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LAA 5, BOS 3: Get it together
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Bad enough we get swept. Bad enough it was a come from behind victory by the Angels to complete the sweep.
Up by one in the eighth inning, Howie Kendrick hits an RBI double to left to tie the game then Boston loses the lead completely on a two-RBI double by Casey Kotchman.
Francisco Rodriguez strikes out the side in the ninth to earn his 40th save of the season and secure the sweep of the Red Sox.
Goat of the game: I ask again:
Is Tim Wakefield left in there too long or can Tito not trust his bullpen as Manny Delcarmen also got whacked in that inning?
Your call, but my call is this: TRADE FOR SOME RELIEVERS WHO CAN WELL RELIEVE.
Next Game: Seattle
Wonderful another team we cannot beat out west. Somethings got to give here for Boston with this slump already. The starters have pitched well and got the wrong end of the job in back-to-back nights. What gives?
This entry was posted
on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 1:21 am and is filed under Shawn Medeiros, Casey Kotchman, Francisco Rodriguez, Tim Wakefield, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels, Howie Kendrick.
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9 Responses to “LAA 5, BOS 3: Get it together”
July 21st, 2008 at 3:22 am
I’d like to see Tito try something different, lineup-wise, during the Seattle series. Specifically, I’d go with the following on Monday night:
1. Crisp, CF
2. Drew, RF
3. Pedroia, 2B
4. Ramirez, LF
5. Youkilis, 1B
6. Lowell, 3B
7. Casey, DH
8. Lowrie, SS
9. Varitek, C
Now, I realize, it would take hypnosis by aliens for Tito to put that exact lineup out for Monday’s game, but I think it’s worth a try. (For those wondering, I have Coco in the leadoff spot because he’s 10-for-21 lifetime against Washburn.) Ellsbury, when he’s in there, needs to be hitting ninth until he snaps out of the slump.
That said, the seemingly inevitable implosion in the late-innings of every close game on the road has got to stop. I honestly believe that all the pieces are in place in the bullpen, but if it takes a significant addition to give the group more confidence, Theo needs to make the deal ASAP.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:23 am
at what point of the season do we stop calling Ellsbury inability to hit a “slump” instead of him being just what he is, and that’s a 4th outfielder with good defense and no stick overhyped as a big time prospect by the boston pr machine. Seriously, the guy has looked completely overmatched the past 2 months.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:26 am
when ortiz return i want to see this:
Pedroia
Drew
Ortiz
Manny
Youk
Lowell
Lowrie
Tek
Ellsbury
July 21st, 2008 at 8:23 am
Wow, down on Jacoby.
July 21st, 2008 at 8:36 am
Re: pulling Wakefield earlier… I would point out that, after giving up the two HRs, Wake had allowed two singles and retired 18 hitters entering the eighth inning. His pitch count was still low. He was cruising.
He gets into the 8th and gives up two doubles, and then Delcarmen gets the call. Why would you expect Tito to pull Wakefield any earlier than he did? If there has to be a goat for that game, it’s Delcarmen, not Tito.
And the offense, for managing four singles and two doubles off the likes of Jon Garland and Darren Oliver. Yeesh.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:59 am
Hard to say that Ellsbury is a 4th outfielder with no bat, his minor league numbers show that he’s a pretty good hitter. I think he’s just in a slump, it happens. I think that in the next month you’ll see him start to make some more contact and cause problems with his speed.
July 21st, 2008 at 12:00 pm
just because his numbers were good in the minors doesn’t guarantee big league succes, a lot of players have teared up the minors but have failed at the major league level.
July 21st, 2008 at 2:07 pm
No, but the peripherals were there too, lots of good players have also looked lost for extended stretches. He’ll be fine, he’s certainly better than the alternative (Crisp, bleah)
July 21st, 2008 at 2:22 pm
What worries me about Ellsbury is his sudden increase in strikeouts. A hallmark of his entire career has been very low SO ratios, including last year and the early part of this year at MLB level. This is something new, and could indicate any number of issues, including vision or residual problems from his injury, or just rookie fatigue.
I had wished Buchholz and him back to Pawtucket for a month in April, (remember he was in AA just last year) but all the Sox injuries prevented that, so he is trying to finish figuring things out at Fenway, while he plays different positions on a bad road team.
Jacoby had moved his average back into the acceptable .270’s until this road trip, during which most of the team had similar drops. Jacoby is smart, talented, athletic, driven, and will figure it out.
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