So Close: Wakefield Receives No-Decision As Red Sox Edge Twins Late, 8-6
by Jared Stegall on Aug 8, 2011 11:08 PM EDT
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PrintMonday night marked Tim Wakefield's third try at win number 200 on his career. Despite pitching seven innings and holding the Twins to three earned runs, Alfredo Aceves could not preserve the lead which meant a no-decision for Wakefield. Meanwhile, the Red Sox did pick up the 8-6 win over Minnesota thanks to some late inning heroics.
After taking a 1-0 lead in the first thanks to an RBI single by Marco Scutaro, Wakefield fell into some trouble when he gave up three runs via RBIs by Jason Kubel and Jim Thome and a passed ball by catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Wakefield got touched up in the fourth and fifth innings by a moon shot home run by Kubel and an RBI double by Joe Mauer. Minnesota leading, 5-1.
The Red Sox had Wakefield's back nearly the entire night, and they showed it in the sixth inning. After a Carl Crawford triple to begin the inning off Twins starter Scott Baker, Adrian Gonzalez picked up RBI number 92 as he got Crawford home on an sac-fly. After Dustin Pedroia reached, David Ortiz connected an a moon shot of his own as he put the Red Sox within one after a two-run home run. Jarrod Saltalamacchia decided he wanted in on the action and launched a solo home run to tie the game at five a piece.
After solid sixth and seventh innings from Wakefield, the Red Sox were finally able to take a 6-5 lead off an error on Joe Mauer that scored David Ortiz from third base.
With the lead, Terry Francona decided to pull Wakefield (who was in line for the win) and put in Alfredo Aceves for the eighth. After recording to outs with a man on, Aceves lost the lead after giving up a two-out RBI single by Jason Kubel that brought home Trevor Plouffe from second base. Wakefield comes out of it with a no-decision and the game is now tied, 6-6.
To begin the top of the ninth, the Twins brought in lefty Glen Perkins to face the Red Sox' 1-2-3 lefty combination at the top of the batting order. Perkins only retired Carl Crawford, but allowed a hit to Adrian Gonzalez that created a two-out, one on situation. Perkins was replaced by closer Joe Nathan, who looked to protect the tie for the Twins.
Dustin Pedroia pieced together a terrific two-out at bat and singled Adrian Gonzalez on to second. David Ortiz stepped in and broke the tie with an RBI single that brought home a pinch-running Darnell McDonald for the 7-6 lead. Jarrod Saltalamacchia added to the cause with a RBI double that scored Pedroia for an extra insurance run. The Red Sox had the 8-6 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Jonathan Papelbon came and did what Jonathan Papelbon has been doing all season, as he retired the side to preserve the 8-6 win for Boston. Erik Bedard will look to pick up his first win as a Red Sox tomorrow as he faces off against Francisco Liriano at Target Field tomorrow night. First pitch scheduled for 8:10 p.m EST.
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Did I miss a good game?
From the sounds of it, it was pretty exciting later on, but not as good as the Yankees-Sox series.
Red Sox win 8-6
A little info here for Red Sox nation. Fox Sports Power Rankings:Red Sox #2, Yankees #3. MLB Power Rankings:Red Sox #2, Yankees #3. espn power rankings:Red Sox #3, Yankees #2.
Its called cheating, yup they are still trying to do it.
Uh....not really
Take all the Sabermetrics you want, baseball still boils down to the axiom “Good pitching beats good hitting.” We saw a perfect example of that last year when a crappy-hitting Giants team (NL, by the way) made a powerhouse-hitting Texas lineup look pathetic. The Phillies rotation of Halladay, Lee, Worley and Hamels will shut down ANY team. The NL now has superior pitching and will beat the “pansy” AL.
by ccthemovieman on Aug 9, 2011 12:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Maxims do not take the place of analysis.
Proof by assertion is not valid. Also, proof using tiny 7-game samples isn’t either.
Certain things are more important in the playoffs. Top-heavy starters, back-end relievers are overvalued, while bench pieces and back-end starters are undervalued in the playoffs. But good pitching does not always beat good hitting.
