King Felix Drops Sox In Series Finale

by Randy Booth on Aug 25, 2010 10:23 PM EDT in Game Stories

You can't expect much when your team faces Felix Hernandez. And that's exactly what the Red Sox got.

The Red Sox mustered just two runs off of the Cy Young contender as Boston fell 4-2 to the Mariners in the night game of Wednesday's doubleheader.

Felix was good, allowing just four hits, one walk, one run as he struck out nine over 7.1 innings of work. It was pretty much King Felix doing what King Felix does.

On the other hand, Tim Wakefield was serviceable in his spot start. Jon Lester was scratched to he could pitch Friday, taking the spot of Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is apparently hurt. Wakefield allowed three runs over 5.2 innings of work. The bullpen combined the work of Scott Atchison, Manny Delcarmen and Felix Doubront. Despite a combined five walks and one hit, they didn't allow a run.

Also, Terry Francona and Adrian Beltre were ejected. Beltre argued a called third strike and the umpire didn't seem to like that much. He got tossed at the start of the next inning and Francona, arguing on his third baseman's behalf, received the same treatment.

The offense -- well, there wasn't much. The lone highlight was J.D. Drew's solo bomb to dead center. It was a pretty sight on a 3-1 count. The other run was scored when Ryan Kalish came across on a wild pitch. See? That's how you get runs against great pitchers. Wild pitches.

The Sox are off Thursday with a huge -- HUGE -- series starting Friday against the Rays. The season hinges on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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Smart move by Theo saving Lester for Friday.

If we bring Dice-K back on Sunday (bumping Lackey) that puts our 3 best pitchers out there for the Rays series.

Wake did a credible effort, but the chances of stealing a win against Felix were pretty slim.

The Tampa games are worth twice as much.

by mmmmm on Aug 25, 2010 11:00 PM EDT reply actions

The ejections

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/columns/story?columnist=edes_gordon&id=5498735

So it’s a crew with Joe West and Angel Hernandez, both of whom are less qualified to umpire a professional baseball game than a blind person who has never seen a game and doesn’t know the rules, and a replacement ump. And the replacement ump didn’t know what was going on and decided to make the game about himself.

And if players get suspended for making physical contact with umpires, shouldn’t Hernandez be suspended for making contact with Beltre?

by RSNexile on Aug 26, 2010 6:34 AM EDT reply actions

Joe West is not an altogether bad umpire in general, just a total moron with no respect for the game.

Angel Hernandez is downright awful.

by wolf9309 on Aug 26, 2010 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions

the Red Sox NEED to file an official protest on this game

Because waht the umpire did there was not a bad call. I’ve accepted that bad calls happen. This was a total and outright abuse of authority which cost the Red Sox the ability to have the best player on the roster play in the game. Felix pitched a great game, and I don’t want to take away from that, and I don’t know that an extra 2 at bats by Beltre as opposed to Navarro would have made a difference, but I also don’t know that they wouldn’t.
In a time like this when every game is critical for the Red Sox, the umpires CANNOT just arbitrarily remove MVP candidates from the game. Fining the umpire and sending him back to the minors is not enough (and probably won’t even be done) because it was a move that very well could have drastically affected the outcome of the game, which, at this point in the season, has a drastic effect on the pennant race.
Just ridiculous.

by wolf9309 on Aug 26, 2010 9:32 AM EDT reply actions

I wish I hadda seen that

I hope it’s posted on the Sox website.

Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.

@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard

by Bloggy on Aug 26, 2010 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions

It was really surprising when it happened

couldn’t really see what was happening, just that Beltre was looking into the Seattle dugout, then all of a sudden the home plate umpire stood up and said something and Beltre charged full bore into him, I expected him to punch the ump in the face.

by wolf9309 on Aug 26, 2010 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions