Round two of Interleauge play was here, let the AL rejoice! The last several years, this happy experiment, created by Bud and the gang to spice up baseball and bring in some extra cash, has meant one thing...the AL teams all get hot at the same time...the Sox especially as they've POUNDED the Senior Circuit since this whole mess started...they're something like 3242-22 against them...ok, that's a bit high on the win side, but it's not as nuts as you might think!
First up this time around, Cincy...the formerly proud Reds (remember 1976) are stumbling to rebuild their franchise and losing a lot of games in the process...why not give them the World Champs for AL opponents this year?
Game 1 featured the Reds' ace Aaron Harang against the surprising rookie, Justin Masterson (an Ohio native like Youk and Sean Casey). Harang has had a pretty rough year so far, and sported a 2-9 record before this one got started, but the Sox found out what this guy can do when he's right...Manny drove in the lone Sox run and they could manage only 4 hits over Harang's 7 innings, versus 7 Ks and 0 BBs...Masterson pitched ok, giving up 3 ER over his 6.2 and showing us his K potential, ringing up 9 Reds...Rookie phenom Jay Bruce and homer fiend Adam Dunn each went deep and that was enough for Harang to get his 3rd win of the season...so the Reds took game 1 in a pitchers' duel and you basically had the feeling that the Sox O wasn't going to put up with that any more...
And they didn't...game 2's Cincy starter was Edison Volquez and we threw the Wake out there...remember how I mentioned the Reds rebuilding? Well aside from Bruce, Johnny Cueto and this kid Volquez are the keys...filthy stuff...we only managed 3 runs (2 earned) off of him and he was dominant in general...1 BB, 9 Ks against a Manny and Papi-less offense (but still)... nasty...this youngster has gas and a couple of out pitches, and he should be a star in the NL for a while...we held a normally roomy 4-2 lead (thanks to an 8th inning double and single from Drew and Lowell) going into the bottom of the 8th and then this turned into bizarro game...Oki and Delcarmen gave up the extra cushion on the dreaded single-walk-single combo, making it 4-3 after 8...then Pap came in to lock it down, but didn't...another iffy Pap outing...he got Brandon Phillips and Adam Dunn on two groundouts but unlike the last couple of years he's just not always finishing games and pitches this year...the 3rd batter of the inning was Edwin Encarnacion, not a bad little player for sure, but not the caliber hitter that should be beating Pap...but Pap hung a splitter (first pitch called by Moss, not Tek...wonder if that has anything to do with this...going to have to watch more closely) and Encarnacion lined it out of that hitter-heaven...tie game...Pap just doesn't seem invincible this year...his 3rd blown save before the break...not catastrophic, but bothersome...luckily for him he was able to pick up the sneaky W as Youk and Coco decided we weren't losing this one...they teed off on Mike Lincoln for back to back jacks, giving the Sox a 6-4 lead, and Craig Hansen, yes THE Craig Hansen got the save...and before you ask, yes I was nervous and no it wasn't easy...got the first two outs quickly (grounder, K) and then gave up a single and a walk, but got a weak fly to end it...EXHALE...gotta say, and this is by no means an endorsement that he should EVER be in a close game, but he looks better...he seems to be learning to mix pitches and hit spots better, and that 96 with movement is better than 98 without any...let's hope...and pray...hard...
Rubber match! Josh Beckett on the hill versus Homer Bailey, and that's all you need to know about that game...Beckett is starting to settle in a little while Homer is having a disastrous year...I mean awful...and it continued this night with Coco, Jacoby and JD going deep (again it's a TINY ballpark) before Bailey's 2.1 innings were up...5 ER...ouch...and their pen wasn't much better, giving up 4 ER themselves including Dusty's 5th of the year...if Coco, Jacoby and Dusty are hitting bombs, you know you're in a hitter's park...Beckett threw 7 shutout innings for the laugher W...and just like that, a 2 for 1 special in Cincy...off to Philly for 3 against our NL counterparts, the NL East leading Phillies...
Stay tuned for that blog as it's getting late and I'm tired...2 for 1 part 2 coming soon and GO SAWX!!!
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