The NL now has superior pitching and will beat the "pansy" AL.
So that’s why the AL won interleague play again for the 8th straight year. I’d say the Phillies are favorites to win the World Series, but that’s one series that’s AL vs NL. Oh boy, all that superior pitching really helped them in interleague. Just because the NL champion wins the world series doesn’t make it a better league.
The Red Sox can win the World Series as currently constructed
Twitter: @BoldandBrash
by BoldandBrash on Aug 9, 2011 12:25 AM EDT up reply actions
I can tell that fWAR undervalues pitching relative to hitting by looking at the team leader board
Hitting-heavy teams consistently rank higher than pitching-heavy teams when clearly the rankings do not translate in the actual standings. I’m not smart enough to know how pitcher WAR is calculated, but I do not trust it.
What is funny: the Seattle Mariners team WAR thus far in the season is a whopping 3.0. It seems to me a straight-up trade of all their players for Kevin Youkilis (3.8 WAR) would be a fair one, and even in Seattle’s favor.
Youkilis, playing by himself,
spotting 8 automatic outs each turn through the order,
would STILL probably produce more runs than Seattle’s lineup …
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
I think it's because you're looking only at the batters' fWAR
As was BZ
Click “pitchers” at the top of the teams page to see their pitching fWAR
For reference, Red Sox is 30.6 + 13.0 = 43.6
Phillies is 17.8 + 20.4 = 38.2
And it does make sense that pitching is valued less, given that batters control the game more with their added influence in the field.
Over the Monster -- SB Nation's Resident Red Sox Site
USG
Ah, this makes sense: my inability to operate the website properly
on account of being rash and careless. It sadly also means my proposed Youk to Seattle trade would not net the Mariners’ pitching staff for the Sox. Pity, that.
Much ado about nothing important
They can rank the Sox 10th for all I care. I prefer the World Series title.
by OzTiger on Aug 8, 2011 11:42 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
For the love of God, who is cheating this time?
Not everybody is cheating at everything all the time. This is the last time I’m acknowledging this guy because I’m pretty sure he or she is trolling.
The Red Sox can win the World Series as currently constructed
Twitter: @BoldandBrash
by BoldandBrash on Aug 8, 2011 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions
espn fox mlb
just check out the power rankings. notice the difference in espn versus the other two. Red Sox better record than the yanks, just beat them 2 out of 3, are 10-2 against them for the season. yet the yanks are ranked ahead of the red sox today, oh, only on espn of course. go read the blogs on espn and see what the people think, you can see it yourself.
ESPN probably decides the winner at the end of the year
I’m pretty sure that’s how it works right? A bundle of teams play a whole handful of meaningless games and then ESPN declares the victor based on their gut feeling at the end right?
I mean, we gotta occupy ourselves until football somehow!
Jesus Christ
I wanna say “ban this guy”, but i’m sure he’d think i’m in on the whole “Yankee conspiracy”.
I consider accusing the Yankees of cheating several times because of a strike call
in a gamethread, and then the next day accusing them of cheating again, trolling.
The Red Sox can win the World Series as currently constructed
Twitter: @BoldandBrash
by BoldandBrash on Aug 9, 2011 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions
So this person actually believes that the Yankees are cheating
to get ranked higher in the power rankings? I’d rather this guy just be messing with us.
The Red Sox can win the World Series as currently constructed
Twitter: @BoldandBrash
by BoldandBrash on Aug 9, 2011 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions
You think maybe he is?
Maybe he’s seeing how far he can take it. He had me going last night when I innocently asked if anyone else thought the pitch to Reddick was an outside pitchout and called a strike. He then went on an absolute tear about cheating. I’m holding out hope that he’s just playing some big practical joke.
"It's baseball...when you rake that's what happens" -Dustin Pedroia
Either way
I hate when red sox nation gets guys like him as the poster boys.
