luck in L.A. Adrian.
It's just the difference between winning and losing. I don't recall any criticism of Gonzalez before the slide last September, and it intensified after his comments about getting into the playoffs not being God's plan.
ReplyDeleteIf the same collection of characters is playing well and winning, the very same behaviors and (apparent) personality traits all get read in a positive light. You know - Gonzalez is quiet and all business as he goes about his job, Beckett plays golf to stay loose, Aceves is intensely competitive, etc. etc.
The Idiots drink booze in the clubhouse, and it's part of the legend of 2004; in 2011 chicken and beer is a Watergate-level scandal and the players are spoiled underachievers who don't really care about winning.
It's all noise, and it's all BS.
It's all noise, and it's all BS
ReplyDeleteIt maybe noise and BS , but is no bullshit that 2 of those guys you mentioned are gone...