All the Right Things: O's-Sox Gamer VIII

I'm sure Eric Gagne would have been saying the same things about New York or Milwaukee (well, maybe not Milwaukee), but it's still gratifying to hear:

I want to be a closer. I have always wanted to be a closer. I see myself as a closer. But a chance to have 15 more saves or win a World Series, that was a pretty easy choice.

Also, how cool is this photo?

Maybe we're focusing on yesterday to avoid looking at today, where Tim Wakefield, always a mystery, will face Jeremy Guthrie, who has been impressive this season and has already shut down the Sox once -- before he was mystifyingly removed in the ninth, leading to the Mother's Day Miracle. In fact, Guthrie is looking more and more like the potential sleeper pick for AL Rookie of the Year.

Maybe familiarity will breed contempt among Sox batters, and they'll hammer out a nice, easy win (hey, he's not a lefty; there's at least a shot). I need to get some work done, and as much as I'd like to see Gagne pitch for the Sox, I'd rather not have to worry about the score past the fourth inning.

Comment away!

Boston:

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. J.D. Drew, RF
6. Mike Lowell, 3B
7. Coco Crisp, CF
8. Doug Mirabelli, C
9. Alex Cora, SS

SP: Tim Wakefield

Baltimore:

1. Brian Roberts, 2B
2. Corey Patterson, CF
3. Nick Markakis, RF
4. Kevin Millar, 1B
5. Miguel Tejada, SS
6. Aubrey Huff, 3B
7. Jay Payton, LF
8. Jay Gibbons, DH
9. Paul Bako, C

SP: Jeremy Guthrie, RHP

Comments

[observer]

Loved, just loved seeing KG at Fenway! Celtics are gonna be tough this season.

[Nick-YF]

yeah they are. Man, my poor Knicks. Not so encouraged about the future of that team.

[Josh SF (D1)]

So I was going to try to write this gamer, but Paul beat me to it while I fiddled with Typepad. Oh well...thanks a ton to the authors for inviting me on, and I apologize for not responding yesterday. Apparently my employer equates typepad with fantasy sports, facebook, and porno, because they're all blocked by nanny software.

Haven't seen it mentioned here yet, but JD Drew missed the last couple games to be with his sick son in the hospital. Major surgery, apparently, but nothing else has been released. It seems at least somewhat likely to me that this is something Drew's been dealing with for some time. If that's the case...it goes a long way towards explaining his struggles.

[Ric]

i dig the lineup today... OBP > speed! dougie's going deep today!

[Josh SF (D1)]

Drew's still out with his son. The new lineup:

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. Coco Crisp, CF
7. Eric Hinske, RF
8. Doug Mirabelli, C
9. Alex Cora, SS

[Atheose]

Lowell batting 5th, protecting Manny and Ortiz! I've wanted to see that move all fricken year.

[Atheose]

More "swing-at-the-first-pitch-no-matter-what" offense from Brian Roberts and the Orioles today. Hopefully Wake will baffle them.

[Atheose]

Also, what's up with gameday's hit-or-miss radar gun? Some days it shows the speed and movement of the pitcher at Fenway, some days it does not.

[Atheose]

Come on Peroia, increase that .750 August average!

[Josh SF (D1)]

So Gabbard is making his first start as a Ranger today against Cleveland. He's allowed one run in four innings so far, and just induced a double-play ball to end a runners-on first and third threat. I'm not going to care what happens with Gabbard if Gagne pitches well in the postseason, but I do have a bad feeling that trade will look pretty good for Texas in a year or two. And yes, I know the sample size for Gabbard is very small...

Little Pedroia works a leadoff walk on a borderline ball-4. Good ab.

[Atheose]

Pedroia draws a walk after getting down 1-2!

[Atheose]

The Rangers have always needed starting pitching. They usually finish in the top 3 in home runs but end up losing games 15-14, or some other rediculously high number.

I lived in Dallas until 1993, and got to see Nolan Ryan pitch. It pisses me off to see them get rid of guys like Kenny Rogers and Chris Young, only to have them contending for the ERA title the next year.

[Woosta YF]

Nice of Gagne to leave out the fact that the extra 2.1 million he got from the Sox makes up for the 15 saves.

[Atheose]

I was hoping to see Youk bunt Pedroia over. He's been in a funk lately and sometimes playing small ball can jump-start a team's offense--not to mention it would have taken Pedroia out of the double-play, though it never happened.

[Atheose]

Clemens gives up 4 straight hits to the White Sox, who now lead 2-0 with 2 runners on base. Roger's ERA up at 4.13 again.

How sweet it is.

[Josh SF (D1)]

Ugh. Ortiz pops up a belt-high...something...either a terrible changeup or a terrible breaking ball. 85 mph. Should have been crushed. And Manny continues his run of intepditude, chopping the third pitch he sees to third for the final out. Wasn't a strike.

3-0 Chi-Sox in the Bronx. Roger's given up five straight hits to start the second.

[Atheose]

Correction: FIVE straight hits, 3-0 White Sox.

Let's see how those Yankees bats do when they've got an early hole to dig out of.

