We're Goin' To The Mattresses

You knew this was coming.

David Ortiz got plunked by David Price on the first pitch he threw to him in the first inning last night. It was an obvious retaliation for what happened last Sunday in St. Pete (and probably for the home run he hit off him in last year's ALDS that pissed him off). How obvious was it? Price's teammates were high-fiving him in the dugout after the inning.

John Farrell was shown the door after warnings were issued. Torey Lovullo took over the club, and when Mike Carp was plunked by Price in the fifth inning and was Price was NOT thrown out, he argued and was thrown.

Brian Butterfield took charge, and in the top of the sixth, Brandon Workman threw a pitch behind Evan Longoria. (It was Workman's last inning, so I wasn't surprised by this.) So Butterfield and Workman were sent to the showers.

Here's a wrapup for those of you scoring at home: Price, who has walked only eight batters this season and hit two coming into the game, hits two batters, one after a warning, and is not ejected. Workman hits no one, and the Sox lose their manager and two interim managers. Sure makes sense to me.

This is yet another case of incompetent umpiring MLB is saddled with. Jeff Kellogg and his crew let this game get out of hand despite the early warnings. MLB has a serious problem with the umpires and just ignores it. Thankfully no players were injured in the two times the benches emptied.

But justice was served in the 10th, when Jonny Gomes became the third Sox player hit (it was clearly unintentional, as there was no one on and one out), and scored on A.J. Pierzynski's RBI triple to win it and give the Sox their fifth straight win, 3-2.

Since the two dustup games of last Sunday and last night, the Red Sox have not lost and Tampa Bay has not won.

David Ortiz was not happy after the game let his feelings known about Price in no uncertain terms.