Last thing I want to deal with is fans who come here and see “Yankees are cheating to get higher in the ESPN weekly ratings!” as a legitimate topic of discussion.
"We Believe" - Rudy Fernandez
I have to agree
And I’ll leave it at that so as not to give it anymore credence.
"It's baseball...when you rake that's what happens" -Dustin Pedroia
by Fenway302 on Aug 9, 2011 1:25 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
espn/yanks
Hey people I know why the yankees were ranked ahead of the Red Sox by espn and NOT by fox or mlb. Because the 2nd pitch to Reddick in the 8th inning was a strike and that means the yankees are better because they can get strike calls on a pitchout and the Red Sox cannot. Of course mlb and fox, don’t see it that way, neither does any logical or rational sports fan. Only espn, because they are the ones of course to change the count from 1-1 to 0-2. So of course the 2nd pitch to Reddick, even though it was a pitchout, according to espn is a strike because if you look at the power rankings the yanks are ranked ahead of the Red Sox, so that means of course the call should go to the yanks because espn ranked them BETTER.
“Hey wasn’t that pitch to Reddick a ball?”-red sox fan
“No, it was a strike”-yanks fan
“It was a pitchout though”-red sox fan
“But espn ranks the Yankees higher than the Red Sox even when they are 2-10 against them and 1 game behind them in the division so that means the pitchout is a strike, because well the yanks get that kind of advantage. They are the team that can throw pitchout and get strikes called, just like they are the team that can be ranked over a team they are 2-10 against, and 1 game behind in the standings”
OMG if you can’t see how there are media/umps/yanks out there to cheat, I don’t know what else to tell you. A pitchout is called a strike and a team that is 2-10 and 1 game behind the other is ranked ahead. ONLY on espn, not any other rankings. Does anyone think that is logical? Anyone? Then look at how much control espn and the yanks have over baseball and you should question the credibility of these two. Its very simple.
Question the yanks/umps/espn credibility. They pull this crap all the time. And it always favors the teams they want lakers/yankees. You think they would put the Lakers over the Celtics if they were 2-10 against them and the Celtics had a better record. Oh wait, they already did, Lakers are 3-9 against the Celtics in the finals yet espn, and espn only ranked the Lakers as a better franchise with 1 less title and a 3-9 head to head. OMG please wake up.
Sean O
here are 2 examples.
1.sunday night/monday morning:Its not that the Reddick pitch, the furthest one all game outside called a strike, is called a strike. Its not that the yankees were intentionally pitching out to throw a ball anyway, its not that espn changed the count from 1-1 to 0-2, its not that it favored the yanks, its that they went in the paper the next day and they TOLD YOU the yanks were better anyway, when it DID NOT say that in fox or mlb rankings.(Any source that ranks a team with A:A better record 70-43 to 69-44, B:better record head to head 10-2, and C:most recent games Red Sox take 2 out of 3. BELOW the team with the A:worse record, B:worse record head to head, C:loss in most recent games has NO CREDIBILITY.)
2.2009/2010. In June of 2009 espn put out an article TELLING YOU that the Lakers were a better franchise than the Celtics. So when the Lakers got 21 4th qtr free throws in Game 7 2010 Finals on some of the most ridiculous calls in sports history, why would it be a surprise?? espn already TOLD YOU that the Lakers were better the year before.(Any source that ranks a team with A:A better title record 17-15, B:better record head to head 9-2, and C:most recent games Celtics pound the Lakers by 39 points Game 6 2008 131-92. BELOW the team with the A:less titles, B:worse record head to head, C:blowout loss in most recent games has NO CREDIBILITY.)
espn/lakers/yanks have NO CREDIBILITY when they do things like this. none. and they are some of the most powerful authorities in sports. They are the ones who control things. They are not only making blatanly wrong calls, they are going into the media and telling you that team is better anyway.
espn/lakers/yanks
they need the ativan, not me.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
espn just ranked a 69-44 team over a 70-43 team, when the 70-43 team is 10-2 head to head and just beat the 69-44 team 2-1.
