With Tim McClelland’s strike zone tighter than a painted on dress, it looked like it might be a long night for Erik Bedard and the Boston Red Sox. But Bedard stuck to his guns and settled down.
And thanks to the shortest hit of David Ortiz‘s 2011 season, a 45 foot infield single, scored Dustin Pedroia in the 7th inning to give the Red Sox a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins. That win, coupled with a loss by the New York Yankees, extended the Red Sox lead in the AL East to 2.5 games.
The story though was McClelland’s strike zone.
Bedard was getting squeezed so much that if he were throwing oranges instead of baseballs, he would have made a lot of orange juice. Bedard needed 37 pitches to get through that fateful bottom half of the 1st inning in which he ended up walking four batters, including the Twins second run of the game. The first run had come on a Michael Cuddyer sacrifice fly.
But after that Bedard settled down, made some adjustments as he allowed just two hits the rest of the way while striking out four. Had Bedard not been able to stay calm under pressure, things may have been a whole lot different.
Bedard would leave the game with a 3-2 lead thanks to the help of some of the “role players”.
Darnell McDonald‘s two-run homer in the 5th scored Jason Varitek who had walked to start the inning off of Francisco Liriano. And it would be Varitek who delivered the go-ahead run at the time with an RBI single that scored Jed Lowrie after he had walked with one out in the 6th.
Now I hate to call Varitek a “role player” but that’s exactly what he is these days. But when he’s been in the lineup, he’s been getting the job done most of the time. His ability to call a game is unmatched and on a night where the strike zone is as tight as it was, having him behind the plate can only help the pitching staff out.
The nice thing about the bench players for the Red Sox too is the fact that when they’re in the lineup they usually produce.
McDonald had struggled earlier on in the season because he wasn’t seeing playing time. But after a stint on the DL and a rehab assignment, he’s seen a little more playing time since then. And for the most part, he’s been able to provide some results at the plate.
At 35-21, the Red Sox now have the best road record in all of MLB. Their 72-43 record is tops in the AL and trails the Philadelphia Phillies by 3.5 games for the best in all of MLB.
But what gets me is the fact that since starting the season at 2-10, the Red Sox are 70-33 since then. An absolutely amazing stretch of baseball especially considering the fact that they’ve battled through injuries with the pitching staff.
It just goes to show you how important those “role players”, whether a pitcher or a position player, really have been.
We’ll be back later with this evening’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now enjoy the overnight links from the media by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
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Ortiz excels at small ball [Boston Globe]
Filling the final holes [Boston Globe]
Reddick is getting familiar [Boston Globe]
Erik Bedard pitches in [Boston Herald]
Dustin Pedroia takes cover [Boston Herald]
Jonathan Papelbon better than ever [Boston Herald]
David Ortiz gets small hit [Boston Herald]
A healthy bet on Jed Lowrie’s impact [Boston Herald]
Sox come ahead late again, win 4-3 [CSN New England]
Notes: Bedard stays cool and collected on mound [CSN New England]
Papelbon shows his worth again [ESPN Boston]
David Ortiz finds creative ways to add to his RBI total [ESPN Boston]
Closing Time: Darnell McDonald, Jason Varitek keep things right for Red Sox vs. lefties [Full Count]
Erik Bedard Overcomes Early Issues, Takes Positive Step Forward in Second Start With Red Sox [NESN.com]
Darnell McDonald Part of Continued Red Sox Success Against Lefties, Clearing Up Preseason Concern [NESN.com]
Red Sox Mailbag: Josh Reddick Has Earned Right to Stay in Right Field If and When J.D. Drew Returns [NESN.com]
Infield hit by Ortiz drives in winning run [Providence Journal]
Red Sox have three legit MVP contenders in Pedroia, Gonzalez and Ellsbury [Providence Journal]
Red Sox journal: MLB gives in to Ortiz on RBI [Providence Journal]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSN New England, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.
And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer-Press websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother, Twins Target.
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
Photo credits: Getty Images, Getty Images
