Here is a conversation overheard in the Red Sox dugout today.
Phone ringing
Gabe Morell (White Sox visiting clubhouse manager): Hello, visitors’ clubhouse
Terry Francona: Hey Gabe, it’s me Tito from the Red Sox. I’ve got a question for you.
Morell: Go right ahead Terry
Francona: Did we leave our offense back in Chicago?
Morell: Let me check for you, give me a minute.
Francona: Ok thanks Gabe. (yells outloud) Will someone get a gosh darn hit off this Wang character!?
Gabe: Tito, I am back. It sure seems like you did. I saw it in the corner underneath some towels. What do you want me to do with it.
Francona: Get it here ASAP. Although it won’t get here in time there’s 3 innings left. Send it overnight on DHL.
Gabe: Sure thing Tito. Will do.
Francona: It’s about darn time we got a hit. Atta boy Mikey. Sorry Gabe. Thanks a lot. See ya next year.
After putting up 46 runs and a bazillion hits against the Chicago White Sox, the Red Sox came into New York and were swept as the Yanks beat the Red Sox 5-0 this afternoon. Chien-Mien Wang was outstanding today as he threw 6 no-hit innings. Curt Schilling wasn’t so bad himself as really only Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter gave him fits. Cano did the biggest damage hitting 2 solo homers off Schilling while Jeter had 3 hits. For the series, the Red Sox were outscored 14-6 and outhit 30-13.
Schilling cruised thru the first two innings allowing just a single to Jeter. In the 3rd inning, Cano led off the inning with the first of his two home runs on a fastball that Schill left over the heart of the plate. Melky Cabrera followed that with a single and stayed there as Johnny Demon lined out to Coco in center. Jeter then had his second single of the day moving Melky over to second base. Schilling however reared back and settled down as he got Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez out to prevent further damage.
Wang was giving the Red Sox fits during the first four innings. Wang allowed lead-off walks in the 2nd and 4th innings and walked Jason Varitek for a second time in the 5th. None of the baserunners got past first base.
Leading off the 5th for the Yankees was Cano and he hurt Schilling again as he took a good cutter from Schill and planted it in the seats for a 2-0 Yankees lead. Schilling then walked Melky but Melky wasn’t on the basepaths that long as Schill got Demon to line out to Lowell who threw to Youk at first to get Melky. Jeter followed that up with his third single off Schill. The inning ended as Abreu flew out to J.D. Drew in right.
Wang went thru the 6th unscathed and started the 7th with the no-hitter intact. Youk led off with a grounder to Jeter, whose throw pulled Jason Giambi off the bag for an error. Youk had slid into first to avoid the tag. Mike Lowell followed up the error with a single to break up the no-no and extend his hitting streak to 12 games in the process. Just like that the Sox had the go-ahead run in the plate in Drew. Wang got Drew to hit a ground ball to AROD at third. Instead of throwing to second, AROD tried to tag out Youk, who avoided the tag, and then threw to Giambi at first to barely get Drew. AROD then argued the call saying that Youk had gone out of the baseline. Joe Torre came out to argue as well and the umpires got together and reversed the call, calling Youk out of the base path.
Rule 7.08
Any runner is out when —
(a) (1) He runs more than three feet away from his baseline to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner’s baseline is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely;
Francona came out to argue and eventually tossed from the game. Judging from the replay, it looked as though Youk wasn’t out of the baseline when AROD went for the tag but he did step on the infield grass. The umpires made a judgment call and IMO, the wrong one. This pretty much killed the momentum the Sox had in the inning as Varitek struck out swinging.
The very reliable Hideki Okajima took over for Schilling in the 8th and unfortunately didn’t have his best stuff. After a Demon fly out, Jeter delivered his fourth single of the game and came around to score as Abreu perfectly placed a ball into the gap in right-center making it 3-0 Yanks. The Sox decided to walk AROD to face the lefty Matsui. While Matsui was taking an Okajima pitch for a ball, Abreu and AROD were executing a double-steal. Unfortunately, Varitek’s throw got past Lowell and went all the way into left as both Abreu and AROD scored. AROD showed some great hustle as he scored all the way from first making it 5-0 Yanks. Matsui ended up reaching on an infield single. The last batter Okajima would face was Jorge Posada, who grounded out moving Matsui to second. Kyle Synder came in and got Andy Phillips to ground out.
Joba Chamberlain had come in for Wang in the 8th and was back out for them in the 9th. Things then got very interesting after he got Big Papi for the first out. With Youk at the plate, Chamberlain unleashed a 98 mph fastball over Youk’s head. Then a second 98 mph fastball went over Youk’s head again. Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez thought that Chamberlain was throwing at Youk and sent him in for an early shower. Both Chamberlain and Torre argued that Chamberlain wasn’t throwing at him. To me, I don’t think he was but nonetheless I am not an umpire. Edwar Ramirez came in and with Lowell at the plate uncorked a wild pitch. Lowell ended up striking out. Youk then went to third on another wild pitch but Drew fouled out to Phillips at first to end the game.
The win for the Yanks gave them their first sweep of the Sox at Yankee Stadium since 2004. It also cut the lead to 5 games in the AL East and gave the Yanks a 1/2 game lead in the wild card. The Sox definitely did not play like they expected too. They just really got out-pitched by the Yankees’ starters. Our top three versus their top three and we know what happened.
The Sox now head back to Boston to face the Orioles in a 3-game set. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield will be on the mound looking for a MLB leading 17th win. Gametime is 7:05 PM.
Notes and Musings:
Terry Francona got a visit from the fashion police from MLB. Francona never wears his uniform under his MLB approved jacket he always wears. They actually came into the dugout during the game to make sure he was wearing it during last night’s game. Nick Cafardo from the Boston Globe has more on the story.
Manny Ramirez will be out of the lineup with a strained left oblique muscle. Francona wants the Triple-A guys to finish up there season first before calling anyone up but odds are you will see Jacoby Ellsbury back in Boston on Saturday, maybe even tomorrow.
Just as I had thought and many others had as well, Mike Mussina has been pitching with an injury all season. He has a hamstring injury which has been bothering him all season. He said he wasn’t happy with Joe Torre’s decision to skip him on Saturday and still isn’t but he had a good talk with Torre after calming down.
Bobby Kielty is available off the bench today after taking about 40-50 swings in the cage today.
Julio Lugo got the day off at short so the Sox could Alex Cora’s lefty bat in the lineup against the Wang’er.
Mike Timlin’s next appearance will mark the 1,000th time he will have touched a MLB mound.
The “Splendid Splinter” Ted Williams was born on this day in 1918.
The Red Sox came into the day with 29-12 record in day games, which is the best in baseball.
Tito’s ejection in the 7th was his fifth of the year.
The season series is at 8-7 Yanks.
The Red Sox had 13 hits in the series. The Yanks had 13 off Beckett last night.
