Game 137: Josh Beckett solid, but Red Sox still lose
by Randy Booth on Sep 7, 2009 9:35 PM EDT
in Game Stories
29 comments
Red Sox vs White Sox recap
Red Sox vs White Sox boxscore
Josh Beckett finally pitched a pretty good game -- but the Red Sox still lose.
Sweet.
Beckett gave up three runs over seven innings, but the offense couldn't get in motion. They notched eight hits, but only brought one run across the board to lose, 5-1.
The White Sox took the series, 3-1, with the win.
The Red Sox's only run came in the first inning on an RBI single by Kevin Youkilis. Eight innings later, Boston couldn't do any more.
It didn't really matter at that point, but Hideki Okajima struggled and gave up two runs over the course of the 8th inning. No offense and no relief pitching is going to lose you ballgames -- a lot.
September has been ugly so far for the Sox: 3-4 to kick off the pivotal month. The Sox now host the O's for two games starting Tuesday with an off-day coming Thursday. Let's hope the pivot happens now.
0 recs |
29 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Randy's back.
There goes all the fun.
@bs_uf15bosox9be The Original Gameday; Learn to use SB Nation
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Sep 7, 2009 9:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Oh COME on
Anyone with half a brain knows that I’m the one dishing out warnings and bans like Scrooge dishes out pink slips on the week before Christmas. Anyone with three-quarters of a brain knows that mid-game thread I’m squeezing down on that ban button like Tony Montana screaming “Say HELLO to my Little FRIEND!” Anyone with two halves of a brain knows that my wing at OTM Corporate headquarters is strewn with a decorative collage made of the thousands of letters I’ve received over my tenure as a mod BEGGING me to revoke bans, to restore deleted posts, and to remove the viruses I uploaded onto offenders’ networks.
So give credit where it’s due.
Love,
E.Coli (seeing your sarcasm and running with it)
"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 Sep 7, 2009 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec'd.
People are going to think I set you up on purpose…
Oh, and, people will quake in fear when I finally get mod powers – any mention of the words “first”, “amendment”, “freedom”, “expression”, “the” or “of” will result in an immediate IP ban.
@bs_uf15bosox9be The Original Gameday; Learn to use SB Nation
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Sep 7, 2009 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Randy's back
But also has a hectic schedule this week. May need to bring out the big guns for a little bit…
On that note, thanks for all your hard work guys.
by Randy Booth on Sep 7, 2009 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You shouldn't be allowed a BAN BUTTON....
….when you’ve had less than 4 hours sleep. There should be some sort of test you have to pass.
Man I love that tuna casserole.
by Bloggy on Sep 8, 2009 8:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But that's when banning is fun
Wait. What am I saying? It’s ALWAYS fun!
by Randy Booth on Sep 8, 2009 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
OTM has too much credibility
to require its moderators to pass Litmus tests. That said, I believe that the Constitution provides a right to privacy, which limits government interference. Thus, citizens can reasonably expect to be free within the privacy of their mothers’ basements.
"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 Sep 8, 2009 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I shouldn't be allowed a ban button ever.
@bs_uf15bosox9be The Original Gameday; Learn to use SB Nation
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Sep 8, 2009 10:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It was a pretty good performance from Beckett,
But surely no one is actually worried are they about qualifying for the playoffs?
We’ve got 8 home games, followed by 6 of the softest road games you could ask for before the NY series. Then another 7 home games. Look, its simple…15 wins and its done, that’s all we need. It would be nice to see Beckett completely turn the corner and regain his mid season form because with Lester going the way he is, I’ll pit our 1 and 2 against anyone.
by sydneysox on Sep 7, 2009 10:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
We've got 25 games left, iirc.
15 games isn’t a huge amount to ask for, but it’s also more than .500. The Sox need to get the offense in gear to ensure a playoff berth. The Rangers are only about three back, and if they get hot while we flounder, we could miss October.
