Coming out of The Break the Sox had the daunting challenge of going out to play the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and California Plantations, who sported the best record in baseball at the time...how does that team do so well I ask you? The pitching is ok...the offense is ok...the bullpen is strong as usual and K-Rod is saving games at an absurd rate, but does that add up to the best team in baseball? Time to find out I guess...
This is how the 3-game set in LA from 7/18-7/20 went down...
Game 1 featured the second start for Clay Buchholz after his recall from the minors...last time out he didn't do so well, and this time wasn't much better...young Clay couldn't get through the 5th against a lineup with Meicur Izturis in the 3-hole...the Halos threw up 3 in the bottom of the 1st on 4 hits and walk, so right away Buchholz wasn't fooling anyone...the Sox answered back with 2 in the 2nd courtesy of a Youk 2-run shot, and they tied it in the 4th with a solo run, but that was the last time the game would be close...the Halos chased Clay with a couple of hits (and a costly error by Cora) and Aardsma came in to finish the inning, but before he could he surrendered a 2-run single to Howie Kendrick...4 runs in the inning for an 8-3 edge...that would have done it as the Sox couldn't get anything going off of the Angel pen but they decided to add on another 3-spot in the 6th for good measure (thank you Javy Lopez)...an ugly 11-3 final to get the second "half" of the season going...let's hope this isn't a sign...
Game 2 put Josh Beckett back on the hill against the team he dominated in last year's ALDS...opposing him would be Joe Saunders, having one of the surprisingly good seasons being enjoyed by so many of the Angels at this point in the season...still, on paper you had to like the matchup...Youk popped another 2-run shot to get is the lead and Beckett was cruising, looked like this might be a nice little stopper game, since the Angels had taken 3 straight regular season games from the Sox to this point...but our ace ran into trouble in the 7th and couldn't get away from it...the big inning started (apparently as most big innings do- look it up) with a solo shot from Vlad Guerrero...then Hunter and Anderson (who hits us really well in spurts anyway) singled and Reggie Willits sacrificed them over for 2nd at 3rd with 1 out...Beckett intentionally walked Kendrick to set up the DP but the EVER POWERFUL Erick Aybar tripled by finding a seam down the right field line...3 runs in and a 4-2 lead that the Angel pen again held, to keep that the final score...
Game 3 was even worse believe it or not...again the Sox blew a late lead and couldn't avoid being swept by a team that they swept our of the playoffs just 9 or so months ago...Tim Wakefield and Jon Garland each gave up two through the 6th, and in the 7th Coco Crisp stole second and scored when Vlad Guerrero misplayed a Jacoby liner...this game suddenly took on a the feeling of one of those games we luckily eke out to avoid a sweep and maybe get the Baseball Gods on our side, but once again we snatched defeat from he jaws of victory...Wake gave up back to back doubles to score the tying run and Manny Delcarmen threw a meatball to Casey Kotchman (after walking Figgins) who gladly doubled it to right scoring Kendrick and Figgins...once more the bullpen can't get us out of anything...is it just me or does everyone in the pen allow a walk and a hit for every out they record? It's just a matter of the timing and how many runs score...pathetic...safe to say that the Sox should be looking for relievers since everyone out there right now is a Jeklyl/Hyde type mystery...and that includes Pap to a lesser degree...scary, and reminiscent of the 2003 Sox who ultimately had that fatal flaw exposed in the form of Grady Little leaving Pedro in too long...
Horrible series...already sporting an awful road record the Sox had late leads in two of three of these games, games that they would have closed out last year but just can't this year...not against any decent teams, and so here we have answered our question...don't ask me how they do it, but the Angels are a very good team, and much better than the Red Sox apparently...5 straight regular season wins is enough of a sample size to make that statement...the only good news about being out in LA is that it's close enough to Seattle that the MLB schedulers thought "hey, while you're out there, head north and play the Mariners." This year that's a good thing...
And the Seattle series, also a 3-gamer, was the exact opposite story...a sweep for the Red Sox...since it's only the Mariners let's not get too excited here, and since they're the Mariners they're not worth a game-by-game discussion so we'll just gloss over the highlights...
Game 1 was all Jon Lester, 7.1 innings, 0 ER and 6 Ks against 0 walks...the Washington native makes good and is backed up by 2 2-run innings, Pap was flawless, 4-0 Sox...
Game 2 was more of the same, with Dice pitching a dominant game (see what you can do against a crappy offensive team) and taking a shutout into the 8th...they did get to him for 2 in the frame but the Sox already had 4 up there (Drew hit his 18th in this one, already 7 more than he had last year...you figure it out) and Oki and Pap tossed a perfect 1.2 combined, 4-2 Sox win...