And Fox and MLB DID NOT!!!! only espn.
hahaha, espn is the mess.
So what’s your opinion on the JFK assassination and Roswell?
JK
The Red Sox can win the World Series as currently constructed
Twitter: @BoldandBrash
hahahahahahaha
WTF does jfk and roswell have to do with espn/yanks/umps/refs/lakers/baseball/basketball.
Absolutely nothing.
HAHAHA!!
keep lookin up in the sky for aliens buddy!!
espn ranking the yankees 69-44 over the red sox 70-43 when the bosox have pounded the crap out of cc, just beat them 2-1, and are 10-2 overall when no other ranking does is a FACT.
espn changing the count from 1-1 to 0-2 is a FACT.
go read the comments on the espn power rankings. Nobody is talking about jfk or roswell, pal.
practical joke
espn/yanks are the ones trying to play the practical joke, not me.
By virtue of typing this...
… I have effectively exhausting the metaphorical shit I give about power rankings. Jesus Christ, please stop posting until you have a coherent point about something that matters.
"Laser show. So relax."
Francona is to McDonald and Jenks as Infant is to Plastic Bags and Matches
by nuthinboutnuthin on Aug 9, 2011 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions
+1
Dude is coming into his own. Perhaps coming into his enormous potential. That’s a scary (good) thought…Salty has nowhere to go but up!!
"It's baseball...when you rake that's what happens" -Dustin Pedroia
by Fenway302 on Aug 9, 2011 1:27 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
He could also crash back to Earth.
Hoping against hope not, but Salty could certainly be having a randomly big year. It’s why I’m hoping that Lavarnway’s defense is enough to have him as a legitimate backup.
To be clear, there’s no big indication he should fall back.
Over the Monster -- SB Nation's Resident Red Sox Site
USG
You have a point
But here’s to hoping against hope with you that up is where he will continue to go!
"It's baseball...when you rake that's what happens" -Dustin Pedroia
by Fenway302 on Aug 9, 2011 2:08 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I prefer to think that he is living up to his talent
I mean, the scouts had to have seen SOMETHING, right? Wasn’t he originally a pretty good prospect way back when?
I don’t remember exactly salty’s story TBH. He was part of the teixera trade though, right?
"We Believe" - Rudy Fernandez
yeah he was the centerpiece
the Braves had him and McCann and Salty was the highly-thought-of one of the two. Well, I doubt Salty ever becomes as good as McCann, but he’s looking pretty awesome. He’s developed to the point where I’m wishing they would play Tek less than he’s getting played.
It will be interesting to see what they do tonight.
I believe Tek caught Bedard’s first start. They have seemed to want to alternate catchers, and with Salty turning his ankle last night, it would be defensible to start Tek tonight. A lefty too, and even though Salty has developed into a very solid RHB, Tek is better vs. lefties.
But….. Tito also said last week that “Salty can take more…” when talking about their workload. With the Sox trying to rest players this week, it would also be defensible to play Salty to get his bat in the lineup. (I would sit Gonzo tonight vs. Liriano and play Youk at 1B and Lowrie at 3B; then sit Pedey tomorrow and play Aviles at 2B, sitting Lowrie)
But
we have Lester Wednesday and that is Salty for sure-so I am pretty sure this will be Tek.
If Salty is the "starting catcher," he can go 3 days in a row
especially with an off day following.
Even though Salty
is only playing 60% of the time he has been worth 2.4 WAR and is now throwing out 30% of baserunners (which is amazing given that 1/3 of the time he catches Wake).
meanwhile, in 85 more plate appearances
Russell Martin has been worth 2.1 WAR.
Thank you Theo, you are wiser than I.
I was also wrong about Salty
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Aug 9, 2011 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Yup. Right here.
Quite wrong.
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
I never was that down on Salty
but I had no idea Theo would be THIS right about him.
And I was on record as concerned about the C position because of letting V-Mart go.
So I’ll join the chorus of humble pie.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Totally missed on Salty...
… Crow flavored with victory doesn’t taste that bad.
