Dual Gamers: Reds-Yanks and Cards-Sox Gamers III

Both teams look to avoid sweeps this afternoon. The Sox are in a rain delay. The Yanks are underway. Comment away on both games' action here!

Comments

[SF]

This has been one sorry ass weekend for the Sox. An embarrassment, to say the least. Still four innings to salvage something, but what a waste so far.

[SF]

Coco singles, then immediately gets picked off. Great.

[SF]

And now Lester beginning to struggle as the rains arrive.

[SF]

And the Cards take the lead as Lester looks awful all of a sudden.

Screw interleague play, this weekend just salts away how much I hate this stupid, money grubbing gimmick.

[SF]

Just love it when the team gets home from a road trip, has a lesser team with an excited crowd and plays lifelss, tired, fundamentally dreadful baseball. Very inspring, encouraging for the long run. Hopefully it's just a hangover, but the fact is that Drew was sure to regress following his hotstreak and that will highlight the fact that Papi is missing. Someone else needs to pick up Drew's slack (that means you, underachieving rich third baseman and you, tender hammy'd DH) or else the Sox are going to be skidding for more than three days.

[SF]

Getting mashed by a mediocre Cards team without their best hitter, fantastic. Now I know how Yanks fans felt for about 65 days.

[SF]

Hmm, third time through the lineup, Lester pitching terribly this inning, but Tito and Farrell just sitting there like daydreamers.

[attackgerbil]

> Cards team without their best hitter

oh yeah, I forgot they traded Eckstein.

Kid's asleep. Now I can watch some baseball.

[SF]

I am definitely slipping into "just thinking about the Red Sox makes my blood boil" phase of the season. Happens at some point every year, it's a miracle I've made it until late June without this happening.

[attackgerbil]

Ooops.. FA, not trade.

[SF]

Now I can watch some baseball.

Right now my mood is:

"Seriously, why? F*ck baseball."

[SF]

The even bigger insult is that this game is being pitched by Joel Pineiro, a sack of sh*t who couldn't hack it in Boston, but who suddenly finds his abilities again, of course in the NL.

[SF]

Man, I am in a really bad mood.

[SF]

Two scorched line drives that inning, RIGHT at Pineiro, who grabs them. Lucky MF.

[attackgerbil]

Ramirez 9-pitch, 123 in the top of the seventh.

[attackgerbil]

Dusty's glove was sticky.

[SF]

More good terrible fundamental baseball, Pedroia can't turn the throw on the feed from Lowell and the inning, which should be over, continues. So not only do the Cards have life with a man on base, but Dusty has now forced Lester to throw more pitches deep in the game.

[attackgerbil]

Melky signles to lead off the Yankee seventh.

[SF]

Ok, bats, give Lester something back here. Another excellent effort from someone who looks like an emerging top-of-the-rotation guy, much to my surprise. Give him a shot at a win, or at least a no-decision, not a loss.

[attackgerbil]

Damon hits a grounder off the hands to second; Melky forced but not enough time to get Damon at first.

[attackgerbil]

Jeter takes a 5-pitch walk.

[A YF]

"I am definitely slipping into "just thinking about the Red Sox makes my blood boil" phase of the season."

And it seems the Yanks are just now coming out of that phase for me - and a bit early this year.

[attackgerbil]

Baker pulls the lefty Affeldt for righty Lincoln to face Abreu.

[attackgerbil]

Abreu lines out to Phillips who doubles Melky off at second.

[SF]

Youk dinger, 2-1. The tease begins...

[attackgerbil]

Junior with a solo shot in the top of the eighth with two away.

[attackgerbil]

Now a hot bouncing shot ricochets off Farns' hand and he is immediately coming out of the game. Phillips takes second as ARod threw it away trying to make the out at first.

[attackgerbil]

Rivera comes on to try for a four-out save.

[attackgerbil]

Valentin grounds back to Mo to end the eighth.

[attackgerbil]

top eighth that is..

[attackgerbil]

Wow, Ankiel totally misjudged that ball. Crisp with a triple.

[SF]

Lucky! Ankiel slips, misjudges, whatever, and Coco runs to third as the ball gets to the triangle. Tie runner at third, nobody out.

[attackgerbil]

ARod singles to lead off the Yankee eighth, but Matsui grounds into the 463. Two away to Stache.

[attackgerbil]

Lugo sacs to right scoring crisp to tie the game at two.

[attackgerbil]

Votto leads off the top of the ninth with a check swing slow roller infield single up third. Blech.

[SF]

Tie game, is Paps up?

[SF]

Green light Drew, please!

[attackgerbil]

Bruce with a broken bat single over Cano's head makes it first and second with no outs.

[SF]

JD walks following a tight call on a Pedroia steal.

Come on, Manny...

[attackgerbil]

Patterson grounds out to Jeter who gets the force at second but couldn't get it to first in time. First and third with one away to Dunn.

[attackgerbil]

Dunn down looking. Perfect pitch on the outside corner. Dunn's livid.

[SF]

Pineiro getting hosed by his pen, not that we care.

But why did LaRussa lift him after 80 or so pitches? Overmanaging.

[attackgerbil]

Hopper grounds out to Rivers, ball game. Yankees 4, Reds 1.

[attackgerbil]

Yeah, PIniero was dealing.

[SF]

Like I said, a tease.

[Devine]

Come on, Sox! Get one in the 10th!

Drew walk-off style.

What an ugly crawl of a baseball weekend it has been. Could it end brightly?

[Devine]

Stop grabbing at the ball in play, stupid fans! Anyway, leadoff double. So clooose.

Pedroia bunts him over. Drew up with Ellsbury at 3rd and one out...

[Devine]

Drew shoulda killed that 2-0 pitch...

[Devine]

Then swings at a breaking ball low, and...

[Devine]

Terrible, awful, horrible AB by Drew. Wow.

[Devine]

Moss up instead of Manny.

[sf rod]

to squander this would be a kick to the groin.

[Devine]

Oh, Casey suddenly pinch-hitting. Neat. I think a wild pitch would do nicely.

[Devine]

Just horrendous.

[sf rod]

to squander this would kick to the groin...in the same exact spot we got kicked in last inning.

[sf rod]

spitting blood.

[Devine]

Worst...game...ever?

[bostondreams]

oh, why bother? ANOTHER leadoff hit. C'mon Youk. Do SOMETHING good. END this game!

[bostondreams]

OH YES! THANK GOD! Youk! Finally!

[Devine]

Tek saves the game and Youks ends it. Nice. Still one of the worst-played games of all time.

[Devine]

Also, credit to Drew on the throw from right on that single last inning. I go through the game like a zombie, see the thing lost, won, and lost again so many times, and that final inning was like an exclamation point of seemingly losing and definitely winning.