So, I'm trying to think of a way to describe last night's game and can't. I went into the game with nothing but pessimism. When friends asked if I thought the Diamondbacks had a chance against the Red Sox, I laughed derisively in response. I mean, they're the Diamondbacks. They tanked, going from the best record in baseball to sitting atop the worst division in the league, in large part because the Dodgers have a habit of losing whenever the Dbacks do. The Diamondbacks can't hit, can't field, and their starting pitching has struggled. Clearly, we were going to get trounced.
But Dan Haren pitched like a rockstar. In what may have been the best pitcher's duel of the season, Beckett blinked first, giving up two runs while Haren threw seven innings of shutout ball. It was a thing of beauty. After Haren made a diving stop on a line drive it was clear that Haren was in it to win it.
Not that the Dbacks didn't get a few lucky breaks. No one told Kevin Youkillis that you're not supposed to catch baseball with your face and was pulled in the fifth with a hell of shiner. Since Sean Casey was sitting in timeout, the Sox had to send in Someguy Moss, whose timely bobble allowed the Dbacks second run to score. And we needed that run, as reliever Jose Pena loaded the bases in the eigth and a sac fly by Elder Drew brought the Sox within one run. Runners at second and third, two outs and Manny at the plate. I was nearly sick. Manny's plate appearance never ended. But then Mark Reynolds made the play of the night, somehow managing to get his glove on a bullet on a line drive. I'm pretty sure I saw Reynolds checking to make sure he still had all his teeth when he got back to the dugout.
What a game. It was amazing.
Oh, that goes for everyone but you, Eric Byrnes who came back from the DL and promptly picked up a gold sombrero, going 0-5. If Melvin puts you in the leadoff spot again tonight, he and I are going to have words.
I don't know what's going to happen in the game tonight. The Sox may come out and score a hundred runs off finesse pitcher Doug Davis (how dissappointed am I that it's not Davis and Lester in Battle: Cancer?) though Davis has been stellar in his last two starts, giving up one run in thirteen innings. Maybe he's due, I don't know. I do know the Sox are probably looking for some payback because they just lost to the Diamondbacks. I do know that Haren and Beckett probably went out and got drunk after all was said and done (they probably had a fierce competion of darts and tiddlywinks and checkers and who knows what else until Beckett won something). I do know that Baby Drew, who is probably crashing with his brother was probably made to sleep in the bathtub and when he protested J.D. told him that he was older, had more homeruns and more RBI and when Stephen was the best player in the league for a month, he could sleep in a big boy bed.
Trin: It's not often that Char's the wordy one and I'm sitting here with nothing much to say, but here I am. For completely different reasons, I really can't think of a way to describe last night's game either. Well, except for this:
I blame Julio Lugo.
Why? Because I can, I guess. I mean, losses like this are usually his fault anyway, he of the 16 errors so far this season. Amazingly enough, he managed not to rack up another couple last night, but I still blame him. He's a good scapegoat. And I can't blame Brandon Moss, I just can't. At the major league level, he's an outfielder. Yeah, he's been playing first for triple-A Pawtucket but it's a whole different level of play in the big club and coming in to make your major league debut at first base the middle of a game like that had to be a little nervewracking. I suppose I could blame Sean Casey for dropping his appeal or for getting in that brawl in the first place, or Mike Lowell for clobbering Youk during that warm up; I mean, there's a lot of blame to be had.
But mostly, I think that offensively it just wasn't our night. Pedroia struck out for the first time in 72 at-bats, reassuring me that no, he's not actually the unknown fifth Cylon. Manny gave us a couple of heart attacks, but nothing of substance. Even red-hot J.D. Drew couldn't produce (but he could catch his brother's fly ball!). I was a little surprised, because generally our guys give Beckett some pretty good run support - probably because they're afraid he'll skin them alive if they don't - but generally our guys aren't facing a pitcher whose only difference from Beckett is more facial hair and fewer hemp necklaces. When Beckett picks up the L, it's because the offense failed to back him up, not for any lack of badassery on his part. Yeah, Dan Haren pitched like a rock star, but Beckett was pretty studly himself. Too bad the rest of the team couldn't back him up.
Tonight, the Sox will put baby phenom Justin Masterson on the mound (4-1, 3.00 ERA). No word on whether Youk will be playing tonight; his CT scan was negative but he had one hell of a shiner last night, so who knows. Maybe we'll actually be able to score some runs without Beckett's evil twin in front of us. We could use a win at home. Hopefully we'll get it tonight, but until then, I'll console myself with this:
My boyfriend struck out more guys than Char's.
Small potatoes, I know. But after last night, I'll take what I can get.
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