Astros - 320 401 200 - 12 17 1 Red Sox - 020 000 000 - 2 6 0I would tell you there was nothing redeemable about this game, but I stopped watching after four innings, so I cannot be absolutely sure. Maybe something worth seeing occurred in the eighth.
The lopsided score certainly had something to do with my decision, but a bigger reason was that Joe Castiglione and Tim Neverett could not stop talking about how amazingly wonderful and powerful and successful and talented and just totally awesome the Astros have been (and are!). It might have been more extreme than Sunday Night Baseball's love affair with Aaron Judge. I wondered not only if the two radio guys remembered that they worked as Red Sox announcers, but I questioned whether they knew there was even a second team on the field.
Eduardo Rodriguez (1.2-6-5-2-2, 50) recorded five outs and allowed five runs. His successor, Blaine Boyer, recorded five outs and allowed four runs. Boston ended up using seven pitchers, with Austin Maddox throwing the most innings: 2.1.
In both of the first two innings, Rodriguez had serious trouble getting the third out. A walk and two singles loaded the bases with one out in the first. Rodriguez got Evan Gattis looking at strike three and an escape seemed possible, but then Marwin Gonzalez smoked a 1-1 pitch into the gap in right-center and three runs scored. Rodriguez retired the first two batters in the second, then gave up a single, home run, double, and a walk. Fifty pitches, and that was his night. He was booed as he walked off the field.
MFY Watch: There was good news in New York. The Rays wiped out the Yankees' 4-1 lead when they exploded for seven runs in the fifth. Tampa Bay won 9-6, so the Red Sox's Magic Number is now 1. Which means if Boston wins any of its next three games or if New York loses any if its next three games, the Red Sox win the AL East. ... It's as simple as that.
Bogaerts, SSThe final four games of the regular season are also a possible ALDS preview. The Red Sox won two of three games against the Astros back in mid-June: 2-1, 1-7, 6-5.
Pedroia, 2B
Benintendi, LF
Betts, RF
Moreland, 1B
Ramirez, DH
Devers, 3B
Vazquez, C
Bradley, CF
Rodriguez has a 1.78 ERA in his last four starts.
MFY Watch: The Yankees are 3 GB with 4 games to play. The Red Sox's Magic Number to clinch the AL East is 2. ... TBR/MFY.
2 comments:
Four of my comments in the gamethread:
Well, I have stopped scoring this one. I am really hating the radio guys tonight. They CANNOT stop praising Houston non-fucking-stop. Every fucking player is so amazingly great! It's like they have forgotten that they are the Red Sox broadcast team.
And Neverett is busy giving "stats" like Pedroia's lifetime average against the Astros (back to 2007, very relevant!) and also how "this team" has done at Fenway. Actually, Tim, THIS TEAM has never (ever!) played at Fenway. Those other teams that you think are the same as this team were made up of DIFFERENT players, you fucking stoopid ass.
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I need a fucking break. ... It's a good time for us to go away for a few days!
Plus it seems like Castig is yapping way more than usual about where every Astros player went to college and what various athletic directors at the colleges said about them and many other things about college sports. It adds less than zero to an understanding of the game, yet he won't shut up. He's like a trainspotter but with which college each player is a "product" of.
***
[And I am going away, actually. To New Jersey for a wedding. Will miss the final three games of the season.]
After reading the recap, I wasn't sure if you were actually listening to NESN - OB and pals (Remy and Carlos Pena last night) were also fawning over the greatness of the Astros for a while there - "everyone's been focused on Cleveland, but let me tell you about how super awesome this Astros team is!) - I've basically mentally tuned out most of the commentary when I watch games so I can't really elaborate. From what I did hear, Pena's colour was pretty rudimentary and added little value to the broadcast, but I suppose that's to be expected if he has zero experience in the booth.
Anyway, enjoy the break and see you back for the ALDS*!
* - better fucking not be a wild card game!
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