On this last day of August, the Red Sox expected Tim Wakefield to take the ball and go for what could be a MLB leading 17th win. Instead, we as the members of Red Sox Nation were forced to watch sucktastic performances by Julian “Yo-Yo” Tavarez and Mike Timlin. Unfortunately for those two, the Red Sox rally fell short as the Orioles ended a 9-game losing streak in a 9-8 win over the Sox.
Wakefield was scratched from the game with a tight back and will miss just this one start. Since he can pretty much pitch whenever, Yo-Yo got the ball tonight instead of tomorrow night. He might be wishing, he pitched tomorrow night. Clay Buchholz will be called up and start for the Red Sox on Saturday night. He was scheduled to start in Pawtucket tomorrow.
The local nine got things going in the 1st inning off of O’s starter Radhames Liz. After Liz got the first two outs of the inning, David Ortiz came through with his 26th home run of the season to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. Mike Lowell followed that up with a single but he was thrown out on a strong throw by Jay Payton trying to stretch out for a double.
In the bottom of the 2nd, the Sox struck for another run as they made a walk by Liz hurt. After J.D. Drew flew out to left, Liz issued a free pass to Covelli Crisp. Eric Hinske, who would end up with 4 RBIs on the night, delivered his first with a double as Coco used his speed to score all the way from first for a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately for the local nine, they couldn’t bring Hinske home as Liz retired Julio Lugo and Kevin Cash. Cash was starting so he could catch Wake but was kept in the lineup anyways.
I have to be honest with you, Yo-Yo didn’t pitch that bad in the first three innings. Through the first 3 innings, he had only allowed 2 hits. It was the 4th inning which would do him in.
Nick Markakis led off the inning with a double under the diving glove of Bobby Kielty. Kielty had come into replace Drew, who left the game after fouling a ball off his foot during his at-bat in the 2nd. Miguel Tejada then put a Yo-Yo offering into the Green Monster seats to tie the game at 2. Kevin Millar then received a free pass to first from Yo-Yo. Aubrey Huff moved Millar over to third with a single and Millar would come around to score on a Melvin Mora single. Ramon Hernandez kept up the hit parade as he singled in Huff from second making it 4-2 O’s. Yo-Yo finally got an out as Jay Payton grounded into a fielder’s choice in which Mike Lowell threw home and then they got Mora in a rundown. Mora was eventually tagged out and then Cash threw the ball off of the glove of Lugo trying to get Hernandez at third. As the ball got away, Lugo was in the way of Hernandez so he couldn’t advance home. O’s skipper Dave Trembley came out to argue the non-call and was eventually tossed by umpire Joe West. Replays showed that Hernandez probably would have been out at home if the ball was thrown because Kielty had been backing up the play. While this was going on, Terry Francona went to the bullpen for Javier Lopez. Lopez came in and induced a ground ball to Lowell who threw home and virtually the same play happened as Hernandez would be tagged out in a rundown. The inning finally ended as Lopez got Corey Patterson to ground out.
Kurt Birkins was in the for the O’s as he took over for Liz in the 4th. In the 5th, the Sox got a run back. Dustin Pedroia led off with a single. After Youk struck out swinging, Birkins hit Big Papi with a fastball in the ribs. Big Papi being the gamer he is, waved off Tito and the trainer. Lowell brought in Pedroia from second with a big single to cut the lead to 4-3. Birkins got out of the inning as he got Kielty to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.
Huff led off the 6th with a single off of Lopez and he was taken out in favor of Mike Timlin. Timlin, who making his 1,000th appearance in a MLB game, wasn’t so grand on the mound. He gave up singles to Mora and Hernandez to load up the bases for Payton. Payton brought in a run with a sacrifice fly, putting the O’s lead at 5-3. Timlin then walked Roberts to load the bases back up, this time for Patterson. Patterson brought in another run on a sacrifice fly. The big blow of the night would come as Timlin left a pitch up in the zone for Markakis, who took the ball out of the yard for a 3-run homer and a 9-3 O’s lead.
The Sox battled back for 3 runs in the 7th inning. Pedroia, who had 4 hits on the night from the lead off spot, led off with a double. He came around to score on a Youkilis single. Former Sox farmhand Jon Leicester then walked Big Papi but followed that up by getting Lowell to fly out. Jaime Walker came in for Leicester and got Kielty to strikeout. Coco followed that up by reaching on an infield single, loading up the bases for Hinske. Hinske delivered again as he hit a 2-run single to cut the lead to 9-6. Chad Bradford came in for Walker and got Lugo to ground out to end the inning.
Manny Delcarmen, who had come in the 8th, started off the 9th by getting Huff to fly out.Jonathan Papelbon, who last worked in Chicago on Sunday, came in and started off his night by walking Mora and plunking Hernandez. He then got Payton to strikeout but he walked Roberts after a lengthy battle with him. Papelbon finished his 2/3 inning off by getting Patterson to fly out on a long run into the right-center gap by Coco.
Danys Baez came in to try and close out the game for the O’s and struggled mightily. Lowell led off with a single and then Cora followed that with a single. Cora had pinch-hit for Kielty. Baez got Coco to fly out to deep center that allowed Lowell to move up to third. Hinske brought in his 4th run of the night with a single, cutting the lead to 9-7. The Sox got to within one run as Mora booted a ball hit by Lugo, that allowed Cora to score and Hinske to get to second. The play was ruled an error. However the game ended as Baez got Jason Varitek to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.
With Drew getting hurt, Kielty still bothered by his back issues and Manny still out, the Red Sox will call up Jacoby Ellsbury, Brandon Moss to help bolster the outfield corps. Besides Buchholz, Jon Lester and Bryan Corey will be called up to help out the pitching staff. Royce Clayton will also be called up to give the Sox another infielder.
With the loss and a Yanks loss, the lead stays at 5 in the AL East. As I mentioned earlier, Buchholz will take the ball tomorrow night for the Sox.
Notes and musings:
Manny Ramirez went for an MRI today to see if there was fluid build up in the area of the strained oblique. The results weren’t back yet but Francona said that Manny wouldn’t play this weekend.
Kevin Youkilis had no comment before the game about Joba Chamberlain’s 2-game suspension.
Francona said that Jacoby Ellsbury and Royce Clayton will be two of the players called up tomorrow. You’d expect Jon Lester as well since he’s starting on Sunday.
Pawsox manager Ron Johnson will join the big club after the season. Johnson will first take a few days off before coming.
Erik Bedard was supposed to start Saturday for the O’s but he was scratched earlier in the week due to a oblique muscle injury.
The O’s went 1-9 on their last homestand giving up 100 runs. If you remember Texas put up 30 in one game against them.
Timlin was the 13th pitcher in MLB history to make 1,000 appearances.
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and some hot girl were in the crowd tonight.
The Sox 15 hits tonight were more than they had in the Yanks series combined.
Francona got pissed off again at a reporter when his cellphone went off during the postgame press conference.
