April 21, 2011

G18: Red Sox 4, Angels 2 (11)

Red Sox - 000 002 000 02 - 4  8  0
Angels  - 000 000 200 00 - 2  4  0
Beckett (8-3-2-2-5, 125) turned in his third straight superb start -- a 1.08 ERA in those 23 innings -- and 11th inning RBI from Adrian Gonzalez and Jed Lowrie gave the Red Sox a win in their first extra-inning game of the season.

Jacoby Ellsbury's two-run single gave Boston a lead in the sixth. Beckett allowed his first hit in the sixth inning and Torii Hunter blasted a two-run dong in the seventh to tie the game.

Boston wasted several scoring chances throughout the game:

1st: 1st/2nd, 1 out - Kevin Youkilis 6U-3/DP
2nd: Man on 3rd, 1 out - Carl Crawford 3U, Jason Varitek K
3rd: 1st/2nd, 2 outs - Marco Scutaro F8
4th: 1st/2nd, 2 outs - Ellsbury F7
7th: 1st/2nd, 0 outs - Gonzalez P5, Scutaro K, David Ortiz K
8th: Bases loaded, 1 out - J.D. Drew K, Dustin Pedroia P4

Erick Aybar doubled to lead off the bottom of the eighth, and he foolishly tried for a triple (despite slowing himself down before he got to second base by turning his head twice to look out at Drew fielding the ball in the corner) and was thrown out Drew-to-Pedroia-to-Lowrie. That was the last Angels base runner until there was one out in the 11th. Peter Bourjos bunted for a hit and took second on a wild pitch, but Jonathan Papelbon retired the next two hitters for the save.

Youkilis fouled a ball off his shin in the first inning; in the bottom of the second, Lowrie moved to third and Scutaro took over at shortstop.

Boston improved to 7-11 and is now 4 GB the Yankees (and only 1.5 games out of second place).
Example
Josh Beckett / Tyler Chatwood

Chatwood, a 21-year-old rookie right-hander, is making his third career start. In his previous starts, he has allowed nine hits and six walks in 12 innings (3.75 ERA). BP2011 says he has a mid-90s fastball and a plus curve.

In Beckett's last two starts (15 innings against the Yankees and Blue Jays), he has allowed only five hits, three walks and one run, while striking out 19.

Peter Gammons, WEEI:
I think one of the things that's killed [the Red Sox] is that Jacoby Ellsbury has forgotten what his job is in baseball, which is to get on base and run. His four home runs, to me, are one of the worst things that's happened to this team early in the season, because I think it's encouraged him to get wider and wider with his swing. ... They need him to get on base 37 percent of the time or 38 percent of the time. I think he's kind of gotten away from that. ... The guy who's supposed to hit leadoff isn't getting on base.
Among the 10 Red Sox players with more than 25 plate appearances this year, Ellsbury's .262 OBP ranks 8th. (His batting average is 9th and his slugging, even with a team-leading four home runs, is 6th. He is also second on the team in strikeouts.)
Example
KHAZAD, commenting at Joe Posnanski's blog:
I like to look at the season as a series of 18 game innings. As a team, you would like to win each inning. If you do you are definitely in the playoff hunt*. ... I also like it because there are arbitrary beginning and ending dates. You cannot start it just after a losing streak and carry it to the beginning of the next one just to make the team look better.
* - This is true. Winning an 18-game "inning" by the smallest margin would be a 10-8 record, which is a 90-win pace for the season.

After tonight's game, we will have completed the first "inning" of the 2011 season.

AL East: White Sox/Rays at 6:30 PM and Twins/Orioles at 7 PM. Yankees off.

262 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   201 – 262 of 262
allan said...

SOX LOB:

112 210 23

Patrick said...

Dortiz, please, please don't let this go to 10

allan said...

don't get picked off, 'wave.

allan said...

bot warming

Jere said...

Since midnight isn't usually seen in the thread, the raunch level should go by 200s:

1-200: family night
201-400: HBO
401-600: Cinemax After Dark
601+: Larry Flynt's Hustler Club

allan said...

SMOOTH!

Jere said...

Marc o' the Beast

allan said...

99 darting away .. no chance, bobby!!

and it's our first extra inning game of the year!!

Jere said...

almost had the distance, torii

meunier said...

Free baseball here we come

Jere said...

"first time the Red Sox will have bonus baseball" of '11 says Don on my first conflicting edit of '11.

Jere said...

The first inning of the season goes to the 10th inning. Or something.

allan said...

jenks up

... calling a tek dong, also

allan said...

i am also calling that aliens from saturn will land on the white house lawn at noon tomorrow ...

allan said...

tek's bat is toast -- toast so burnt i am afraid his ABs on TV will set off my smoke detector.

Patrick said...

Time for LBJ to flash that power that is so unnecessary

meunier said...

What do you think about replacing the catcher with the other one in extra innings?

allan said...

i will allow LBJ to swing for the downs here...

meunier said...

In MLB I usually pull the guy who started after the 11th if I get that far.

Patrick said...

Replacing worse with bad is probably a decent idea.

allan said...

ells with no clue there

allan said...

for now, tito saving bot for a save. not sure if that is wise.

Patrick said...

Fucking Torii Hunter, after he struck out...

Jere said...

nice job Jenx

allan said...

13 LOB for sox in first 9 innings, including 5 at second and 2 at third.

top o the order in 11th

Benjamin said...

Saltalamacchia is the only one who can still replace an infield position (albeit 1B).

allan said...

albers up

Patrick said...

Let's plate this guy!

Jere said...

woohoo! we HAVE to score here

RedSoxDiehard said...

Now DO SOMETHING with these baserunners!

RedSoxDiehard said...

YES!!!!!!!!

Patrick said...

BAHAHAHA! YESSSS

Jere said...

clap clap clap clap clap clap

Benjamin said...

!

Patrick said...

Plate these guys too!

meunier said...

Start up Bot.

allan said...

shoulda BBI'd him!

meunier said...

That ANNOYS THE HELL OUT OF ME when guys on 3rd don't run on balls to dead 2nd.

allan said...

MISSED THETAG!!

FY scoiscia

Jere said...

what the fuck are we doing...but also, yay

Patrick said...

This is ugly

RedSoxDiehard said...

Hahahahaha!

meunier said...

Flew around the tag!

Jere said...

Lowrie, swing up

Jere said...

Double Wood, Rod, and Dick Thompson have pitched, with Bulger warming.

RedSoxDiehard said...

Pedey!

Jere said...

just safe. Scioscia, care to argue for fuck's sake again?

allan said...

yeah, touch your nose and pull your ear -- maybe the call will be overturned

allan said...

if these angels annc. worked on their craft, they could be whining as much the rays booth dudes.

allan said...

CONGERBALLA!!

allan said...

fans throwing wadded up dollar bills at crawford when he was on deck... classy.

allan said...

"i think you make too much money, so i will throw my hard-earned money away, and throw it at you."

makes perfect sense...

Jere said...

1 out

Jere said...

two gone

meunier said...

Give him the split

Patrick said...

DIRTY WATER!

Jere said...

yeah motherfucker! Extra Frames WIN

allan said...

ALE

MFY ---
TBR 2.5
BAL 3.0
TOR 3.0
BOS 4.0

RedSoxDiehard said...

G'night all! Pleasant dreams!

Dr. Jeff said...

You guys are hardcore (obv.), I'm in Mountain time and couldn't stay up past the 8th. Glad it turned out well.

Patrick said...

I thought Torii struck out before he hit that dong, but pitch fx shows that it was a legit ball.

Jere said...

Yeah but pitch 1 in the at bat was a strike called a ball. But whatever.

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