“Dog Days” Phase III


When last we looked at the Local Nine, it was mid-August and the club was halfway through a seven game homestand, just having lost the series finale to Tampa Bay in disheartening fashion. At the time, the Sox held a tenuous five-game lead over the Yankees, and by Labor Day the lead (after growing as high as eight and falling as low as four) held at six games. Before long, the team would once more hit the road for ten games ending with three in the Bronx, concluding a brutal stretch in which the team played 29 out of their last 39 on the road.

After a day off on the 16th, the Angels came to town for a four-game set. Friday was a day-night doubleheader day to make up for an April date that was washed away. In the series opener (Game 121, 8/17/07), the much-ballyhooed Clay Buchholz made his Major League debut. Buchholz was a “sandwich pick” the Red Sox received when Pedro signed with the Mets. If Clay’s career remotely approaches Pedro’s, it will be a tremendous job of scouting and development by the organization.

Talk about getting tossed into the proverbial frying pan, Buchholz drew the unenviable task of facing one of the best lineups in the League while their best pitcher was on the mound. Seriously, Buchholz looks as if he ought to be bagging groceries and pushing carts at Market Basket, he looks like he’s all of fifteen.

Things didn’t start too promising for Buchholz. Figgins walked on four pitches. Drew muffed Guerrero’s fly to right with one out leaving runners on second and third. Anderson grounded out to first and Figgins came in the back door with the game’s first run. Buchholz got out of further trouble by striking out Gary Matthews swinging.

Any early jitters Buchholz may have felt must’ve been diminished after the Sox hung a six-spot on Angels’ starter John Lackey in the bottom of the first. Pedroia led off with a ground-rule double to right. With one out, Ortiz launched a two-run bomb to put the Sox up 2-1. Manny followed with a Ramirez single and JD Drew tripled. Lowell drove in Drew with a base hit to left. With two outs, Mirabelli doubled to center, driving in Lowell. Cora followed with doubled to left that scored Mirabelli. On the play, Mirabelli suffered a calf injury that would land him on the 15-day DL.

The Sox put up another run in the fourth when Youkilis singled to left and scored on Drew’s two-out single to right combined with Vladimir Guerrero’s throwing error.

In the Angels’ fifth, Buchholz ran into a little difficulty. With one out, Figgins and Cabrera each singled. Vladimir Guerrero’s single to right drove in Figgins and Anderson’s base hit up the middle scored Cabrera to make it 7-3 Red Sox. Gary Matthews then lined into a double play to Youkilis. The Angels pushed across another run in the sixth, and that was it for Buchholz, a fine way to start a Major League career (6.0 IP 8H 3 ER 3BB 5 K 91 PT). Okajima came on for the seventh, but things got really interesting in the eighth. Anderson singled to right leading off. With one out, Kotchman singled to right. With two outs, and things getting a little too close for comfort Papelbon came on and got pinch-hitter Maicer Izturis to fly out to center. In the bottom of the inning, Pedroia homered to make the score 8-4, and in the ninth, Pap struck out Willits and Figgins, allowed a single to Cabrera before Guerrero flied out to end it. A nice way to start things off, and for his trouble Buchholz received a ticket on the Pawtucket Express but before long he’ll be back for good.

The nightcap (Game 122, 8/17/07) was a different matter altogether. Josh Beckett got the call against Ervin Santana, who is brilliant at times, and other times somewhat less than. But neither starter would factor in the decision, as it was another breakdown by “Game Over” Gagné that would spell doom in the end for Boston. The teams continued their cautious approach like circling prizefighters, as there was no scoring until the Angels’ third with two outs. Orlando Cabrera singled up the middle and scored on Guerrero’s double to left.

Santana was on his game as he kept the Sox off the board. Anaheim pushed across another run when Guerrero reached on Lugo`s muff of a grounder and Anderson singled. With one out Izturis’ single scored Guerrero to make it 2-0 Angels. The Sox finally broke through in the seventh when Ortiz singled leading off and scored on to center. With one out Drew doubled to right. Santana was lifted in favor of Justin Speier. Lowell grounded out 5-3 and Ortiz came in to make it 2-1.

Delcarmen came on for the eighth and that’s when things started to take an ugly turn. Vladimir Guerrero led off with a triple and scored on Anderson’s sacrifice fly to left and Matthews hit a solo homer to right, 4-1 Angels.