"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 Sep 7, 2009 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
9 Games Back
This Red Sox team is barely a shadow of the championship teams in recent years. This may be the last post season this club sees for a long time. Lets just hope it’s not another 86 years until the next title. For their sake anyway.
by dan_lorio@yahoo.com on Sep 7, 2009 11:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Say what?
This may be the last post season this club sees for a long time.
What makes you think that? This is ,mostly, a young team with a lot of home grown talent locked for a long time: Lester, Youk, Pedroia… Plus, this club has the financial ressources and the payroll flexibility to make a big splash in the FA market when they see a talent they need.
Sorry to disagree, but this is a very solid ball club built to perform at a high level for a LONG time!
Relax
"That was a lot of fun… You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." Jeff Francoeur
by radiohix on Sep 8, 2009 4:16 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
too many
Too many ground outs to third with runners on first and second, too many GIDP, too many ground balls with runners on third and less than two out, they have forgotten how to move runners along. Too many hitters with low averages with RISP, Ortiz and Drew come to mind. Drew had been hot, but is his average with RISP over .200 yet? Is Tek trying to hit under .200 this year?
by Old Fan on Sep 8, 2009 10:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Too many...
… whiny old knobs who apparently think we should have 132-win seasons and 9 starters batting over .350. Too many brilliant hindsight analysts. Too many @#$%ing bellyachers who do nuthin’ but bitch and moan, yet refuse to offer anything constructive beyond, “I hate my favourite team.”
Man I love that tuna casserole.
by Bloggy on Sep 8, 2009 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
and bloggy ...
The last time I checked, the players are paid big money to produce. The fans old and young pay good money to see them produce, not be coddled by Sally fans like you. You don’t have to hit .350 to be able to advance runners when the situation calls for it.
You really are a dumb ass.
by Old Fan on Sep 8, 2009 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Advancing runners is kind of a joke skill.
It’s all making an out. The goal in any individual AB should be to not get out.
by Ben Buchanan on Sep 8, 2009 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
game
Baseball is a game where failing to get a hit 70% of the time is considered good, so you try to make good outs, not bad. Like hitting a sac fly instead of striking out.
by Old Fan on Sep 8, 2009 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What you do with those 30-40% of non-out plate appearances
Is so much more valuable than what you do with the 60-70% of the time that you do make an out as to make it almost entirely unimportant.
If you’re saying that striking out is worse, then yes, it is. But as a team we’re pretty middle ground in strikeouts, and a lot of the Ks we get are part of the patient process our hitters employ where we recognize that just because they’ve got 2 strikes doesn’t mean they can’t take a pitch and work towards a walk, or getting better pitches thrown to them. It’s that sort of skill—and plate discipline is far more of a tool than “moving the runners along”—that has us 4th in walks and 3rd in OBP.
Generally speaking, for a batter to try and influence their swing to produce either a fly ball or a ground ball, they have to exaggerate it—either take a big uppercut hack trying to lift or a level swing looking to top something off. While this leads to more productive outs, it also leads to more outs period. A player should rather be trying to keep their routine the same in all but the most specific of scenarios—say a one-run or tie game with runners on 1st and 2nd (and even then you may as well just bunt)—in order to try and get on base.
by Ben Buchanan on Sep 8, 2009 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually, what I am...
…is a realist. And I realize that ya win some and ya lose some. And I realize that there are weaknesses and there are strong points. I’m willing to look at a situation and see what’s bad and call it out and see what’s good and commend it.
Which is the opposite, I suppose, of the cynic, who only comes out of the woodwork when the team loses to point out everything that’s gone wrong.
The Sox had a rough series against the White Sox, but took 2 of 3 against the Rays and swept the Jays before that. There are concerns. But, Christ, if you think your little piss-fest up there is constructive then yer nuts.
Man I love that tuna casserole.
by Bloggy on Sep 8, 2009 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just
Just keep proving how dumb you are …
by Old Fan on Sep 8, 2009 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Which I did how?