[Atheose]

Correction: FIVE straight hits, 3-0 White Sox.

Let's see how those Yankees bats do when they've got an early hole to dig out of.

[SF]

Millar with a monumental at-bat, thirteen pitches then a single.

[stuck working]

Has time made my memory ungenerous, or am I correct that there weren't too many Millar ABs like that one back in the day?

[Paul SF]

I like the fact that the Yankees are all so hot right now. Offense is inherently cyclical. If all the Yankees are hot at one, then they'll all be cold at once, hopefully just in time for them to start playing real teams with real pitching staffs.

[Devine]

5-0 White Sox. Wakefield is efficient with a DP and strikeout quickly after the leadoff single.

[Josh SF (D1)]

So Millar has single-handedly doubled Wake's pitch count. But it doesn't matter, because Tejada chops the first pitch to short for a doubleplay. Cool.

Thome swats a 1-2 pitch into left to plate two more runs. Be real nice to take a game back in the standings today.

[Atheose]

I don't know how the hell I double posted. My bad.

Millar makes himself a pain in the ass by fouling off 9 pitches before getting a single on pitch #13.

[Devine]

6-0. 11th batter for Clemens this inning coming up.

[Paul SF]

Hey, welcome aboard, Josh. You've been deserving of it for a long time...

[Devine]

8-0...has Clemens ever given up so many so soon? Or in a single inning for that matter?

[Paul SF]

Crisp gets the Sox' first hit. Four walks for him yesterday, so he's on in five straight appearances.

[Atheose]

I love saying "God bless Coco". Seems I say it more every day.

[Paul SF]

Fun fact: Coco crisp was the frist Sox player since Yaz in 1968 to go 0 for 0 with four walks in a game.

[Paul SF]

Yaz also went 1 for 1 with five walks n 1971. Manny, Mo and Yaz are the only Sox players since 1957 to record five walks in a game.

[TJ]

damn it i had clemens in my lineup today :(

[Brad]

punch yourself, TJ. Real life > fantasy team.

[Atheose]

Guthrie walked both Dougie AND Cora? Get us going, Pedroia.

Clemens' line score: 1.2 IP, 8 runs, 3 earned.

[Brad]

Man, you almost never see the Red Sox leave the bases loaded without scoring...

[Atheose]

Damnit, Pedroia strikes out with the bases loaded.

At least Guthrie's up to 47 pitches. He won't last past 4 innings at this rate.

[SF]

Droid whiffs. 4 LOB through two.

[Devine]

Gol dern it.

[Josh SF (D1)]

Thanks, Paul. I'll try to be more active then I've been, but it's really hard for me with the schedule I'm on to get up early enough to participate...

Pedroia just swung at a ball near his chin to strand the bases loaded. Disgusted...

[Atheose]

WOOHOO! Gameday just started showing the speed and break of Wake's pitches.

[Paul SF]

Oh, only three earned runs, huh? Too bad, lol

Clemens gave up eight earned runs in 1.1 IP in 1988, an 18-6 loss to Detroit. Gave up four in the first, four in the second.

He also gave up eight earned runs in 1.1 IP in 1995, an 8-3 loss to Minnesota. Clemens again gave up four in each inning.

He's given up at elast eight runs in 16 career starts (now 17), only three times (now four) had he lasted frewer than three innings in doing so. Only once before (1992) had five of those runs been unearned.

[Atheose]

0-2 count and then 4 straight balls? Goddamn you Bako.

[Atheose]

We need to start throwing fastballs at BRoberts' head. I swear he bats .750 when he's playing us.

[SF]

Goddamn you Bako.

That's on Wake, not Bako. Walking the #9 hitter, who is at .215? Weak.

Now Roberts singles and Tim's in a jam.

[Brad]

whew"

[Josh SF (D1)]

So Garland in the Bronx took the 8-run lead and started the bottom of the second by allowing three straight hits. Then a homer to Betemit. 8-4 White Sox.

[Atheose]

//That's on Wake, not Bako//

Yeah, but Bako should have swung at some of those crappy pitches. I blame him for being too patient! ;-)

Thankfully none of it matters as Patterson pops up. Wake up to 50 pitches though.

Oh wait, I keep forgetting that the 2007 Red Sox don't need to worry about our bullpen having to pitch too much! God having a nice bullpen rocks.

[Paul SF]

Incidentally, Clemens recorded a game score of 2 in that Twins contest.

[Paul SF]

Wow. Can the ChiSox suck any more?

[SF]

The White Sox are pathetic. Best not to get hopes up, even with an 8-0 lead. They truly stink.

[Atheose]

Starting to blow an 8-run lead? Sounds like the White Sox alright.

I just hope there's not another Yankee home-run derby today. 3 days in a row of that is enough to make a Boston fan want to slit his wrists.

[Josh SF (D1)]

Haha the Monster claims another crappy defensive LF. Maybe. Actually I think it was just bad communication...Ortiz with a gift of a double.

[Paul SF]

Papi egts things going with the double. The last few games, it's as if he's been giving all his doubters a big middle finger.

