Ebb Tide: Sox-Royals Gamer II

All three AL East leaders faltered last night in games outside their division, with the Rays and Sox losing to the cellar teams of the central while the Yanks lost more than the game in Anaheim. Tonight, Josh Beckett looks for a victory in Kansas City. He's been knocked around his last three times out, facing the powerhouse lineups of the Halos and Bombers. In his defense, the Sox mustered only four runs in those outings. It will be tough to make excuses tonight for the Boston bats if they don't bash Brian Bannister to bolster Beckett; Bannister has given up one run per inning in his last seven starts.

Lineups follow, comment away.

Boston
J.D. Drew rf	.283
D. Pedroia 2b	.317
D. Ortiz dh	.254
K. Youkilis 1b	.316
M. Lowell 3b	.280
J. Bay lf	.312
J. Lowrie ss	.293
J. Varitek c	.220
J. Ellsbury cf	.259
J. Beckett	4.15
Kansas City
M. Aviles ss	.338
E. German 2b	.244
M. Teahen rf	.245
J. Guillen dh	.264
B. Butler 1b	.268
A. Gordon 3b	.254
J. Buck c	.244
R. Gload lf	.271
M. Maier cf	.310
B. Bannister	5.33

Comments

[Atheose]

Beckett has retired 12 of the last 13 batters. Don't f*ck with Commander Kick-Ass when he's in the groove.

[SF]

12 of 13 down for Beckett. Strong work again.

[Atheose]

Wow Royals fans are losers.

[Atheose]

Bay singles. I'm loving this guy.

[Atheose]

Indians have runners at the corners with 0 outs, but fail to score any. Lame.

Lowrie is hitting the ball really well.

[Atheose]

...

Varitek singles.

*Rubs eyeballs in an overdramatic, cartoonish manner*

[SF]

PIgs fly!!!

[Atheose]

Ellsbury singles! 4-1 Sox!

Is this really happening?

[SF]

Everybody hits!

[stuck working]

This has turned into a pretty nice night for Ellsbury. And Tek's gonna live off that single for a week.

[Atheose]

Ellsbury steals 2nd. It feels like it's been forever since we've seen him do this.

He distracted the pitcher massively before that too.

[SF]

another steal for JE.

[Atheose]

And Tek's gonna live off that single for a week.

Why not? He's now met his quota for the week.

[SF]

And Tek's gonna live off that single for a week.

Unfortunately this is completely true.

[Atheose]

LASER SHOW! Pedroia its it hard to 3rd, beats out the throw. Ellsbury tries scoring though and it out by a mile, and looks like he injured himself awkwardly avoiding the tag.

[SF]

10 hits, two walks, five runs. 5/12 thru 5 innings. Not being too greedy, but this game should be out of reach.

[Atheose]

6-pitch inning = awesome.

764 pitches through 6 for Beckett.

[Atheose]

Errr, 75*

[stuck working]

Bah, Tampa tacks on a couple more in the 7th, but at least the Yanks are still down 5-1 through 6.

[Atheose]

What the f*ck is up with the dude with wierd signs? He had a strange one last night, though I can't remember it off the top of my head.

Youk doubles.

[Paul SF]

Sox are tattooing Nunez. Feels good...

[Paul SF]

Two on for Bay... Let's see some more runs!

[Atheose]

Woah woah woah how is that not a homerun?

[SF]

Two more baserunners.

What a crazy play...that ball ROLLED ALONG THE WALL for about six feet! Gload then pushed it back in the field, costing Bay a three run jack. Unreal!

[Paul SF]

Bay AGAIN just misses a homer... Off glove, rolls along top of wall, "just" a double.

[Atheose]

I don't care what the rules are; that should be a homerun.

[SF]

The centerfielder almost made the catch, in fact he probably should have. The ball then sat on top of the wall, actually rolling about six or seven feet towards left field. The top of the wall at KC is about 15" deep, a ledge, and then Gload jumped and knocked it back in the park.

6-1 Sox.

[Atheose]

Lowrie triples!

[Paul SF]

Now Lowrie with the triple! Nice rebound game...

[SF]

Lowrie doubles into the corner. 8-1 Sox.

Sorry, make that a triple. Nice, Jed.

I can't remember who played SS before this year. Anyone have any recollection?

[stuck working]

See, this is how these games are *supposed* to go.

[Atheose]

It was a great play by the left-fielder to pull it off the wall before it had a chance to fall off the back side.

[Atheose]

As far as I'm concerned Nomar was our shortstop before this, SF.

[stuck working]

You forgot OC, Ath.

