Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The 8th: Great Top, Lousy Bottom

I was out having dinner with a friend on Wednesday night and I missed all but the top of the ninth of the Red Sox-Orioles contest.

First time I checked on my cell the Sox were in a 4-0 hole in the 6th, on home runs in the 4th inning by Adam Jones and Luke Scott (who couldn't have been happy this morning seeing President Obama releasing his birth certificate for all the world to see). Rats, the Homer Happy Beckett was back.

It was 4-1 when I checked back in the 8th, with Kevin Youkilis up and two on. I thought that Earl Weaver's favorite play was in order here (and in the city he once managed), and wouldn't you know it, Youk went deep, and it was a new ballgame at 4-4.

I then walked in my door to see it 5-4, Birds. Crap, what happened here? After the Sox went down weakly against Kevin Gregg, I discovered that Daniel Bard had another rotten outing, allowing three hits and an unearned run, as Jason Varitek allowed runners to move up on a passed ball, and allowed another to get by him, but Bard made a great play tagging out Nick Markakis to keep it tied. But Vlad the Impaler singled on the next pitch to give the O's the win and the series.

The Sox have the worst catching tandem in baseball, with one guy over the hill who can't hit his hat size and another who is clearly over his head behind the plate. But remember, Theo loves this guy.

I knew it was a mistake last winter when the Red Sox didn't sign Russell Martin.

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