[Devine]

5 straight hits for the Yankees.

Ortiz stands at 2nd after Payton screwed up a catch, it looked like.

[Paul SF]

Ah, well it looked like a solid double on GameDay ;-)

[Atheose]

Papi and Manny come through! That's what we like to see Manny.

[Paul SF]

Manny knocks him in! That's the way it's supposed to work!

[Devine]

Manny deep single to left. 1-0 Sox.

[Josh SF (D1)]

Manny crushes a liner towards Wily Mo Peyton, and it clanks off the bottom of the monster. A double in most parks, an RBI single in this one. 1-0 Sox.

[Devine]

Johnny Damon makes the first out of the Yankee half.

[SF]

Over/under on curtain calls in Yankee Stadium today? 5.

Over/under on "turning point" claims if the Yankees come back today? 155.

It's sad that this is what has happened to the Yankee season narrative; the team has been so streaky that nobody has any clue which way is up. At least with the Sox they've been consistent for a long while: consistently mediocre.

[Atheose]

I just realized that Papi is leading the team in batting average. I still can't believe Youk's average has dropped like 50 points in the last month and a half.

[Devine]

A-Rod up with a chance to tie the game. 8-5, one out, two on.

[Josh SF (D1)]

Two straight seasons now where Youk's fallen off a cliff as soon as May finished. Maybe that deal for Helton would have been a good idea after all...

8-5 in the Bronx, and A-Rod's up as the tying run. And it's still the second inning.

[Devine]

He singles. 8-6.

[Atheose]

Has anyone else noticed that all season Wake's knuckleball speed has been WAY down? The last 4 years it was consistently 67-69, but this year it's in the low 60's/high 50's. Maybe it's an adjustment he and the pitching coach worked on?

Wake retires the side on 7 pitches. Beautiful.

[Brad]

The White Sox are effin unbelievable.

[Devine]

How often do two teams bat around in the same inning of the same game?

[Atheose]

Garland out after only 56 pitches. That seems like a horrible outing, until you compare it with Clemens' 39 pitches.

[Josh SF (D1)]

On the plus side, Jeff Karstens isn't exactly...a good pitcher. And he's going to be in for a little while. So Chicago probably isn't done scoring yet, either.

[Atheose]

HINSKE HOMER! 2-0 Sox.

[Josh SF (D1)]

Hinske! Making up for that strikeout with Crisp at 2nd earlier.

[Devine]

Hinske homers! 2-0.

[Atheose]

BACK-TO-BACK by the two lowest averages on the team!

[Devine]

Mirabelli! 3-0! Production from the bottom today.

[Paul SF]

That's impressive. But again, I'd rather the Yanks get all their scoring out of the way now...

[Josh SF (D1)]

Hahaha Dougie does what he does when he isn't striking out and crushes one over the monster.

A nice bonus to smacking around Jeremy Guthrie: Might help give Pedroia/Oki/Matsuzaka a better shot at the RoY.

[Paul SF]

Pedroia with the single -- two innings late :-P

[Devine]

Seriously, the Yankees have tied it, and have a chance to go ahead on Posada's double.

[SF]

Wheee! Belli hits one with the gusto he hits the Olive Garden "Pasta Thursday" menu!

[TJ]

8-8 in NY -_-

[Devine]

New game after two innings at Yankee Stadium.

[SF]

Paul:

Any teams ever match eights in one inning? Baseball Ref to the rescue!

[Devine]

3-1 after the triple and sac fly by the Orioles.

[Paul SF]

It sets the MLB record for most runs scored in the second inning of a ballgame, previously held by Philly-Detroit (10-4) in 1913, and NY-Detroit (11-3) in 1936.

The record for most runs by two teams in an inning is 19, and there are several instances of 18, including in 2004, when the Ranegrs scored 10 and the Tigers scored eight in the fifth.

[Atheose]

Again, we need to start throwing fastballs at BRoberts' head. Wtf.

[Paul SF]

In 1996, the Rangers scored 16 runs by themselves in the eighth inning of a game vs. Baltimore.

[Devine]

Damn it. Tied.

[Paul SF]

No one really thought three runs would be enough to win this game, did they?

[Ric]

was that a blooper that plated those runs?

[Devine]

Ric: yep.

[Atheose]

About time Manny's first-pitch-swinging strategy started paying off. One more hit and he's above .300

[SF]

I hate Wakefield. He's always three pitches from a three run pukefest.

[Paul SF]

Lowell kills the potential rally. Yuck.

[Atheose]

God bless Coco!

[Paul SF]

Another home run from Hinske would be nice with Crisp aboard. That DP really hurts now.

[Devine]

Coco is on. If Manny or whoever had been on their game, Sox would have scored there.

[SF]

Who wants to bet that Lowell doesn't reach 100 RBI and ends the year hitting about .281? Any takers?

[SF]

8 hits, three walks, 11 baserunners and THREE F*CKING RUNS.

Same old story, every goddamned day.

[Paul SF]

He's been hitting .340/.385/.480 in his last 25 games, with 18 RBI, so I'd be wary of making any deals, SF...