Clay Buchholz left today's game in San Francisco in the second inning after hyperextending his knee running the bases, after getting his first MLB hit.
You can take interleague play and shove it as far as I am concerned.
And thankfully, the travesty that is interleague play comes to a merciful end tomorrow. (And I don't give a damn that the Red Sox have a terrific record in it, or the fact that AL fans can see Ubaldo Jimenez, or NL fans can see Joe Mauer live. Who cares. Let those fans see them on TV. Interleague blows. Big time. It creates inequitable schedules, and now injuries to AL pitchers on the bases. Ask Yankee fans about Chien-Ming Wang.)
Fortunately, Scott Atchison and six other relievers came in and pitched well, allowing just two runs as the Sox won, 4-2. Jonathan Papelbon got the Giants 1-2-3 in the ninth. Terry Francona had to empty out the bullpen, but they got the win. Darnell McDonald and Mike Cameron blasted home runs, Cameron's being his first in a Red Sox uniform. He also made a highlight reel catch later in the game in center.
New York lost but Tampa Bay won, so the Red Sox and Rays are tied for second, two games back.
No word yet on the severity of Buchholz' injury. Just what the Sox needed, after the really bad news they got today about Dustin Pedroia's foot injury now being a small fracture. Dustin will be examined by a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday. Surgery on his foot has not been ruled out. He was put on the DL today and Angel Sanchez was brought up from Pawtucket.
The Sox season hangs in the balance with Pedroia's injury. Terry Francona has done a marvelous job getting this team through with the injuries to Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Cameron, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka. I just don't see how the Red Sox can win without him.
If the news continues to be bleak on Pedroia, it will be up to Theo Epstein to replace him. And his job wasn't helped any with the news of Buchholz' injury today. I can accept what happened to Pedroia, a freak injury fouling a ball off his foot. But the injury to Buchholz (which thank goodness, appears to be minor)?
Thanks so much, interleague.
It sucks to see one of your best players get hurt. But isn't the actual travesty the DH rule? Shouldn't all baseball players actually be able to, you know, run the bases?
ReplyDeletePoint taken, Matt. But without interleague, that injury doesn't happen.
ReplyDeleteI like the DH rule, and I wish the NL would join the rest of the baseball world and institute it.