He gives up only 3 hits to the Yankees last night. No excuses to be had. No injured players, one of their best pitchers on the mound, and the Sox win 7-3.
I could have done without the 87 walks* the Sox pitchers gave up, but on a night when Okajima and Papelbon weren’t as sharp as usual, it was nice they had a cushion to work with. And Javier Lopez? Fantastic!
NESN said last night that David Ortiz now has a .308 average against Mike Myers. So much for that whole "the Yankees picked up Myers to get Ortiz out" theory, eh?
In reading through the various blogs and messages boards that I do after most games, I noticed two issues coming up over and over again. The ‘safe’ call on Coco Crisp and the elbowthrown by ARod. Yankees fans seem convinced that the replay showed he was clearly out. I’ve watch the ‘up-close’ replay on NESN quite a few times now, and while it was definitely close, Coco was safe.
(EDITED TO ADD that a photo of the tag shows how truly ‘out’ Coco was. Yankees still can’t blame the game on that. Bad calls happen all the time but, unless they actually end the game, don’t lose games. Teams not performing lose games. The entire thread that photo is on is an embarrassment to baseball fans.) Not by an awful lot, but he was safe.
Yankees fans seem to be complaining about the umpires quite a bit this year (going by the message boards at Yankees.com and NYYFans.com). I find it ironic given how many "bad" calls have gone their way over the years without a peep from them. Chuck Knoblauch/Jose Offerman, Jeffrey Maier/Baltimore Orioles, anyone?
And if we’re talking about bad calls, ARod should have been called for that elbow throw and the Sox should have been awarded the double-play for it. He took out Pedroia the way you’re taught to, but that extra elbow throw was bush league at best. Shouldn’t surprise me, coming from Slappy though, I know. I hope Curt has the game well in hand tonight and then sends ARod a purpose pitch. He doesn’t even have to hit him. Just remind him that the team won’t put up with that cheap stuff. Although, I like what Pedroia had to say about it:
"He went in late and threw an elbow, but it’s no big deal," Pedroia said. "I know now that when he’s going in, my arm slot drops to the floor. Some people play like that, and some people come in with hard, clean slides."
Kevin Youkilis is quietly having a damn good season thus far, continuing his hitting streak last night. Mike Lowell also continued his offensive charms and Manny came through with a huge home run.
And did I mention David Ortiz owning Mike Myers yet again? 🙂
Julian Tavarez really deserves his props. Our number five pitcher (still acknowledging he’s just keeping the spot warm for Jon Lester) now has two wins against the Yankees. He’s pitched great. And if you don’t think so, compare him to some other number fives around the league. He’s no Beckett, but he certainly fills that fifth roster spot fine right now. Nice way for Julian to celebrate his birthday. And what does he say?
“It doesn’t matter. I could throw a perfect game in my next start, then a perfect game in my next start and a perfect game in my next start, and Jon Lester, the next game belongs to him. He’s going to be one of the great pitchers in baseball.”
That’s the epitome of a team player. And right now he’s making it a little easier for the Sox NOT to rush Lester up here. So many of these wins are such a ‘team’ win. It’s part of what makes it so much fun these days.
Schilling v Pettitte tonight. I want the Sox to crush them in a major way.
I don’t ask for much. 🙂
*Probably not the actual number!
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