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Garza, Rays Send Red Sox To Their Fourth Straight Defeat, 3-1
By Administrator | July 2, 2008
And the beat goes on…
Since Manny Ramirez bullied traveling secretary Jack McCormick in Houston on Saturday, the Red Sox are winless. I’m not (necessarily) making a connection between the two, but the facts are what they are. I am just stating the facts… you can draw whatever conclusions you wish from those facts.
The facts ma’am, nothing but the facts.
Fact: The Red Sox lost again, 3-1.
Fact: The Red Sox offense has scored a total of seven runs in their last three games, including the two runs that scored after Brandon Moss’ routine fly ball hit the Tropicana Field catwalk last night and landed in fair territory (turning a sure out into a double).
Fact: The Red Sox had six hits off Rays pitching tonight… and if you take rookies Jacoby Ellsbury and Brandon Moss away, the other seven batters had a grand total of TWO hits — a single by Dustin Pedroia in the sixth inning and a double by reserve Alex Cora in the ninth inning.
That was it for the vaunted Red Sox offense.
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As for the Sox’ mercurial left fielder, he struck out in the second inning and then fouled out to first base in both the fourth and sixth innings (he walked in the eighth inning). The Sox primary slugger (with David Ortiz disabled) hit the baseball a total of 200 feet in four at-bats.
He should muscle the baseball as much as he muscles the team’s traveling secretary… at least then he might get the ball out of the infield in four at-bats.
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Red Sox starting pitcher Tim Wakefield once again deserved a better fate, although he was ultimately culpable for his own loss.
He walked Carl Crawford in the first inning… the Rays left fielder scored the game’s first run a few moments later. Then, with two out in the fourth inning, he wild-pitched Evan Longoria into scoring position… the Rays third baseman scored the game’s second run a few moments later.
In these types of games, every little thing counts. The Rays received two gift runs. In a two-run game. ‘Nuff said.
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Of course, those observations do not absolve the Red Sox offense of their effort. One run scored. On a sacrifice fly. And the runner who scored (Jacoby Ellsbury) was only in position to score because his speed forced a two-base throwing error by catcher Dioner Navarro… one of two throwing errors his speed caused in the game.
Sox hitters were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
With Ellsbury at third base AND ONE OUT in the sixth inning, J D Drew and Ramirez failed to get the ball out of the infield. With Ellsbury in scoring position and one out in the eighth inning, Drew and Mike Lowell failed to deliver the run-scoring hit (Ramirez had walked to load the bases prior to Lowell’s at-bat).
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In spite of the aforementioned error and wild pitch, Wakefield pitched very well. He allowed two runs (only one earned) on five hits and three walks in seven innings.
Craig Hansen pitched 2/3 of an inning and walked two… he left the game in the hands of Manny Delcarmen, who promptly surrendered an rbi-single to the first batter he faced.
Meanwhile, Tampa starter Matt Garza allowed one unearned run on five hits in seven innings. He did not walk a batter.
Reliever J P Howell struck out two of the three batters he faced in the eighth inning. Grant Balfour, serving in the closer’s role this evening in place of Troy Percival (placed on the DL after injuring his hamstring in last night’s game), pitched 1 1/3 innings to earn his second save. He wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning and the struck out the side in the ninth inning.
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Varitek entered the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth and went 0-for-2. He is 0-for-his-last-13, and 3-for-34 in the last fourteen games.
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The Rays improved the MLB-best record to 51-32, having won seven of their last eight games. They have won all five games against Boston in Tampa this season and, in the process, increased their AL East lead over the Sox to a season-high 2 1/2 games.
Topics: Sox Games, Sox Players |
