The Boston Red Sox kicked off their 10-game, 3-city road trip yesterday against the Minnesota Twins with a 6-5 win.
Considering the circumstances, Brad Penny pitched a decent game. He literally gutted one up as he was a little bit under the weather,throwing up between innings. Despite that, his fastball velocity was consistently around 94 the whole entire time.
He made one mistake pitch to Michael Cuddyer early on but was cruising along until the 6th inning. In that inning, he gave up consecutive hits and was chased from the game. His illness may have played a factor as it appeared he tired quickly.
For the second straight game, Jonathan Papelbon gave up a 2-run homer. Luckily for him this time, he was pitching with a 3-run lead. He was able to recover and get the final out for his 12th save of the season.
Should we be concerned right now about Papelbon? I don’t think we should be just yet. He’s still one of the elite closers in the game. The pitch to Joe Mauer, who is en fuego right now, was a matter of missing location. And when you miss location to an elite hitter like Mauer, he’s going to make you pay for it as he did yesterday.
While he may give all of Red Sox Nation heart attacks when he steps on the mound, Papelbon will be just fine. Remember, he’s got one of the best pitching guru’s in the game, John Farrell, at his disposal. They will make the necessary adjustments to get Papelbon back to being Cinco Ocho.
Sitting pretty [Boston Globe]
Brad Penny puts up sick numbers [Boston Herald]
Bailey’s homer leaves Papelbon with room for error [Providence Journal]
No hurry to flip him, but Penny has value [Boston Globe]
Big Papi move is likely [Boston Herald]
Despite upset stomach, Penny turns in another consistent effort [Providence Journal]
Ortiz will be back in lineup tonight, but where will he be hitting? [Extra Bases]
Red Sox charged by Joe Mauer shortage [Boston Herald]
Red Sox journal: Ortiz sits out, may be dropped in batting order [Providence Journal]
Buchholz stays zeroed in for Pawtucket [Boston Globe]
In relief of Remy, Eckersley speaks his mind — for better and worse [Providence Journal]
Lowrie takes step forward after surgery [RedSox.com]
Five Things We Learned: Life Is Good For These Red Sox [Rob Bradford – WEEI.com]
Should we be a bit worried about Papelbon? [Batter-up with Bruno]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.
And if you must check out the enemy papers, head over to the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Pioneer Press websites.
