After the Boston Red Sox got four runs in the first two innings last night, Matt Palmer and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim turned the tables on them and at the end, the Red Sox found themselves on the shortend of the stick losing 8-4.
Palmer, a 30-year old rookie, had never gone longer than 6 1/3 innings in his previous three starts (all wins by the way). The knock on him was that he gives up runs early and settles down afterward. That once again proved to be the case as when the local nine scored 4 runs in two innings and then saw their final 19 batters retired.
Last night also marked the debut of one of the top Red Sox pitching prospects in Daniel Bard. He definitely didn’t disappoint as he came firing fastballs, striking out Mike Napoli on a 98 MPH high heater. He did have a little trouble finding his control with his off-speed stuff but that can be probably be chalked up to nerves. I think he’ll be fine his next time out. He also hadn’t thrown in a game since May 6th so that could have had something to do with it.
If he can continue his success that started in spring training this year, an already strong Red Sox bullpen will be even more effective. It will definitely be fun to watch this kid pitch.
Early game today for the Sox and Halos as they will get underway at 3:35 PM EDT. The pregame show gets underway at 2:30 PM on NESN.
Angels’ Palmer stops Sox [Boston Globe]
Tim Wakefield’s great run ends in loss [Boston Herald]
Palmer’s complete game sends Red Sox to 8-4 loss [Providence Journal]
Fireballing Bard gets rave review [Boston Globe]
Solid Brad Penny start yields arms surplus [Boston Herald]
Daniel Bard’s big-league career begins with a strikeout [Providence Journal]
Humble Bailey enjoying roller coaster existence [Boston Globe]
Dustin Pedroia remains out [Boston Herald]
Brutal slump weighs heavy on Ortiz’ mind [Providence Journal]
Burger sellers on way out of new Fenway [Boston Globe]
Red Sox journal: Chris Carter’s in Anaheim, awaiting activation [Providence Journal]
Bard brings the heat [Extra Bases]
Praise for rare home theft [Boston Herald]
Youkilis reluctantly accepts Sox’ decision to place him on the DL [Providence Journal]
Bard’s cheese too much for Napoli’s cuts [NESN.com]
Bard makes his mark [Full Count]
Five Things We Learned: Sox Have Starting Problems [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.
And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying you can check out the LA Times, Orange County Register and LA Daily News websites.
