For all intents and purposes, the Boston Red Sox lost their game to the Tampa Bay Rays last night when Kevin Youkilis (vote Youk) left the game before his at-bat in the 4th inning when he left with what was announced as right ankle pain. But why is this reason the Red Sox lost last night?
It’s quite simple actually. Why in the world are you going to pitch to David Ortiz (who hits before Youk) when you can take your chances with Niuman Romero, who had just two hits in 14 career at-bats before last night. And that’s exactly what Rays skipper Joe Maddon did last night.
With a runner on second in the 5th inning, Maddon had his starter Jeff Niemann intentionally walk Big Papi to face Romero who ended up flying out to leave two runners stranded on base. In the 7th inning with a runner on first, Maddon had reliever Lance Cormier intentionally walk Big Papi to face Romero who ended up grounding out to first to leave two more runners on base.
And it happened again in the 9th inning after Eric Patterson’s triple brought in Bill Hall to cut the Rays lead to 3-2. With Patterson on third, Maddon had his closer Rafael Soriano intentionally walk Big Papi for the third straight time. Interestingly enough, instead of having Mike Cameron pinch-hit for Romero, he had him pinch-run for Big Papi. That move backfired for Terry Francona as Romero grounded out to second to end the game.
There wasn’t much Francona could do when Youk went down. He only had Romero who could play first. Sure he could have used Big Papi at first base but then the Red Sox would have had their pitcher batting cleanup for the rest of the night.
Fortunately for the Red Sox, it doesn’t appear the injury to Vote Youk is all that serious and he could be back in the lineup tonight. Things won’t be easy though as the Rays will be looking for the sweep with their All-Star ace David Price.
We’ll be back later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups, news and any links from the day but for now enjoy the overnight links after the jump.
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No gain, just pain for Sox [Boston Globe]
Backup plan falling apart [Boston Globe]
Beckett takes another step [Boston Globe]
Get your game on [Boston Globe]
Recap: Rays 3, Red Sox 2 [Boston Herald]
Kevin Youkilis deserving of intense support [Boston Herald]
Lineup in real crisis [Boston Herald]
Rough night for Niuman Romero [Boston Herald]
Red states promote Youkilis-Votto ticket [Boston Herald]
Ortiz: ‘What I’m seeing right now is like a curse’ [Clubhouse Insider]
Red Sox lose third straight, Youkilis leaves injured [CSN New England]
Youkilis’ ankle locks up, should be ready for Wednesday [CSN New England]
Closing Time: Rays 3, Red Sox 2 [Full Count]
Injury shouldn’t sideline Youkilis [Full Count]
Maddon: We were not pitching to Ortiz [Full Count]
Sox and Ranaudo play a waiting game [Full Count]
Ortiz: Rash of injuries ‘like a curse’ [Full Count]
Anthony Ranaudo, 39th Overall Pick and Scott Boras Client, Playing Hardball With Red Sox [NESN.com]
Jason Varitek, Darnell McDonald Among Best Bench Players in Baseball [NESN.com]
Kevin Youkilis’ Injury Sinks Red Sox in Tampa Bay [NESN.com]
Prospect Ryan Kalish Predicted to Make Greatest Impact for Red Sox in Second Half of Season [NESN.com]
Terry Francona Optimistic That Kevin Youkilis Won’t Miss Series Finale With Rays [NESN.com]
Kevin Youkilis Says Ankle Injury Was ‘Very Odd’ [NESN.com]
Red Sox Avoid Major Injury to Kevin Youkilis But Can’t Avoid Third Straight Loss [NESN.com]
Rays 3, Red Sox 2: Another injury, another loss [Providence Journal]
Doubront, featuring curveball, shines in second start [Providence Journal]
With two strikes, Patterson makes his cuts count [Providence Journal]
Beckett scheduled to start Sunday in Pawtucket [Providence Journal]
Red Sox journal: Youkilis leaves with ankle problem [Providence Journal]
Beckett pitches simulated game [RedSox.com]
Ellsbury about to resume baseball activities [RedSox.com]
Hermida participates in batting practice [RedSox.com]
Okajima returns to Boston’s bullpen [RedSox.com]
Healthier days ahead for Red Sox [RedSox.com]
Youkilis’ right ankle injury appears minor [RedSox.com]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal and WEEI websites.
And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying, head over to the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times websites.
Photo credit: AP Photos