Scot Shields entered in relief in the bottom of the eighth. With one out Lugo and Jacoby Ellsbury walked. Pedroia singled to load the bases and Manager Scoscia called for K-Rod, who threw a wild pitch that scored Lugo. Ortiz followed with an opposite-field double that brought in Ellsbury and Crisp with the tying runs and Manny doubled in Ortiz with the go-ahead run.

So, with a 5-4 lead heading into the ninth and Papelbon being unavailable, the manager made the call to “Game Over”, who once more sunk his team. With one out, pinch-hitter Casey Kotchman walked. Figgins then singled to right. Cabrera followed with single that scored pinch-runner Erick Aybar. Vladimir Guerrero doubled and drove in Figgins and Cabrera. The only excitement left was when Youkilis and Francona were tossed for arguing balls and strikes, but the air had already left the balloon.

In Saturday afternoon’s “Fox Game of the Week” (Game 123, 8/18/07), it was Boston’s chance to turn the tables as they bounced back from a five-run deficit to win going away, 10-5.

Before discussing the game, it would be appropriate to remember that today marked the 40th anniversary of Tony Conigliaro’s near-fatal beaning. It was a hazy, hot Friday night and like most kids of the age, I’d spent that magical summer with a transistor glued to one ear while the Sox were in the midst of taking a nearly impossible 100-1 shot to win the Pennant. Smack dab in the middle of the lineup was Tony, the local kid who made good. Tony’s path to stardom had already been on the rise as he’d already hit 100 homers faster than anyone else. Tony was fearless at the plate and fought for every inch of the strike zone, at one time having already suffered a broken wrist rather than back away from the plate. Pitchers generally “send a message” to hitters who like to crowd the plate by aiming a pitch at or near the ol’ coconut to get them to back off. Tony wouldn’t back off for anyone, let alone a journeyman like Jack Hamilton. What followed was a matter of conjecture. Some idiot in the crowd set off a smoke bomb that delayed play for several minutes. The night was already hazy and the heavy smoke remained in the air as Tony stepped into the plate. Hamilton’s pitch, a purpose pitch no doubt, came high and struck Tony square in the left eye. Now if the sky had not been already thick with smoke and summer haze, would Tony have seen the pitch soon enough to turn way? Remember, he backed away from no one at the plate. We’ll never know. To this day, Tony’s family maintains that Hamilton’s pitch was deliberate while Hamilton (now the proprietor of a restaurant in Branson) insists that it was an accident.

Tony was carried off in a stretcher and all of New England was crestfallen. It had only been ten or twelve years earlier that perhaps the greatest of New England’s athletes, Harry Agganis of Lynn, BU and Red Sox fame had suddenly died. The Sox won the Pennant on the final day, but if Tony were in the lineup against the powerhouse Cardinals, who knows what could’ve been? Can you imagine him stepping in the box against Bob Gibson, the most intimidating pitcher of his day?

Tony didn’t make it back to the Sox until ’69, where he hit a memorable home run on Opening Day in Baltimore. In 1970, he hit 36 home runs with bad eyesight! He was amazing and inspirational to an entire generation of hometown kids. He was traded to the Angels during the off-season and played about half a season before hanging ‘em up. Four years later, he made a remarkable comeback, earning a roster spot out of Spring Training, but it wasn’t meant to be, so he moved on to a career in broadcasting. In ’82, the Red Sox TV analyst job opened up (when The Hawk went on to fame and fortune in Chicago) and Tony flew in from California to audition. He suffered a stroke from which he never recovered and lingered for a number of years before dying at age 45 in 1990. We never forget our own.

On to the game, Schilling and Jared Weaver were the starters and the Angels had the best of it in the early going. LA grabbed a quick run in the first and three runs in the second, the big blow being Figgins’ two-run shot with two outs. Guerrero’s one-out, solo homer in the fifth appeared to put Boston in an intractable hole, but patience would win out.

Hinske led off with a single and Crisp doubled to center. Cora was then hit by an errant pitch to load the bases. Lugo followed with a base hit up the middle that brought home Hinske and Crisp. Youkilis hit a single to load the bases once more and Big Papi hit a big fly to right that brought everyone home, just like that the Sox were up 6-5. Weaver’s afternoon concluded on that note.

