May 5, 2017

G29: Twins 4, Red Sox 3

Red Sox - 001 000 002 - 3  9  0
Twins   - 200 000 101 - 4 10  0
I do not like Matt Barnes. His first few bad games have been burned into my brain and I am certain that no matter how many good things he does for the Red Sox in the future, I will always not like him.

Tonight, I really do not fucking like him.

After the Red Sox clawed back to tie the game in the top of the ninth, with pinch-hitter Chris Young driving in two runs, Barnes gave up a one-out walkoff blast to Joe Mauer in the home half. The Twins have had 26 walk-off home runs since 2004 (Mauer's first season), but this was the first walkoff dong for him in those 14 seasons.

Eduardo Rodriguez (6-7-3-1-6, 106) overcame a rocky first inning in which he hit a batter and then gave up a triple and a single.

Andrew Benintendi homered in the third. Boston loaded the bases against Phil Hughes in the sixth - actually, the Twins walked Mitch Moreland intentionally to load them up for Josh Rutledge - but Rutledge flied out to center.

In the ninth, Moreland singled and Deven Marrero ran for him. Rutledge was safe on an infield single. Jackie Bradley (now batting .175) grounded out, but moved the runners to second and third. Young batted for Christian Vazquez and came through with a hit to left.

Barnes wiped all that away. After Kennys Vargas grounded to first, Mauer took Barnes deep on a 1-2 pitch.
Eduardo Rodriguez / Phil Hughes
Pedroia, 2B
Benintendi, LF
Betts, RF
Ramirez, DH
Bogaerts, SS
Moreland, 1B
Rutledge, 3B
Bradley, CF
Vazquez, C
In his last two starts, Rodriguez has allowed only one run in 12 innings, while striking out 16 batters. He has issued more walks (seven) in those two starts than hits allowed (six). ... Hughes has a 5.06 ERA in five starts.

Good news on David Price, who will throw another simulated game on Tuesday. Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says he does not have a specific time Price might rejoin the rotation:
But if there wasn't any setbacks he'd probably go four innings the next time, four to five the next time after that, to six. ... We're being careful to put any timelines on it just in case there's any little bit of setback. He feels right now at this time, I talked to him myself the other day and he said "Dave, I'm good." He said "I feel really good." He's throwing the ball like he's good. I mean I'm sure you'll find out his last pitch was 95. ... And he was sitting there consistently 93 to 95 the whole time period. And his other pitches were sharp too. And he walked off the dirt and he feels great. Always the kicker is how do you feel the next day? But encouraging at this point.
Programming Note: Because I'm at work tonight and this weekend, if I get a chance to watch the games in Minnesota, it will be without sound. So I won't be complaining about NESN for a few days!

4 comments:

allan said...

Elias reports on a "binary" linescore:

"Chicago scored one run in five different innings and the Phillies did so in four different innings. The nine total runs tied the most in a game at Wrigley Field in which neither team scored more than one run in any particular inning. The other such game at the Friendly Confines took place in 1989, a 5–4 win for the Cubs against the Mets."

PHI - 001 110 010 000 0 - 4 15 2
CHI - 110 010 010 000 1 - 5 13 1

Since I am interested in odd linescores, I have wondered what the highest score is for a game with only ones and zeroes in the linescore. If I recall, I found a 7-4 game (9 innings, too), but do not know if that's the highest.

Ooooh! The losing team had more hits! Someone alert Dave O'Brien!!!

allan said...

This is an interesting Twitter account.

allan said...

Tom McDonald is honoring the baseball bonds he had with his childhood friend and fellow Mets fan Roy Riegel (who died nine years ago) by flushing some of his ashes down the toilet in ballparks across the country. (Riegel was a plumber.) McDonald has been to 16 parks.

wilson said...

Tom MacDonald was on As It Happens the other night http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.4095463/meet-the-baseball-fan-who-s-been-flushing-his-buddy-s-ashes-down-ballpark-toilets-1.4095469 What a great story!