A's - 121 000 102 - 7 11 0 Red Sox - 010 624 10x - 14 15 1
Jackie Bradley (3-for-5) drove in six runs, four of them coming on a sixth-inning grand slam as Boston set a season-high in runs scored. The Red Sox's 15 hits was one short of their season high, set on April 24 at Houston. Travis Shaw and David Ortiz also had three hits each, and Shaw scored three runs. (The six RBI was not a career-high for Bradley, as he drove in seven runs on August 15, 2015.)
I missed the first three innings as an ineffective Clay Buchholz (5-6-4-2-2, 87) allowed the A's to take a 4-1 lead. When I tuned in, I asked myself whether I wanted to watch the Red Sox sleepwalk through the next six innings. I'm glad I did, because the offense woke up shortly after I got settled in my chair.
Ortiz opened the fourth with a double into the left field corner (it was his 597th career double, 15th all-time). Hanley Ramirez singled and Boston had two on with none out. Travis Shaw doubled on a sinking liner to center that Coco Crisp could not catch, and Big Papi scored. After Brock Holt struck out, Bradley lined a two-run, game-tying single to center, extending his hitting streak to 15 games. Christian Vazquez grounded to shortstop but because Bradley had been running on the pitch, Oakland was unable to turn a double play. That small decision to send JBJ kept the inning going. Mookie Betts lined a double into the left field corner, scoring Bradley and giving Boston a 5-4 lead. Dustin Pedroia's single scored Betts. Xander Bogaerts walked - and that was the end of the night for Sonny Gray (3.2-8-7-2-2, 75). Facing Fernando Rodriguez, Ortiz stoked another opposite-field double, his second of the inning. It scored Pedroia scored with the inning's sixth run.
Boston tacked on two more runs in the fifth when Shaw singled and Brock Holt homered into the bullpen. The Red Sox (well, Bradley, actually) put the game out of reach against John Axford in the sixth. Bogaerts singled, Ortiz lined to center, Ramirez walked, Shaw struck out, and Holt walked. With the bases full, Bradley lined Axford's 1-2 pitch towards the right field corner. The ball apparently hit on top of the short wall - which means it was catchable, but Josh Reddick pulled up short - for Bradley's first career grand slam. Boston added a run in the seventh when Josh Rutledge walked, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Ortiz's single.
The Orioles/Twins game was postponed, so the Red Sox moved into a tie for first place with Baltimore.
Betts, RFBryce Harper's last 12 plate appearances:
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, 1B
Shaw, 3B
Holt, LF
Bradley, CF
Vazquez, C
May 6: BBOn base 11 of 12 times, but 0-for-0!
May 7: BB, 9SAC, BB, BBI
May 8: BB, BB, BBI, HBP, BB, BBI, BBI
Harper adds no value to the Nats if he's had no hits in his last 12 plate appearances. That's why batting average is so important in determining the worth of a player!
ReplyDeleteBut his on-base percentage in that time is .917 and that --
ReplyDeleteNERD!!!!!!!!!!
More amazingness from the Cubs/Nats series:
ReplyDelete"Jake Arrieta, who gave up three runs and took a no decision in the Cubs' extra-inning win on Sunday, has allowed three or fewer runs in each of his last 27 starts. That is the longest such streak in the major leagues since 1893, when the pitching rubber was set to 60 feet, six inches from home plate."
Don't forget, too, that the value of a pitcher can only be measured by wins and losses. That's why David Price at 4-1 gets the big bucks; obviously, he's a better pitcher than Steven Wright and his pedestrian 3-3 record.
ReplyDeleteDon't make me come find you in your basement!
Going to tonight's game, hope bucket of bolts brings his A game.
ReplyDeleteELIAS:
ReplyDeleteThe Red Sox rocked Sonny Gray for six runs in the fourth inning after the A's had taken an early 4-1 lead, and Boston rolled to a 14-7 victory. It was the first loss of Gray's major-league career after he had been staked to a lead of three or more runs. Prior to Monday's defeat, his record in such games was 23-0 with four no-decisions.