In the eighth, the Sox blew the game wide open. Cora singled leading off and advanced to second on Lugo 1-3 sacrifice bunt. With two outs Ortiz was intentionally walked. Manny Ramirez doubled to the gap in right center scoring Cora and Ortiz. Drew walked, and after a pitching change, Varitek singled to right scoring Manny. A wild pitch brought in Drew with the Sox’ 10th run. Papelbon entered in the ninth and smoked ‘em away. This was a very impressive comeback win for Schilling and the Sox.

Sunday’s finale (Game 124, 8/19/07) was dull and disinteresting. Tavarez got the spot-start (so as to allow Wakefield the chance to go in St. Pete, where he’s had great success over the years), ran into early inning trouble (what else is new?) and the Sox lost 3-1. The Angels picked up a pair in the first off of a combination of singles and walks. Tavarez was finished after six, and truth be told, pitched a whale of a ballgame; he simply received no run support. Joe Saunders continued his winning ways with a dominant outing. Things stayed 2-0 until the seventh, when (with Kyle Snyder on the hill) Kotchman led off with a double and later scored on a wild pitch. The Sox waited until there were two outs in the eighth before waking up. Ortiz singled and Scot Shields entered in relief of Saunders and he walked Manny. Lowell followed with a singled to left that drove in Ortiz. Speier relieved Shields and nailed JD Drew (pinch hitting) on a called third strike. The natives are beginning to jump ugly with the $14M Man.

Gagne came on for the ninth and struck out the side with a couple of singles mixed in. It didn’t matter, though as K-Rod slammed the door shut in the bottom of the ninth. The homestand ended up with a mediocre 4-3 record.

“Off To The Bay, Tampa Bay That Is…”

Once more the Sox returned to the road for a three-stop ten game swing through Tampa Bay, Chicago and New York City. The series opener in St. Pete (Game 125, 8/20/07)
featured Tim Wakefield and His Amazing Knuckleball, that under a roof can perform magical acts. Without getting carried away, Wake’s record in the Orange Juice Dome has been mighty impressive. And so it was on this night. Scott Kazmir got the start for the Rays and generally he’s especially tough on Boston’s hitters, but he really struggled in the early going, allowing five runs in the first two innings.

Pedroia singled leading off and Youkilis walked. Bobby Kielty (who had been signed as a free agent after having been released by Oakland) erased Pedroia on a 1-4 fielder`s choice. With two outs Lowell lined a double to left that scored Pedroia and Kielty. In the second, the Sox poured it on, scoring three times and putting the ballgame out of reach. Crisp led off with a ground-rule double to right. Kevin Cash (who was recalled from Pawtucket on Friday after Mirabelli went down) walked. Pedroia singled to drive in Crisp. Youkilis followed with a single to left to load the bases. With two outs, Manny lined a base hit up the middle that scored Cash and Pedroia. Mike Lowell hit a solo shot in the fifth to make the score 6-0, but the story of the night was Wakefield, who went seven shutout innings and improved his record to 15-10.

Tuesday night (Game 126, 8/21/07) proved to be a bit more challenging from Boston’s point of view. Jon Lester got the start against Andrew Sonnanstine who pitched well against the Red Sox six days before. Both teams traded a pair of runs in the first inning as Ortiz—stop the presses—hit an RBI triple (it wasn’t necessary to wheel out the oxygen tank) and Carlos Peña countered with a two-run shot in the bottom half of the inning.

This is a game the Sox should’ve put away in the fourth, scoring five times in good old fashioned station-to-station baseball. Ortiz led off with a single With one out, Lowell was plunked and Drew singled to load the bases. Varitek followed with a base hit that scored Ortiz. Crisp banged a double to right that drove in Lowell and Drew. Lugo followed that up with a double of his own to drive in Varitek and Crisp. So, it’s 7-2 Sox and things look great, right? Think again…

With one out in the fifth, Gomes singled and Josh Wilson walked. With two outs Iwamura lined a three-run shot to left and-just like that-it was a two-run ballgame.

In the seventh, the Sox had a chance to get some breathing room. Pedroia led off with a doubled and scored on Josh Wilson’s fielding error with two outs. But the Rays came back with a run in the bottom half when Pedroia booted a ball that scored Josh Wilson with two outs. Papelbon relieved Okajima with two outs in the eighth and struck out Gomes. In the bottom of the ninth, (Hey) Norton and Navarro went down a-swinging and Iwamura popped out to end the ballgame. Papelbon picked up his 30th save and Lester earned his second win without a loss, but it was white-knuckle time out there for a while.

