Angels - 300 000 100 - 4 3 2 Red Sox - 100 225 24x - 16 14 0J.D. Martinez hit two home runs and two doubles (the four hits travelled 1,495 feet), driving in four runs and scoring four times, and Mitch Moreland and Rafael Devers each knocked in three as the Red Sox pounded the Angels on Friday night. In the last two games at Fenway Park, Los Angeles has managed a grand total of five hits.
Brian Johnson (2.2-2-3-2-1, 50) faced only 12 batters, but a quartet of relievers - Marcus Walden, Nathan Eovaldi, Hector Velazquez, and Josh Taylor - allowed only one hit and two walks over 6.1 innings (all given up by Eovaldi, actually, who also hit a batter (as did Walden)).
The Angels took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on Albert Pujols's three-run dong. The RBIs on that hit should probably go to home plate umpire Mark Repperger, who blew a blatant strike three call (pitch #6, below) on Justin Upton that, if MLB was an enlightened organization and used available technology to judge pitches, should have ended the inning for Johnson. But it's not and it doesn't, so Upton walked and Pujols promptly jacked a 1-2 pitch out to left.
If you're wondering how a plate umpire could affect the outcome of a game (though if you've been reading this blog, you should have stopped wondering about that years ago), here's your answer. Sure, this game ended up being a rout, but if Repperger makes that incorrect call in the top of the ninth of a tie game ...
The Red Sox got one of those three runs back on doubles by Mookie Betts and Martinez. They tied the game in the fourth and broken it open by scoring in every inning after that.
B4: Xander Bogaerts led off with a double and Martinez homered (#26) to right-center. 3-3.
B5: Jackie Bradley singled with one out and Betts followed with a homer (#20) to left. 5-3.
B6: Martinez doubled off new pitcher Justin Anderson. Andrew Benintendi walked. Christian Vázquez singled on a bunt to the pitcher, loading the bases. Moreland fouled out to third. Adalberto Mejia took over pitching chores and Sam Travis batted for Brock Holt. Travis walked, forcing in a run. Bradley was safe on a fielder's choice and two runs scored on second baseman Luis Rengifo's fielding error. Betts walked, reloading the bases. Devers singled to right for two runs. Trevor Cahill became the Angels' third pitcher of the inning and he got Bogaerts to ground into a double play. 10-3.
B7: Martinez began the inning with his second home run of the night (#27). (It was his fourth multi-homer game of the season and the 14th of his career.) Benintendi was hit by a pitch, Vázquez walked, and Moreland doubled in a run. 12-4.
B8: Devers lined the first pitch of the inning over the fence in right for a home run (#24). (Devers now leads the AL in RBI with 90, one more than Mike Trout. He also leads the AL with 265 total bases.) With one out, Martinez reached second base on a throwing error by the third baseman. Cahill, still in the game, threw a two-out wild pitch. Vázquez singled to left, scoring JDM. Moreland homered (#14) to left. 16-4.
AL Wild Card: CLE/MIN –, OAK/TBR –, BOS 5.0, TEX 7.5.
Betts, RFAL Wild Card: CLE/TBR –, OAK 0.5, BOS 5.5, TEX 7.0.
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Vázquez, C
Moreland, 1B
Holt, 2B
Bradley, CF
2 comments:
Dorktown! I enjoyed reading this.
I read that Dorktown comic this morning after you posted it here. It was great.
Tonight the Orioles apparently tried to recreate it, losing 23-2!
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