Game 3 held a little more suspense as the Sox had to wait until the 12th inning to claim their sweep...Clay was a little better this game, allowing 3 in 5.1 and King Felix was hurt buy a couple of errors, so at the end of 6 it was 3-3...the top of the 12th started with the same score but the Sox doubled up their side of it in that frame...Jacoby led off with a single and Dusty moved him over...Drew was walked intentionally and then the key play was a bit of a gift as Bloomquist misplayed a Youk shot to center, allowing 2 runs to score...Sean Casey drove in an insurance run and then we brought in Hansen because we decided that we didn't want the game to end yet...but unfortunately for the Sox and their fans Hansen DID pick up his second save after trying to give it away...out, single, out, single, walk and the bases were loaded for Jose Vidro, but Vidro smacked one right to Dusty to get the save for Hansen...why won't we trade this guy again?
Hey, a sweep is a sweep, and after being on the wrong side of one we did what we're supposed to do and beat a bad team badly...and on the road too...and we got to go home, but guess what awaited us at Fenway after the off-day? The Bronx Bombers...
And so we arrive at the game and the series that enraged me enough to hop so quickly and energetically back onto the keyboard...of course it would be the Yanks, right? Had to be...especially because isn't this supposed to be the year that they faded? Isn't this the Mussina is done and the young pitchers just aren't there yet year? The year that those insanely expensive free agent signings and the overspending finally caught up to them? It was...I know it was...but here we are, in a late July series, and the Yanks are right there with us...that we both trail the Rays at this point is the only change (ok, that's quite a change) but with their mammoth offense and the resurgences of Mussina and Giambi (both of whom I hate...a lot) the Yanks are putting themselves into position to make a run...
GOD DAMN IT...
And if Game 1 of this series wasn't enough to piss Red Sox fans off I don't know what is...there was no waiting for the marquee pitching matchup of the set, game 1 was Beckett versus Joba...the bona fide ace (perhaps in all of baseball) versus the young, confident up-and-comer...Joba is having a great year making the transition from the pen to the rotation...he's been protected a little, but not much, and tonight would be a real test for him...and for Beckett too...the Yankee lineup is daunting for any hurler, and Beckett needs to show them what an ace is...
The matchup lived up to its billing...on paper anyway...if you read the box score for this one you'd see that Beckett and Chamberlain each went 7 and Beckett was out dueled...he gave up a run, and Joba didn't...Joba struck out 9 and Beckett 6, so both guys must have pitched well, and both pens were flawless...so you'd think that it was just a tough-luck loss on a night where a good young pitcher had it going...but you'd be WRONG...dead wrong...the truth of this one is that Beckett's run was garbage...it was a Giambi "single" hit towards SS against the shift...so Lowell had to field it and everyone was out of position...no play anywhere and Abreu, on third after a single and another single by A-Rod, all with two outs...so whatever, a little back luck there but not too much to complain about...the real complaint could be leveled against Marty Foster. Who the bleep is Marty Foster you might ask? He was the home plate umpire on this night, and if there is any justice in baseball he'll never get behind the plate again...this guy was AWFUL!!!! Everything Joba threw was a strike...I mean everything...I was going to write "everything close" but the truth is that the pitches didn't have to be close...high strikes were called, low strikes were called, outside, inside...it didn't matter...the Sox hitters kept looking back at Foster like he was high...who knows, maybe he was...and worse yet, not only did Beckett not get the same courtesy, but it also extended to Farnsworth and Rivera! It was a sham...and it got almost embarrassing for Foster on TV since he K-Zone kept getting chucked up there and showing how terrible his pro-Yankee calls were...it was a disgrace...the final straw came with Rivera on the hill in the 9th and Mike Lowell at bat...down just the one run, Youk had singled with one down against Mo bringing up Lowell...ball, called strike, foul had the count 1-2, but from there Mikey valiantly kept the AB alive with 2 fouls, a ball and another foul...he was then called out on a pitch that was high and inside, and I mean waaaaay high and inside...little league umps wouldn't have called this a strike in a mercy-rule blowout, that's how bad it was...and you know it's bad if Lowell, the consummate pro and a baseball gentleman by all accounts, argues the call...he threw his helmet and bat down and got his time in before getting chucked, but to get one of the all time good guys that upset you know some crap had to be going on...believe me, it was...horrible calls all night, and a game 1 gift for Joba and the Yanks...this one left a bad taste, and inspired at least one blogger to break out the keyboard...
Games 2 and 3 were less emotional, exciting, worthy, you pick the adjective...the two teams traded blowouts, as the Yanks lit up Wake to take game 2 10-3 and the Sox avoided the sweep by pounding Sidney Ponson to take the finale 9-2...only thing of note in either if these games is BIGGGG PAPI!!!! In game 3 he hit his first HR off of the DL (see, I was so pissed about game 1's pitching travesty that I forgot to mention the return of Big Papi) and I don't think I need to say any more about that...he's the man for the Sox, and seeing his big swing launch one was a true sight for sore eyes...
So a little bit of a bumpy stretch here, but not all too atypical for the Sox at this time of the year...the middle always seems to be the hardest time for the Sox to stay consistent, so hopefully they're ready to get past July and into a groove...
One more series before August and the dog days get here, again against the Halos but this time at home...I'll be back soon to discuss that one, and until then...
GOOOOO SOXXXXXX!!!
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