Red Sox Play Spoiler, Tee Off On Pettitte

by Ben Buchanan on Sep 25, 2010 12:35 AM EDT in Game Stories

The Red Sox are generally unfamiliar with the role of spoiler these days, but with the Yankees neck-and-neck with the Rays for the lead in the AL East, the Sox played the part perfectly tonight.

Powered by Jed Lowrie's four hit night, the Red Sox knocked Andy Pettitte out of the game in the fourth. Pettitte entered the inning with three runs (two earned) already to his name thanks to Lowrie's first hit--an opposite field shot that scored David Ortiz and Mike Lowell in the second. It was those same three Sox that dropped three straight singles in to start the fourth against him. Three more hits followed a Bill Hall flyout, and Pettitte left with a 7-1 deficit on his shoulders. The fifth inning didn't really go all that much better for Jonathan Albaladejo thanks to Bill Hall's 18th home run of the season.

For the first five innings, this really seemed like the perfect game for the Red Sox. Not only had they beaten up on one of the Yankees' best pitchers, but they also had Josh Beckett pitching like a star. And then came the sixth, and with it back-to-back home runs from Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. One more long ball in the seventh from Nick Swisher, and Beckett's night was done with a disappointing five earned in just over six innings pitched.

Then it was the bullpen's turn. Scott Atchison continued a late-season dip by allowing Alex Rodriguez a second home run before Daniel Bard proved to be the only effective pitcher of the night with a scoreless eighth. Jonathan Papelbon closed out a suddenly close game, but not before allowing Mark Teixeira his own multi-HR game.

In the end, the score was 10-8. A win, but hardly clean. Aside from Beckett and the pen's mess, Mike Lowell went down after taking a ground ball to his face in the fifth. Just not how you would have drawn it all up.

But at least the Yankees won't be popping open any champagne tomorrow.

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Big sigh of of relief

When Papelbon finally wrapped it up. With Lester going tomorrow, I like our chances.

by LAEagle on Sep 25, 2010 3:11 AM EDT reply actions

I hated this game..

It was nerve wracking to see how the pitching was used. They shouldn’t had used Paps and Bard tonight, They probably should had taken Beckett out after six. I thought they were going to lose it, with ARod on base and the best hitter of the MFY at bat with Cano in the bottom of the 9th.

Yes it is a win, but I think keeping a big enough lead would help keeping Bard and Paps a bit more rested for the next games. Thanks god for the offense. However, the Sox have some serious overhaul during the offseason, especially the bullpen. They may have to do something about two of the starting pitchers not named Lester and Buchholz..

by superferret on Sep 25, 2010 6:47 AM EDT reply actions

Go Jed go

"Every night I go to bed thinking about when I’m going to play again. I dream about playing at Fenway."-Ryan Westmoreland
Twitter: @BoldandBrash

by BoldandBrash on Sep 25, 2010 10:42 AM EDT reply actions

+1

Although, here’s a question: Why is Jed still switch hitting when there’s a 300 point gap in s OPS between leftist- and right-handed hitting? Left-handed, he’s a doubles-hitting version of Marco Scutaro; right-handed, he’s batting better than Beltre (5 HRs in 60 ABs, 1.08 OPS).

Fenway: "An alternate and better universe, disguised as a ballpark." --Thomas Boswell

by lone1c on Sep 25, 2010 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions

Er, left- and right-handed

I’m not passing any judgment on the political statements Lowrie is making as a hitter.

Fenway: "An alternate and better universe, disguised as a ballpark." --Thomas Boswell

by lone1c on Sep 25, 2010 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions

Because a switch hitter can't just turn around and start batting from the other side against same-handed pitching.

Just think, when is the last time he faced RHP from the right side? College? High School?

USG

by Ben Buchanan on Sep 25, 2010 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Plus

Lowrie’s BABIP as a LHH is .257, as a RHH .320, so that should tell you why his LHH numbers are quite so down.

USG

by Ben Buchanan on Sep 25, 2010 12:37 PM EDT up reply actions

And (ugh, triple post) this is despite the typical BABIP advantage for LHH (quicker to first).

So I really do see this as having a good deal of luck involved.

USG

by Ben Buchanan on Sep 25, 2010 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I understand that it's hard to change your training after so long

It’s just that the numbers against LHP are so completely ridiculous (even with a high BABIP, you wouldn’t expect him to have an OPS over 1 through so many at-bats).

I guess if you adjust them both, you would probably still get an OPS in the mid- to high-800’s.

Fenway: "An alternate and better universe, disguised as a ballpark." --Thomas Boswell

by lone1c on Sep 25, 2010 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions