Red Sox - 000 000 000 - 0 6 2 Rangers - 010 510 00x - 7 18 0Felix Doubront (3.2-12-6-1-2, 96) doled out base hits to the Rangers like candy at Halloween, finally getting the hook after Adrian Beltre doubled home three runs in the fourth.
Doubront is only the seventh Red Sox starter since 1951 to pitch four or fewer innings and allow at least 12 hits. (Amazingly, Pedro Martinez, from 1999, is one of those seven! Here's the list.)
That Doubront allowed only one run through three innings - despite giving up eight hits - was nothing short of a miracle. But his good fortune ran out in the fourth. With a runner on first and two outs, he allowed hits to Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus, walked Lance Berkman, then gave up a bases-clearing double to Beltre, who ended the night 4-for-5.
On the other side, the bats could do nothing against Derek Holland (8-6-0-1-9, 112). Only one Boston runner made it past first base. That came in the sixth, when Pedro Ciriaco and Jacoby Ellsbury hit back-to-back singles with one out. But Shane Victorino fouled out to third and Dustin Pedroia grounded to first. Holland was also helped by two double plays, in the fourth and fifth.
Ellsbury had two of the Red Sox's six hits. Ciriaco, Victorino, David Ortiz, and Jonny Gomes had the others, all singles.
Ellsbury, CFBest Red Sox Record After 28 Games
Victorino, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Middlebrooks, 3B
Saltalamacchia, C
Ciriaco, SS
Year W-L Final Record
1946 23-5 104-50, AL Champions
2002 21-7 93-69, 2nd, AL East
2013 20-8 ?
1994 20-8 54-61, 4th, AL East
At 20-8, Boston has the best record in the major leagues. However, the Red Sox are unlikely to play at this 116-win pace for the next five months.Yet even if the team suddenly slumps and plays at .500 for their remaining 134 games, they will still end up with 87 wins, which would put them in serious wild card contention.
116 wins sounds ok to me. :)
ReplyDeleteBut at this point, a measly 87 wins just won't cut it. Fortunately it seems that the Sox will play above .500 for at least a good portion of the season.
This has been a surprising and pretty damn wonderful season so far!
ReplyDeleteI listened to Toronto radio last night--having read Dirk Hayhurst's books, it was fun to hear his color commentary. Apart from the pine tar kerfuffle (how dare he!!!) the other day, he seems to have interesting stuff to offer.
Surprising and pretty damn wonderful, that captures the essence.
ReplyDeleteI also like Blue Jays radio, generally Jerry Howarth and some mildly annoying person like Pat Tabler.
I am happy to lose the W-L contest if that prediction proves to be true!
ReplyDelete"Pine tar"? Didn't you mean 'rosin'?
ReplyDeleteGiddy with 2013 fantasies already?
And amazingly, Doubront should have been out of the fourth unscathed: he had Ian Kinsler struck out to end the inning on a check swing, but the lousy first base ump said no swing. Then the roof caved in with Texas going on to score five runs.
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