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Beckett, Bullpen Bombed By Blue Jays, 15-4
By Administrator | August 18, 2008
Even very good baseball teams have days like the Red Sox had on Sunday.
Staff ace Josh Beckett was being counted on to deliver a clutch performance against Toronto. Instead he was schooled by the Blue Jays in an embarrassing outing, surrendering eight runs on eight hits and a walk in just 2 1/3 innings pitched. Additionally, the brevity of his outing placed an enormous burden on the bullpen, which saw an additional five pitchers allow seven more runs (the only reliever escaping the onslaught was closer Jonathan Papelbon, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning).
Alex Rios had five hits to lead Toronto’s TWENTY-TWO hit attack… while four other players had three hits apiece. Adam Lind was one of the players with three hits, which included a home run, and drove in four runs.
Beckett surrendered six runs in the first inning. After striking out leadoff hitter Joe Inglett in an eight-pitch at-bat, Beckett loaded the bases on a single, a double and a walk. Adam Lind then singled to left field to drive in the game’s first run… and when Jason Bay bobbled the ball, Alex Rios raced home to make the score 2-0. After Rod Barajas was hit by a pitch to re-load the bases, Lyle Overbay drove a two-run single into right field… one out later, John McDonlad ripped a two-run double into the left-center field gap to increase the Blue Jays lead to a half dozen.
In the third inning, Lind led off with a home run (#8). After Barajas struck out, Overbay doubled into deep center field… that was the end of the day for Beckett. Reliever David Aardsma was first out of the ‘pen… he surrendered an rbi-triple to Brad Wilkerson on his second pitch as the Jays extended their lead to eight.
But it didn’t stop there… Toronto scored a run in every inning until Papelbon made a mop-up appearance. Aardsma surrendered an rbi-double to Lind in the fourth… Mike Timlin allowed an rbi-double to Alex Rios in the fifth… Clay Buchholz was touched up for an rbi-double by McDonald in the sixth… Lind drove in yet another run against Justin Masterson in the seventh (on a ground out)… and Hideki Okajima allowed the final three runs when was cuffed around for four hits after two were out in the eighth inning.
BRUTAL!
Jays starter Shaun Marcum gave up one run and five hits in five innings… he’s won his last three starts, allowing four runs in 18 innings.
Kevin Youkilis hit his twenty-third home run in the fourth to get the Red Sox on the board. Jed Lowrie tripled home a run in the sixth inning, Dustin Pedroia hit his twelfth home run in the seventh inning, and the Sox added a run on an error in the ninth inning to close out the scoring.
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The Red Sox lost consecutive games for the first time in August… they are now 21-23 within the AL East and now open a nine-game road trip against AL East teams tomorrow night at Camden Yards.
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Former Red Sox manager Dick Williams, inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 27th, was honored during an on-field ceremony before the game.
Topics: Sox Games, Sox Players |
