Rollercoaster Ride

Red Sox at home, June 12-17

“Malaise Days”

After a much needed day’s rest, the Sox returned home for a three-game set with the NL West Colorado Rockies. Matchups between teams that see one another three times every three years are foolish on many levels. From an advance scouting point of view, resources that are dedicated to covering familiar foes and predictable tendencies are diverted (wasted) on analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of an unknown. For the managers trying to prepare for relative unknowns presents unnecessary headaches. For the players, there is not much of a “book” with which to work. But these guys get paid a lot of money to figure these things out. The whole interleague idea is getting stale.

Nevertheless, the Rockies present a challenge, as they have patiently built a core of highly talented young players who appear ready to break out. With all that talent, it’s hard to understand how the team continues to struggle in the not-so competitive NL West.

In Tuesday night’s opener (Game 63, 6/12/07), Tim Wakefield got the start against Aaron Cook. Wake’s knuckler was in fine form as he went eight strong, as the Sox pulled ahead in the bottom of the eighth to win the game 2-1. Wake faced the minimum through the first three. In the bottom half of the third, Lugo doubled with one out, stole third and scored on Youkilis’ double. It was nice to see Lugo getting on base, as he’s been in a horrible slump. The Sox had a chance in the fourth when Lowell and Crisp reached on base hits, but Mirabelli grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to kill that inning. Things stayed quiet until the sixth when Torrealba doubled to left with one out. He made it to third, but Wake struck out Matsui swinging stranding Torrealba at third.

Colorado finally broke through in the eighth. Hawpe doubled to right to lead off and made it to third on Spilborghs’ fly to right. With two outs Torrealba singled up the middle, scoring Hawpe. But the Sox hitters’ were just getting started. Pedroia singled to lead off. With one out, Cook left in favor of the well-traveled Jeremy Affeldt. Cook pitched a terrific ball game. Ortiz greeted Affeldt with a double to right. Manny received an intentional pass to load the bases and Drew hit a sacrifice fly to center bringing in Pedroia with the lead run.

Papelbon came on for the ninth, and got the side in order on fifteen pitches (2 K’s) to pick up his 15th save. The game was played in a tidy 2:25, courtesy of a highly functioning knuckleball. Wake ran his record to 6-7, with a very respectable 3.92 ERA.

Wednesday night (Game 64, 6/13/07), was damp and unseasonably cool for mid-June.
Lugo was dropped from leadoff to ninth in the batting order but it really made no difference. Curt Schilling followed up on his one-hitter in Oakland last week with a Grade A stinkeroo, as the Sox were pummeled, 12-2. Curt Schilling (L 6-3) went 5, allowing 9 hits and 5 earned runs. The bullpen was even worse, allowing six runs over the final four innings. Snyder was cuffed around in his ⅔, Piñeiro contributed two innings’ worth of garbage time and allowed three runs. About the only guy who was effective was Mike Timlin who got through the ninth unscathed. There was nothing worth remembering about this dreadful night in Red Sox history.

Before the series finale (Game 65, Thurs N. 6/14/07), the Sox took the field with the knowledge that the Yankees had won their ninth straight and the Sox once “bulletproof” lead was dwindling down to a precious few. After last night, New York had cut the Sox’ lead almost in half since the first of June and, it’s not a case of Boston tanking it but the Yankees being on fire.

Josh Beckett started on another unseasonably cool evening. Kaz Matsui doubled with one out. With two outs and two strikes, Helton hit a line drive single to center and Matsui scored the Rockies’ first run. On the next pitch Garrett Atkins line a single off the wall and Helton made it to third. Hawpe lined out to right to end that threat. Although Colorado only got the one run, Beckett threw 27 pitches.

Jeff Francis (5-5, 3.81) got the start for the Rocks, and he’s developing into the dominant starter that scouts envisioned he’d be when he was drafted so high a few years back. His delivery is reminiscent of Glavine’s. He has such a fluid delivery and he mixes speeds and locations quite well. Pedroia single with one out, and Ortiz was hit on the right thigh with an errant Francis fastball. Manny was nailed on a called third strike (never took the bat off his shoulder) and Youkilis went down swinging.