Nice to see Tek avoid the K by weakly popping up instead.

[Atheose]

OC was pretty awesome down the stretch.

[stuck working]

Yeah, he was. It is a bit of blur after that, though...

[stuck working]

Nuts. Was hoping Ellsbury would draw a walk there. As I recall, his BB rate is down even more than his SBs.

[Atheose]

I really liked Gonzalez too, to be honest. Guy was amazing in the field. Fucking Jeter stole his Gold Glove.

[stuck working]

Yanks have the bases loaded with Damon representing the tying run at the plate. Stupid Texas bullpen.

[Paul SF]

OC was awful against the Yanks during that ALCS though.

[Paul SF]

course i say that and look, and he actually had great numbers. still, i recall some brutal three-pitch ks in key spots during games 4 and 5...

[Atheose]

Is that sarcasm Paul? He batted .379 in the ALCS.

[stuck working]

Damon walks to bring in a run but Jeter ends the threat. Texas up 5-2 going to the bottom of the 7th. Phew.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Cleveland threatening against Wheeler in the 8th.

[Atheose]

Beckett pulled, argues about it with Tito. He's only at 90 pitches, and with a 7-run lead I would have left him out there.

Timlin in. He's been really good lately, thankfully.

[Atheose]

In his last 9 IP TImlin has an ERA of 1.04, with a WHIP of 0.77.

[Atheose]

Aaaaaaand I jinxed it.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

In that heat, Tito's right. ... and Timmy gives up a run.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Theo on EEI today, saying Sox have lost 18 straight (I think it was 18. I was at work. It was a high number) 1-run road games.
He also refuted claims that Papi's OPS is better when he's batting ahead of Manny. He said the numbers are almost identical.

[stuck working]

Now Texas has the bases loaded with 2 outs.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Joe C says Tejeda showboating after Ortiz Ks.

[Atheose]

So here's a dilemma for me: I've come home from work several times lately and noticed things moved around in my room, so I set my webcam up with motion-detection software that will record a 10-second video whenever it detects motion. Today, sure enough, my roommate's girlfriend (who is a huge bitch) comes in my room, snoopes around my books, and gets on my computer for over an hour.

How should I handle the situation? My girlfriend and I already don't get along with her because she acts like she lives here, and is generally as unfriendly as possible. Should I let it slide unless it happens again? Should I confront her calmly and cooly and give her a warning? Or should I get even with her by walking into their room when they're having sex, and saying "Oh I'm sorry, you go in my room whenever you want so I figured I could do the same."

It's taken a lot of willpower to keep from confronting and screaming at her. Any ideas?

[stuck working]

Brian Bruney gives up a 3-run double. Sweet. Texas up 8-2. Man, I *never* would have expected the Yanks to lose two in Arlington.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Davis doubles off Bruney, 3 score, 8-2 Texas

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Ath, it might be passive aggressive, but can you put a lock on your door?

[Atheose]

It's an apartment, so I don't think they'd let me replace the door lock. Unfortunately there's not one on there now.

I'm trying to think of creative ways to get payback, rather than just yelling at her. Anyone have any good tricks up their sleeves?

[Atheose]

TO clarify: at this point I'm pissed off enough that I don't just want her out of my room: I want revenge.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Texas leave MLB in runs scored at 640 (RS, Det tied at second wwith 560). Cubs only other team over 600 at 604.

[Atheose]

Texas has always been a fantastic offensive team... they just need some pitching.

[stuck working]

That's some pretty impressive ingenuity there, Ath, with the webcam set-up. I'd definitely just talk to her calmly and make it clear that she's not allowed in your room. I'm not a big vengeance guy generally, but you definitely have to at least talk to her first before you go beyond that.

Also, put a password on your computer. Like I said, I don't think revenge is a good idea, but it would be harmless enough to set up your computer with a message to her the next time she tries to use it. If she has any capacity to feel shame, that might activate it.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

As much as you want revenge, don't do it. Lord only knows what you might pull that could injure her. You don't want her to call the cops. So much shit is against the law these days.

My wife just read your tale of woe. She says, "She's his guest so bring it up with him first."

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Password on the computer is a good idea, too.

[Atheose]

To be fair the motion-detection software came with the camera, so I didn't do anything special. It's the "Creative Webcam Center" and it's free, and I think it works with any camera (not just Creative ones). Check it out if you ever need some cheap home security.

I'll let myself cool down before I make a decision I think... no use letting anger get the best of me. My girlfriend has been out of town for the last few weeks so maybe I'll just let her kick her ass when she gets back.

