Game 88: The offense is alive!

by Randy Booth on Jul 12, 2009 12:48 AM EDT in Game Stories

Final - 7.11.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Kansas City Royals	0	0	0	0	1	5	1	2	0	9	13	3
Boston Red Sox	3	3	1	2	0	0	3	3	X	15	12	1
WP: John Smoltz (1 - 2) LP: Gil Meche (4 - 9)

Complete Coverage >

Royals vs Red Sox recap
Royals vs Red Sox boxscore

Oh, hello, offense. It's nice to see you after all this time.

Four home runs? Yes, please. Twelve hits? Yes, sir. Fifteen runs? Yeah, that's nifty.

It still wasn't the prettiest game, but at least the Sox won, 15-9, over the Royals. John Smoltz pitched a really good game to earn the win. He went five innings and gave up four hits, one run, one walk and struck out seven. He lowered his ERA to 5.40.

And that offense was pretty good, starting with Kevin Youkilis. Youk went 3 for 4 with two home runs, four runs scored, four runs batted in and a walk. Don't forget that walk.

Youk is obviously in Mash Mode. Some games Youk will just go off like this and it's fun to watch. Hopefully he'll carry this through the All-Star break and right into the second half.

Other offensive highlights include: Dustin Pedroia have two hits, two runs and an RBI, David Ortiz and Jason Varitek each had solo shots and Varitek chipped in three runs scored.

And now for the ugly. Justin Masterson was flat out bad. He allowed five runs in 0.1 innings of work. Hideki Okajima was a little better, allowing one run and three hits in 0.1 innings.

The savior, however, was young Daniel Bard. Coming in a 9-7 ballgame, Bard shut the door. He ended up working two full innings, allowed one hit, no earned runs (two were unearned) and he struck out three. His relief appearance was huge and kept the Sox in the ballgame.

Takashi Saito pitched the 9th and struck out one.

Sox look to win the series Sunday in a 1:35 p.m. game. Josh Beckett takes the hill against the Royals' Bruce Chen.

Tweet Comment 14 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

MDC also pitched.

Got an out, then forgot the concept of pitching again.

OverTheMonster - ALLERGEN WARNING: May contain peanut butter.

by bdalebs on Jul 12, 2009 1:02 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah, I just avoided him all together...

OverTheMonster.com

by Randy Booth on Jul 12, 2009 1:16 AM EDT up reply actions

Bard is totally our future closer.

He’s got such good stuff, and really has only suffered from a short period of losing the feel on his fastball for a week in the season. I love to see him on the mound.

Good to see Bates get his first hit. Bad to see him cost Bard 2 unearned runs.

Masterson NEEDS some time on the DL, in Pawtucket, something. You’ll notice that he always STARTS this stuff. Against Baltimore when they came back, and now tonight. Something has to be done about that. I’d suggest switching out for Buchholz or Bowden mostly depending on how they both feel about starting in the minors vs. bullpen duty in the majors. Same thing for how the team feels, really.

If you had to ask me, I’d guess Bowden. No doubt they’re both starters in the long run, but for a short time I’d give Bowden some pen duty so Buchholz can stay starting in case we need a spot start/backup starter.

by Ben Buchanan on Jul 12, 2009 2:32 AM EDT reply actions

Oh, also a possibility is Fernando Cabrera

He’s done really well in Pawtucket.

by Ben Buchanan on Jul 12, 2009 2:45 AM EDT up reply actions

So the MFY Hunter project's over?

OverTheMonster - ALLERGEN WARNING: May contain peanut butter.

by bdalebs on Jul 12, 2009 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Masterson needs to change his pitch selection

Masterson was throwing some good stuff. However he was trying to get his third strike via a inside slider, for right hand batters 345 and it just hung over the plate. He should throw more junk or a bit outside early in the count to get a swing and a couple fouls then go for slider on the corner. I don’t see his stuff as that bad, but he needs to either shrug Tek off or stop using his best stuff in the beginning of the count. Look how he struck out Teahen in the top of the 6th, He had Guillen on an 0-2 count before he got the hit, and an 1-2 count against Jacobs before he hit his 2 run HR.

Masterson can be a really good starting pitcher, he showed it with his start against the Yankees earlier this season. I just think he just lost confidence after Jacobs HR. I kind of blame Tito for taking out Smoltz, and putting Masterson in for the 6th. I think Tito should not use Masterson for a week.

Besides all that, Thank god for Josh Bard tonight. If he can get a good change up, he can be a nasty closer.

by superferret on Jul 12, 2009 2:46 AM EDT up reply actions

That sort of stuff can be worked on in the minors.

by Ben Buchanan on Jul 12, 2009 3:00 AM EDT up reply actions

If this is a confidence issue for Masterson

benching him for a week would not help. Nor would sending him to Pawtucket.

"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.

by 0157H7 on Jul 12, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed

And that also assumes there is someone the Sox can bring up who can de a better job.

I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.

by Drugs Delaney on Jul 12, 2009 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I have to disagree on bringing Bowden to the show

He’s working on incorporating a slider to his arsenal (which is a big part of ERA implosion) I say let him refine his pitch and let Justin “the stinkerballer” Masterson work in mop up duty ‘till he figures things out (Wheeler did so JM certainly can) if not, bring in Jeremy Kehrt! lol.
I am still a strong believer in this BP and I still believe that it’s the best one at least in our division!

"It's designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything is new again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops, and leaves you to face the fall alone". A. Bartlett Giamatti

by radiohix on Jul 12, 2009 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions