I’m pretty sure the Boston Red Sox wish they could not see Matt Garza again this season. That probably won’t happen though since the Tampa Bay Rays and Red Sox still have 15 more games to go this season.
Garza continued his mastery of the Red Sox throwing 7 strong innings as the Rays hit three homers on their way to a 4-3 win over the Red Sox in front 37,784 sun soaked fans at Fenway Park.
Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the 9th, Jason Varitek got the local nine to within one run with a solo home run to right center, his second of the season, off of Rays closer Troy Percival. He then got Jacoby Ellsbury to fly out and Dustin Pedroia to ground out before a walk to David Ortiz. Kevin Youkilis flew out to end the game to drop the Red Sox to 1-2 while the Rays improve to 2-1.
Daisuke Matsuzaka started for the Red Sox and didn’t look the MVP of the World Baseball Classic. He was touched up for 4 runs on 9 hits (3 homers) and 3 walks while striking out 5 in 5 1/3 innings. Manny Delcarmen worked an inning, walking two while Ramon Ramirez went 1 2/3 innings with a strikeout. Hideki Okajima struck out 1 but walked 2 and gave up a hit and 2/3 of an inning. Justin Masterson retired the only batter he faced.
Garza went the 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5 batters.
Youk once again led the Red Sox with 3 hits while Jason Bay added a triple and a RBI. Mike Lowell had a double and a RBI and Ellsbury has the other hit for the Red Sox. J.D. Drew went 0-for-4 and left 6 men on base while Jed Lowrie was 0-for-4 and left 3 men on base.
Dice-K started the 1st inning with a strikeout of his countryman Akinori Iwamura and got Carl Crawford to ground out to first. Evan Longoria followed with a double and Carlos Peña worked a walk. Dice-K escaped unscathed though as he struck out Willy Aybar.
The Rays got on the board first when former Florida Southern (my alma mater) baseball player Matt Joyce led off the 2nd with a home run to right.
Dice-K walked Iwamura to start the 3rd and then struck out Crawford with Iwamura stealing second. It wouldn’t matter though as Longoria cleared the bases with a blast into the Green Monster seats to make it 3-0 Rays. Peña followed with a single but Dice-K got Aybar to strikeout and Joyce grounded to first for the final out.
Meanwhile Garza was just cruising along striking out 3 Red Sox batters and giving up 2 hits in the first three innings of work.
The Rays added to their lead in the 4th inning when Shawn Riggans crushed a Dice-K offering for a home run to right to make it 4-0. Jason Bartlett then doubled but Dice-K got Iwamura and Crawford to fly out to Ellsbury in center.
The Red Sox finally put up a number other than zero on the scoreboard in the 6th.
Youk led off with double off of Garza and went to third on a Drew fly out. Bay knocked in Youk with a triple to cut the Rays lead to 4-1. Mike Lowell couldn’t bring home Bay as he lined out to second and neither could Lowrie who flew out to left.
Brian Shouse started off the 8th for the Rays and got Big Papi to ground out to first. Youk followed with a single and went to second on a Drew groundout. Joe Nelson took over for Shouse and walked Bay. Lowell brought in Youk with a double to make it 4-2. Nick Green made his first appearance in a Red Sox uniform as pinch-runner with for Lowell but was left there stranded along with Bay as Lowrie struck out.
The Red Sox headed off to Anaheim after the game where they will take on the heavy-hearted Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a 3-game set this weekend. Tim Wakefield will start for the Red Sox and be opposed by Jered Weaver.
Notes and musings:
Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox 4.09.09 box score
Dustin Pedroia received his 2008 Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in a pregame ceremony today. Dwight Evans will participate in the ceremony and throw out a first pitch. Along with Pedroia, he is one of 4 Red Sox ever to win both awards in the same season (1981). Jason Varitek (2005) and Ellis Burks (1990) are the others.
Pedroia’s was the 37th Gold Glove Award in club history and just the 2nd by a 2nd baseman, joining Doug Griffin in 1972. He is the 3rd Red Sox player to receive the honor in the last 17 seasons (beginning 1992) along with first baseman Kevin Youkilis (2007) and catcher Jason Varitek (2005).
There have been 31 Silver Slugger Awards given to Red Sox players. Pedroia is the only 2nd baseman on that list. Boston has been represented on the A.L. Silver Slugger Team for each of the last 8 seasons beginning in 2001, the 2nd-longest active streak in the majors behind the New York Yankees (9).
Friday night’s game against the Angels in Los Angeles will mark the debut of Boston’s new road alternate blue top along with the “Hanging Sox” alternate cap. The new road gray uniforms will be worn for the first time on Saturday afternoon.
The Red Sox will wear the “Hanging Sox” cap for all of their Friday night games this season, with the alternate blue top on the road and red top at home in those contests.
The Red Sox first 4 scheduled starters of 2009 all won at least 10 games for the club last year: Josh Beckett (12), Jon Lester (16), Daisuke Matsuzaka (18) and Tim Wakefield (10). The last time Boston started 4 different pitchers in the first 4 games of the season, all of whom reached double-digits in wins for the club in the previous campaign, was 1911 when Joe Wood (12), Ed Cicotte (15), Ray Collins (13) and Ed Karger (11) turned the trick.