[Paul SF]

Jason Bay says, "Oh, so Manny can get four hits with his new team? Well, so can I..."

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Tell your roommate you banged her. ... No, tell him she made the moves on you. So when she denies it, he won't believe her.

[Atheose]

Wow Jason Bay is awesome... two doubles and two singles tonight.

Yeah, I went ahead and put a password on my computer as soon as I saw that things were amiss in my room. So at the very least they can't screw with that anymore. And good point about the revenge Bill; she's the type of person that would call the cops for something stupid.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Jed ... Freakin ... Lowrie!

[Atheose]

HAHAHA Bill that's a hilarious idea!

[stuck working]

Yankees load the bases, again. Yeesh. 1 out, Sexson up. Sexson GS. CRAP.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Trust me on that, Ath. (Where do you live?) I work for the county prosecutor. There's so much more shit you can get in trouble for now than when I was in my 20s. Every time I get pissed about something, I plot my revenge until I reach a felony, then give it up. Lawyers are expensive.

[Atheose]

Fucking Sexson hits a grand slam, 8-6 now. Good thing Texas built up a big lead.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Aardsma with 1 IP for P'tucket tonight, 2 BB, 1K.

[Atheose]

I'm in Virginia, Bill. You're definitely right; I need to give them a warning, which would help corroborate any future defense I might have to make with the video of them snooping in my room.

[Atheose]

Ballgame.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Fnck. Doesn't Ron Washington know that Sexon hits leftys really well? Crap.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Your roomate, are you guys good friends?

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Manny 2-3, dodgers have 4 hits, trail STL and Fresh off the DL Carpenter, 4-0 in the 8th.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Texas out of it in the 8th, 8-6.

[Atheose]

We used to be Bill, but over the last year it's turned into a me-babysitting-him sort of relationship. I have to remind him several times to do chores, pay his rent, pay me for utilities.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Time to move out? Or boot him? Whose name is the lease in?

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Maybe you just need to boot him out. If he's not living up to his end of the deal, you can do that. Did he sign any kind of agreement with you?

[stuck working]

Eddie Guardado is closing for Texas?? And he just walked Jeter on 4 straight pitches to start the 9th?? Augh.

[Atheose]

The problem is that we just moved in together in June. I didn't think he'd be this bad. There are four of us on the lease: me, my girlfriend, Jon (my friend), and a fourth person. We have the place until May 31, 2009. I'm regretting that now; I'd kick him out of I could at this point.

Oh well, I'll sleep on it. Thanks for the advice fellas. Go Sox.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

And then he K'd Mr. Disinterested.
Doubleplay-Rod up.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Sounds like you're stuck with him for a while. you can always vent on us.

[Atheose]

From mlb.com:

Chamberlain underwent an MRI on his stiff right shoulder Tuesday in New York, but the Yankees did not immediately announce what that exam showed. The team revealed only that Chamberlain will travel to Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday to receive a second opinion from renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.

That's unusual... if they're not releasing the results of the first MRI it must be bad news.

[Atheose]

Wow, A-Rod HBP twice tonight? Interesting.

Sure enough, ARod GIDP. Nice call Bill!

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Rosenthal today on EEI, can't remember exact words, but basically took a shot at P'burgh for the Nady deal.

[stuck working]

Oh, that was a clutch DP from A-Rod just there! Awesome. Texas wins 8-6. More fuel for that thread, I guess.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

WOOOOOOOOO!

Nice night for ARod, 2 HBPs, 2 GIDPs.
Yeesh.

[Atheose]

Dodgers down 4-1 in the 9th, runner on for Russell Martin and then Manny.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

If Justin's hurt, NYY is fried for the year.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

They've overcome a lot this year, but this ... this is too much to ask for.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Is Justin the next Mark Prior?

[Atheose]

Justin Christian is hurt?!?! Or do you mean Joba?

Manny up with a chance to tie it.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

WOW! Farnsy blows up again for Detroit.
1.1 IP, 2H, 1ER, 1 HR, BS.
Cash is a fuckin' genius.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Justin is Joba's real first name. I believe it was his niece that monickered him "Joba."

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Alexei Ramirez homered off FArnsy w/ 2out in the 8th for the blown save. tied, 6-6, in the 10th.

[I'mBillMcNeal]

Manny walks w/1 out to load the bases.

[Atheose]

Ohhh okay, thanks for clearing that up Bill. Yeah, if that shoulder injury is serious that's about the worst news the Yankees--and their fans--could get.

Manny doesn't lift his bat and walks. Isringhausen was afraid to throw fastballs to Manny.