The series finale (Game 127, 8/22/07) should’ve been a turkey-shoot for the Red Sox. Tampa Bay trotted out 3-12 Edwin Jackson against Matsuzaka. This is nothing against Jackson, as he has all the makings of being a fine starter down the line. He was a highly-prized converted pitching prospect in the Dodger organization who was pushed along too soon—why else would he be in St. Pete these days? Anyhow, the kid went out and pitched the game of his life, going six innings en route to a 2-1 win.

The Sox had a golden chance in the third to take a commanding lead, but failed to capitalize. Pedroia was hit on the elbow by a pitch leading off (causing him to leave the game) and Youkilis followed with a double. Ortiz walked to load the bases and Lowell’s sacrifice fly scored Pedroia. A pop out by Drew and a ground out by Varitek killed that chance. The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the sixth with one out, when Carlos Pena walked and BJ Upton followed with a two-run homer. The Sox left 14 runners on base in a frustrating night’s work.

“Windy City Massacre”
Thursday night’s opener in Chicago was postponed due to a rainstorm of biblical proportions. What followed over the course of the next three days was a perfect storm, a combination of torrid Red Sox hitting and putrid White Sox pitching. By the end of the weekend, the Red Sox left Chicago having swept the ChiSox by an aggregate score of 46-4! It was like something out of the day when Boston would pummel the St. Louis Browns back in the late ‘40’s and early fifties. The scores were 11-0, 10-1 (Friday), 14-2 (Saturday) and 11-1 (Sunday). What was most shocking is that this is pretty much the same Chicago team that won the World Series but two years ago.

It wouldn’t make sense to recount the events of each game but to say that the Red Sox played perfectly while Chicago’s pitchers were complete failures. The White Sox are surely not as bad as they looked over the weekend, and the Red Sox are surely not that good.

“Humble Pie In The Bronx”
The Red Sox probably didn’t need a jet to fly into New York after the weekend, but the Yankees were there to clip their wings and bring them back to reality. The high flyers went into The Bronx with an eight game lead and a chance to bury their hated rivals. By the time they crawled back home, they had been swept, humbled and the lead was down to a precarious five games. They lost the opener 5-3 on homers by Damon and Jeter. Andy Pettitte and the Yankee bullpen doused the Sox’ red hot bats but good. Matsuzaka hit A-Rod in the first inning, so someone in the Boston lineup would pay when it was Roger’s turn the following night. Even worse, Manny went out of the lineup midway through the ballgame (after homering) with a pulled back muscle and is “day-to-day” (probably mid-September). The Red Sox got their first look at Joba Chamberlain, the phenom drafted in ’06 from Nebraska who has risen from A-Ball to the majors in the course of a season. He’s big, throws hard and casts an intimidating shadow out there. The middle game featured a matchup of Clemens vs. Beckett, and “Mr. Yankee” had the better of his old club, winning 4-3. Beckett allowed three runs in the bottom of the second and Clemens was really on his game. A-Rod’s seventh inning solo shot was the difference. Beckett was cuffed around for 14 hits, while Clemens allowed only two hits, and carried a no-hitter into the sixth that was broken up by a titanic homer off the bat of Ortiz. The series finale was played on a beautiful afternoon for baseball in the City, as Chien-Ming Wang gave the Yanks their third strong pitching performance in a row to sweep Boston, 5-0. Not much to say here but for the fact that Schilling had another good outing, received zero run support (Wang took a no-hitter into the sixth that was broken up by Lowell’s base hit), and Okajima had a rare bad performance. It was 2-0 in the seventh when the critical play of the game was made. Youkilis led off and reached on Jeter’s bad throw, then Lowell singled putting runners on first and second. Drew hit a grounder to third, Youkilis avoided the tag while Drew was thrown out, putting runners on second and third with one out. A-Rod whined and Torre came out to argue that Youkilis ran out of the base line and should be automatically out. The umpires huddled (generally not a good sign for Red Sox fans). The umpires reversed their initial call and ruled Youkilis out. Francona flew out of the dugout, vehemently protesting the call. It was no use; he was tossed for his trouble and the ballgame was essentially over. So, Boston’s lead dwindled down to a precious five as they made their way back to Fenway for Labor Day weekend. As of August 30th, with 134 games played and 28 remaining, here’s how the race in the AL East stacks up:

Boston (80-54)
N.Y. Yankees (75-59)