Would someone please explain to me why Terry Francona did not run for Jason Varitek in the eighth inning of a tie game??
He was using Victor Martinez as a pinch hitter, and he could go in to catch (so he can't use the "I don't want to use my reserve catcher" excuse), and Bill Hall, for could easily have run for Varitek (and he was entering the game in the bottom of the 8th, as Jonathan Van Every was being pinch hit for) could very well have scored the third run. We'll never know. Varitek was out by a mile at the plate on Nolan Reimold's terrific throw.
I can't blame Tim Bogar for sending Varitek home on that play, as with two outs he had to. It's just that Varitek shouldn't have been on the bases to begin with.
I love Francona as a manager, but he directly cost them this win today.
An absolutely inexcusable weekend in Baltimore. Swept by the worst team in baseball. Josh Beckett throws seven good innings, and the offense doesn't show up. And Jim Palmer, on the O's broadcast, even said that the Orioles have had one blow out win this year, in Oakland. That's one more than the Red Sox have had in 2010.
The Orioles showed me more heart and guts than the Red Sox did all weekend.
Absolutely, totally, completely inexcusable.
This team is getting on my nerves. I know you really can not question the move because it has worked in playoffs but Papelbon going two innings just never seems to work. I think he is programmed to pitch 1 inning which is fine.
ReplyDeleteThey are really getting on my nerves, too. I'm seriously considering avoiding this weekend's Yankee series...
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