« This Day in Baseball History: June 29th | Home | Two Days Remaining In All-Star Voting… Drew, Tek Need Help! »
Red Sox Fall Out Of First Place With Another One-Run Loss To Astros… On To Tampa Bay!
By Administrator | June 29, 2008
The sophomore odyssey of Hideki Okajima continues to be a rough one… in 2007, he was nearly a sure bet, in 2008 it has been the flip of a coin (at best).
His complete and utter lack of consistency leads me to wonder why Terry Francona would bring him into a close game with a runner on base in the late innings — like today’s game in Houston. Okajima had allowed eleven of foutteen inherited runners to score in 2008! (After today, its now 12-of-15)
But that’s not what makes me wanna pull my hair out…
Mark Loretta strokes a pinch-hit single off Hideki Okajima in the eighth inning… the two-out base hit drove in the game-winning run in the Astros 3-2 win over the Red Sox
What makes me wanna pull my hair out is the fact that Francona would leave him in the game to face a right-handed pinch-hitter late in a close contest… especially when you consider that right-handers are hitting .290 against him… especially when the right-hander is Mark Loretta, who is now 5-for-13 (.385) as a pinch-hitter this season with six rbi.
There are times I REALLY wish I knew how Francona’s mind works…
Loretta was an all-star with Boston in the one season he played here (2006)… this weekend he was a Red Sox killer. A day after he hit a three-run home run in the Astros 11-10 win against the Sox, he hit a flat two-out, two-strike offering from Okajima into center field for the game-winning rbi-single in the Astros 3-2 win.
Doug Brocail, for whom Loretta hit, earned a victory in relief for the second straight night. Closer Jose Valverde shut down the Red Sox in the ninth to earn his 21st save.
After the game, Loretta said: “That’s as good a team as we’ve played all year, and to win a series from them is meaningful. We have not played well in June, but we still have a long way to go”.
Sox starter Josh Beckett was born and raised in nearby Spring, TX… on the team’s off day on Thursday he took several of his teammates to his ranch. This afternoon, he pitched seven strong innings, allowing only two runs on eight hits and a walk. Regardless, he took his third no-decision in his last six starts… in two of those starts he allowed only two runs
And that is a shame, because when you get right down to it this game could have been put in the Sox win column. They stranded thirteen base runners in the game (one shy of their season high). They loaded the bases with two out in both the first and the sixth innings, but failed to score on either occasion… after Pedroia homered to lead off the third inning they put two runners on base and failed to score either of them… and similarly, after Manny Ramirez homered with one out in the sixth inning they put the next two runners on base and failed to advance either of them.
In the second inning, infielder Geoff Blum homered off Josh Beckett (for the third time in his career) to give the Astros a 1-0 lead. Pedroia tied the game with his eighth home run of the season in the next half-inning.
Houston grabbed the lead again in the fifth inning on a walk, an infield hit and an rbi-single by last night’s other hero, Lance Berkman… but Ramirez tied the game in the seventh with a homer off reliever Oscar Villarreal.
Righty David Aardsma started the eighth inning by retiring Carlos Lee, but he then surrendered a base hit to Miguel Tejada. Exit Aardsma, enter Okajima (to pitch to the left-handed hitting Blum). “Okaji” started his outing by wild-pitching Tejada to second base — eliminating the double play and putting the lead run in scoring position. The wild pitch immediately cost the Sox as Blum hit a soft grounder back to the mound… instead of an inning-ending double play the grounder was just the second out.
Then Loretta came to the plate.
———————————-
Pedroia went 9-for-14 in the series… over his last ten games, he has twenty-four hits in forty-five at-bats.
———————————-
With today’s loss, the Red Sox fell to 2-10 in one-run games on the road.
———————————–
The Red Sox slipped one-half game behind Tampa Bay in the AL East… they start a three-game series in Tampa tomorrow night.
———————————–
Like Lester the night before, Beckett had not surrendered a home run in four starts prior to allowing Blum’s home run today.
———————————-
The Sox had won its last nine interleague series dating back to June, 2005 (Cubs) before losing two-of-three to the ‘Stros this weekend.
———————————–
Boston’s pitchers went 0-for-25, with 18 strikeouts, in interleague play. Thank goodness it’s over.
Topics: Sox Games, Sox Players |