"Laser show. So relax."
Francona is to McDonald and Jenks as Infant is to Plastic Bags and Matches
by nuthinboutnuthin on Aug 9, 2011 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Amazing
If Crawford really gets going, this is the best lineup I have ever seen.
No doubt.
You could make an honest suggestion that Carl is the worst hitter on this team.
What happens when he plays like he can (9 for 10 against the Yankees, and a triple tonight)? This offense was already ridiculous, but…
No way he is worse than scoot
Barring, of course, this recent outburst.
"We Believe" - Rudy Fernandez
Minor amendments
In the 9th, Pedroia`s swinging bunt only moved Gonzalez to 2nd. Darnell McDonald then came in as a pinch runner and scored on Ortiz` single.
The game tomorrow starts at 8:10 according to the MLB schedule.
= 2:10 am CEDT
In other words, NO FREAKIN’ WAY.
Fenway: "An alternate and better universe, disguised as a ballpark." --Thomas Boswell
Time
MLB.com lists all games Eastern time.
by Hallelujah2004 on Aug 9, 2011 8:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Looks like Papi is getting back into a groove
Papi looked great tonight. Scoot looks like he really wants to keep his job, and Crawford might just be on a roll too. What can’t be lost in the win is Pedey’s infield hit to keep the 9th inning alive. I feel bad for Wake. I just wish he could get 200 out of the way so he could concentrate on 201 and so on. I hope Bedard can keep the team on a roll tomorrow night.
Go Sox!!
"It's baseball...when you rake that's what happens" -Dustin Pedroia
The only real problem Paps has had is non save situations.
He just looks so much more sharp this year.
The Red Sox can win the World Series as currently constructed
Twitter: @BoldandBrash
by BoldandBrash on Aug 9, 2011 12:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I think you're talking Papelbon and I was referring to Big Papi
It’s all good though as I agree about Papelbon’s issues with non save situations. Other than that, Papelbon has very much looked in total control this year.
"It's baseball...when you rake that's what happens" -Dustin Pedroia
by Fenway302 on Aug 9, 2011 1:24 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
my bad
The Red Sox can win the World Series as currently constructed
Twitter: @BoldandBrash
by BoldandBrash on Aug 9, 2011 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
If dangling #200 in front of Wakefield squeezes a quality start out of him each time--
as it has three times in a row now—I hope he keeps missing like this until the last week of September. Aceves meanwhile gets another vulture win to give him (at 8 wins) two more than Wakefield (6) on the season, one short of Beckett (9), and just three short of the team leader Jon Lester (11). What a useless and arbitrary statistic.
Well, at least he's for the most part played like a _good_ goal line back!
The W-L stat sucks. But ignoring that issue, Aceves has at least been a damn good pickup this year.
NBA Officiating - Corrupt? Incompetent? Which is worse? Does it matter? It sucks.
Man, Wake can't catch a break.
But a good game all-the-same. I went over to a friend’s house to watch the game, and when I came back home, the T.V. was still on and showing the replay. David Ortiz was sitting on a 1-0 count in the ninth. Perfect timing.
Over the Monster -- SB Nation's Resident Red Sox Site
USG
Yeah, hated that I had to leave with how it all played out.
With the game on ESPN, I really should have planned my afternoon better…
Wake
If Crawford had caught that fly ball in left in the 2nd the Twins would have got maybe 1 run and Wake woulda won. If Gonzalez had taken ball four instead of (uncharacteristically) swinging out of the strike zone in the 6th we would have scored at least 5 and Wake woulda won. The fates are saving win 200 for a special day!
I really wanted Wake to win that game last night.
But it would be better if he got a standing O walking off at Fenway, right?
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
at this point, I really hope not
looks like his likely next start at Fenway probably won’t come before the 30th vs. the Yankees. And I expect things to be shuffled a bit so that someone more suited to face the Yankees probably makes that start. I’d rather see him just win his next time, and we can give him a big standing O when he comes to the mound for his next start at Fenway.
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