In the second, Lowell led off with a ground single to left. With one out Crisp walked and Lugo reached on Helton’s fielding error. Drew stepped up with the bases loaded and hit a bullet liner that Tulowitski pulled in. It was a well hit ball and an even better catch. When a team is going well, everything falls into place. When things aren’t going well, plays such as that happen. Pedroia struck out…and the frustration begins to build.

As a team that is mired in a slump should expect, disaster struck. Matsui led off the third with a base hit and made it to third on Holliday’s double that one-hopped the wall. Helton walked, bases loaded nobody out. Beckett encountered difficulty with his off-speed stuff, and he was getting squeezed by the home plate umpire on some of his calls. Atkins hit a grand slam to make it 5-0. The ball left the yard so quickly, the Red Sox fielders didn’t even turn to look. The whole complexion of the game turned on Tulowitski’s play. If he doesn’t catch Drew’s liner, the Sox are ahead. Now, they’re in a deep hole.

In the bottom of the third, Ortiz struck out swinging, then Manny hit a low bullet that Matsui snared with a nice backhanded stab. Youkilis hit the trifecta with his swinging third strike. This is about the time when the last ones on the bandwagon start dropping off and change the channel. It is also around the time that certain players will figure out that they were not a “good fit” for playing before the hyperbolic loyalist yahoos.

As we witnessed last year, there are rough patches and potholes that a team through which a team must persevere…as Matt Holliday lined a home run to left to make it 6-0. The Sox put a pair aboard in the bottom of the fourth, but Drew hit a weak grounder to second.

Atkins led off the fifth by lining a double off the wall, nearly missing another home run. Pedroia made a marvelous play on Hawpe’s grounder up the middle, diving to his right to snare the ball and throwing the runner out by a step. Pedroia’s play prevented another run from scoring, as the Rockies failed (for once) to drive home the RISP. Beckett’s breaking stuff is not working tonight. He’s over 100 pitches through five and his tank is nearing empty.

The Sox put two more aboard in the fifth when Youkilis hit a short pop into no-man’s land and the Rockies’ shortstop made an over-the-shoulder basket catch. In the sixth, the Sox put the first two runners on base and Francis was lifted in favor of another world traveler, Jorge Julio. Lugo flied out to center. Drew struck out looking on a curveball that dropped in from the sky. Pedroia hit a grounder to second, and, just like that, the Sox were out of another inning.

With two outs in the seventh, the Sox finally broke through. Manny singled with one out and the immortal LaTroy Hawkins entered the game. With two outs, Lowell singled to left and Manny scored from second on a close play at the plate. Spilborghs made a perfect throw home and Manny hit the plate in a cloud of dust an instant before the ball arrived.

Timlin entered in the eighth and the first two hitters, Spilborghs and Torrealba, reached. Tulowitski sacrifice bunted the runners into scoring position. Taveres grounded to short and Spilborghs came in the back door with the Rockies’ seventh run. And that it the way it ended. Good riddance, Rockies.

"Back On Track"

Now, it’s the Giants’ turn to come into town. The last time the Giants were in town, John McGraw was still calling the shots and it was the 1912 World Series. The Giants and Dodgers moved west in ’57, fifty years later it still doesn’t feel that it was an appropriate decision (more so for Brooklyn than the Giants). Given the current value of the two New York franchises and their respective payrolls, the City could well support three clubs. It would be better for competitive balance if the Mets and Yankees had a third party in the mix. It’s a waste of time getting nostalgic when the Yankees and Mets are each building billion-dollar stadiums and the two teams who left town are raking in the dough out in California. It just didn’t have to be that way, is all I’m suggesting. The West Coast would’ve gotten their franchises a only a few years later. Was it necessary to deprive some of the greatest fans in baseball their beloved teams? No! One buck wasn’t enough for O’Malley and Stoneham when two bucks were available in prettier climes.

The pre-game programming was “All About Bonds”. He was seen hitting balls in BP, yukking it up with Ortiz and his toadies in the media. Thank goodness that nothing’s at stake* this weekend or else the media coverage would be unbearable (it’s already nauseating and the first pitch has yet to be thrown in anger). Many years before he was alleged to have used performance enhancing substances, Bonds’ Hall of Fame bona fides had been established. On a baseball field, he had speed and power and was one of the game’s most electric players. At a certain point in the not-too distant future, his skill as a home-run hitter will establish a big “*”. When “*” occurs, we’ll discuss it. For this series, he’s just another visiting player.

Julian Tavarez (3-4, 5.25) started the opener (Game 66, Fri. N. 6/15/07) against a familiar foe, Barry “Boras” Zito (6-6, 4.02) who signed a mind-boggling 7 year, $126MM deal with the Giants during the off-season (the richest contract ever signed by a pitcher). Our Returning Hero Dave Roberts led off for the Giants and received a sustained Standing-O from the crowd, and he appeared really moved by the ovation, acknowledging the crowd several times. He was so thrilled by the reception that he singled to right. Native Son Mark Sweeney hit a long double to right that bounced off the low wall and Roberts scored easily. Bonds stepped to the plate to a chorus of boos and “*” placards, but the reaction was pretty lame. He hit a long drive deep to right that was called foul. But the glare at sunset made it very hard to tell. The manager came out to argue, but with none of the spice that Bonds ended up popping out to Pedroia in short right. With Durham at the plate, Tavarez threw a breaking ball that bounced short and took a big hop. Sweeney trotted in from third with the Giants’ second run. Red Sox Killer Benji Molina grounded out to short to end the inning.

It took the Red Sox all of two minutes to tie the score. Zito hit Drew on the right arm and with the next pitch, Pedroia took Zito out, an 85mph fastball that Dustin drove with his “Little Big Man” uppercut swing. Ortiz was called out on a questionable called third strike and barked his disapproval. He forcefully dropped his bat and helmet and was tossed by Randazzo (didn’t the Red Sox have problems with him not long ago?).

Tavarez settled down in the second and got the side in order. Zito’s assortment of off-speed junk has found favor with Randazzo’s moveable-at-will strike zone. Lowell was caught looking a curve that landed by his ankles and he shared his displeasure with the ump. It’s very hard to figure this guy’s strike zone, and its double-trouble with a guy like Zito who craftily moves his pitches around the zone. Crisp walked and at least two of the pitches should’ve been strikes.

Winn doubled off the wall with two outs in the third and Bonds was given a free pass. Durham (who used to regularly torment Boston pitchers when he played for the White Sox) struck out swinging on a bad pitch. He threw his bat and helmet in disgust, but was not tossed on account of his tantrum.

Team Boras was well-represented tonight. JD “Boras” Drew lined a base hit to left leading off the third. Pedroia squibbed a ball to right that squeaked past the first baseman-and rolled out of the second baseman’s glove. It was the sort of play where everyone was left wonder, “What was that?” Wily Mo (in the DH spot) walked. Manny hit into a 5-4 force and Drew came in with the lead run.

The Sox (finally) had a breakout inning in the bottom of the fourth. Lowell and Lugo reached on walks and were on the corners with two out. Crisp was robbed of a base hit on a spectacular play by Durham backhanded catch and throw. Lowell was nearly picked off third trying to make it home on Lugo’s stolen base play. Drew followed with a long double to center that Roberts tried to track down, but the ball was higher than his reach and both runners scored to make it 5-2 Red Sox. Pedroia (back on fire!) lined a single to right and Drew flew around from second and slid in with the sixth Boston run.

With one out in the fifth, Roberts lined a ground rule double down the line in right. Youkilis made a nice play on Sweeney’s tricky grounder to first. He went to his right, picked the ball and threw to Tavarez covering. With Winn at the plate, Sox fans were treated to another “Yo-Yo Moment”. Winn hit a ball that dribbled down the line. Tavarez grabbed the ball and rolled it (like a bocce ball) to Youkilis, the ball beating Winn by half a step. The camera panned on the manager who appeared as if he’d swallowed a mouthful of sunflower seeds, as this is the second occurrence of Tavarez bowling baseballs this year. However unorthodox Tavarez’ rolling the ball in this instance was a smart move. He was positioned along the first base line and to throw the runner out at such an acute angle would’ve been difficult at best. His throw could’ve hit the runner or it could’ve gone into rightfield. (Maybe he was recalling Timlin’s blunder last Sunday in Arizona). Roberts was already perched at third; if Winn reaches a run would’ve scored and with the way things have been going lately who knows what would’ve happened then? Tavarez has been “thinking outside of the box” his entire life and, to date, none of his Yo-Yo Moments have hurt the team.