You prove my point. All you do is saying that everything is bad, but you give nothing of value. You do it with your post-game “analysis”, and you do it with comments above.
Man I love that tuna casserole.
by Bloggy on Sep 8, 2009 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Try and keep it constructive, guys.
As much as you (and I) may not agree with the idea of the “productive out”, or hitting with RISP being a skill, Bloggy, it’s not an illegitimate way of thinking, and is in fact carried by quite a few baseball fans. If you’re going to argue your point, argue it. Don’t call the guy a “whiny old knob”. Same to Old Fan with the dumb/ass comments.
by Ben Buchanan on Sep 8, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fair enough.
Reacted to what I perceived as knee-jerk negativity, and unfortunately did so in something of a cranky mood. You’re right. My own reaction was somewhat knee-jerk itself, I suppose, and for that I apologize.
And for the for productive out…I wouldn’t say that I disagree with that at all. I think there’s a lot to be said for ensuring you get a runner on second to third by pushing a ball to the right side of the infield. Hopefully for a hit, but if not at least it moves the runner closer to a run scored. Same for getting a ball to the outfield so you can score the runner from third. Again, hopefully for a hit, but if not at least for a run.
I get annoyed at the folks that only rear their heads when there’s an L, and completely ignore the fact that currently this team is in a playoff position with a favourable schedule over the next bit up to the Yankees series.
Man I love that tuna casserole.
by Bloggy on Sep 8, 2009 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I will take "Can we please score some Run's For $122M' Mr. Trebek"
Good Golly Miss F’ing Molly 4 Games Against the hapless White Sox – - and we are out scored 10?-23?. If you take out Sunday’s game we were out scored 4-22?
Hey no matter how you slice it – This ain’t no Snickers Bar – and I am far from satisfied. Same old story -no hitting when you have pitching and no pitching when you have hitting – the pieces are in place they just ain’t coming through.
Anyway its one of those years where it looks like we “May” sneak into the playoffs and hey at that point anything can happen – Pieces will still be in place. Anaheim in the first round- and how pissed are they about that – the Angels may just start to lose some games to Texas to help them into the Playoffs just to avoid seeing and losing – AGAIN- to the BoSox in the first round. As this weekend shows – having the pieces in place – well you need that – but the pieces have to play as well. Perhaps we can trade Francona for Leland? He has seemed to be able to get more with a team devastated by injuries.
by www.SoxTherapy.Net on Sep 8, 2009 12:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm OK with the road trip, really.
The offense wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t in such a bad way as to signal a slump.
Obviously Byrd’s implosion is worrisome, but we don’t have to see much more of him either way hopefully. Obviously Wake missing a start is a bad sign, but you have to figure Dice-K can’t be as bad as he was earlier. He’s definitely at least got the stuff to be a 4.5 ERA guy.
Beckett’s outing was very good and really only hampered by a bloop single. It’s very encouraging to see him not give up the long ball.
Lester was fantastic.
Clay was solid.
I’m comfortable with Wagner and Papelbon (who’s been turning it on in a big way) as our 8-9 guys. And Bard has been fun to watch again.
by Ben Buchanan on Sep 8, 2009 3:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I thought you didn't like Dice-K's stuff.
(May be thinking of Drugs.) I’d argue that he’s got the stuff to be significantly better than a 4.5 ERA guy. He was around there his first season, and his peripherals from ‘08 correspond more closely to a mid-four ERA than what he actually gave us. Not sure how much we can expect this season, especially in October, but I’d rather risk seeing bad Dice-K (a likelihood) than bad Wakefield (a certainty) in the playoffs.
"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 Sep 8, 2009 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't like how he uses it.
But yeah, I’m guessing you’re thinking drugs. And 4.5 was a base line deal. He should be better, but if he can’t do that than screw him, he’s just being stupid.
by Ben Buchanan on Sep 8, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Over the Monster
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