With one out in the sixth, Crisp reached on Feliz’ (“through the wickets”) E5 and Zito was relieved after 110 pitches. Randy Messenger, (recently acquired from Florida in exchange for Armando Benitez who was essentially terminated by the Giants about three seconds after he balked in the winning run in a heartbreaking extra-inning loss against the Mets) entered the game. Crisp stole second and made it to third with two outs. Drew continued his torrid hitting with a grounder that just made it under Durham’s glove and Crisp scored the seventh run.

With Taschner on the hill for the Giants, Crisp singled into the corner in left and Lugo walked to start the bottom of the eighth. Drew followed with another long drive to center that Roberts was able to track down but Crisp was able to tag up and make it to third. Pedroia lined a bullet that one-hopped the wall in left, Crisp and Lugo scored to make it 9-2. This was Pedroia’s first career five-hit game. Pedroia went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Wily Mo’s grounder to short.

With an eight-run lead heading into the ninth, the manager felt it was safe to allow Joel Piñiero an inning’s worth of garbage time. Let us hope such trust is not misplaced. Schierholtz singled to right with one out but Vizquel hit into a 4-6-3 twin killing and the Sox took the first game of the series 10-2. It was a very satisfying win for a team that was in tough straits in their last two outings.

The middle game of the series (Game 67, Sat. Aft. 6/16/07) turned out to be a pitchers’ duel. Matt Cain (2-6) got the call for the Giants against Daisuke Matsuzaka (7-5) who had lost his last three outings. Today both pitchers were sharp, but Daisuke was one pitch better as Manny hit a solo shot into the Monster Seats and the lone run held, Sox won 1-0.

Cain allowed only three hits in his seven innings while Daisuke also allowed three hits and three walks while fanning eight in his seven innings of work. Hideki Okajima struggled a bit in the eighth, but was effective enough to hand things over to Papelbon with the lead intact. The key play of the game was Oki’s strike out of Bonds with two runners on and one out. Papelbon shut down the Giant hitters in eleven pitches to rack up his 16th save.

Sunday’s wrap up contest (Game 68, Sun. Aft. 6/17/07) was as different a game from Saturday’s as could possibly be imagined. The two teams combined for twenty hits as the Sox outslugged the Giants 9-5 to earn the sweep. Matt Morris (one-time Cardinal ace) got the call, and the Sox hitters wasted no time smacking around his pitches. Drew led off with a double to right. Pedroia was plunked and Ortiz walked to load the bases. Manny grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, and Drew came in the back door. Youkilis followed with a single, scoring Pedroia.

The Giants tied the score in the third when Schierholtz singled to lead off and scored on Vizquel double to center. Vizquel stole third and scored on Winn’s double. The score did not remain tied for long, as the Sox hitters were just getting started.

Drew walked to start things. Pedroia reached on his second bunt single on the weekend Ortiz rapped a ground-rule double to right and Drew came in with the go-ahead run. Manny grounded out 4-3 and Pedroia came in with Boston’s fourth run. Youkilis singled to left and Big Papí scored. Lowell hit a double to left and Youkilis came in. With two outs, Mirabelli singled and Lowell came in with the seventh run.

The Giants grabbed another run off of Wake in the fourth when Feliz took him over the wall in left, but the Sox came right back in the bottom of the inning when Ortiz hit his second ground-rule double of the ballgame and scored on Manny’s double to left. Things stayed quiet until the sixth when Bonds led off the inning with a homer and Schierholtz’ two-out triple brought in Feliz from first. Manny Delcarmen (just back from Pawtucket replacing “DL” Donnelly) came on for Wake at that point and got Vizquel to ground out to second to end the inning. Delcarmen ran into trouble in the seventh, walking two and leaving two runners in scoring position, but he was ably bailed out by Piñiero, who induced a 6-4-3 double play ball off the bat of Bengie Molina (who’s been feasting off Boston pitching for years).

The Sox capped the scoring in the bottom of the seventh when Manny hit his second homer of the series, to make it 9-5. This was a nice day for the bullpen, picking up for Wake, who was good enough to win. Everybody went home happy, as the Sox swept the series and everyone got to see a “*”.