Pretty good game last night, huh? The Red Sox defeated the Athletics, 2-1, behind great pitching performances from Bronson Arroyo, Jonathan Papelbon and Mike Timlin. There are a few noteworthy things that, well, I'm going to note.
- Terry Francona trusts Papelbon! In a 2-1 game last night, Francona could have gone with Mike Myers or Chad Bradford to get three outs in the eighth inning. Instead he puts Papelbon in and does a great job, with his only error being a double hit by Jason Kendall. There is no way that Papelbon isn't in the starting rotation next season. Francona finally has trust in him, so I wouldn't be surprised if some guys like Wade Miller are gone, making room for Papelbon.
- I've got to say that trading for Alex Cora was a very good move by the Red Sox. I was skeptical at first, but his defense alone is good enough to trade Ramon Vazquez for. He displayed his defense last night when he ranged to his left, as the second baseman, dove in the outfield grass and then spun on his knees and made the throw to first base, getting the out.
- We all saw Manny Ramirez's home run last night - how great was that hit? The ball was inside and Manny just brought his wrists in so fast, spun that bat around, and knocked that thing completely out of the park. That may be one of the most impressive home runs that I've seen Manny hit. Is he out of his slump? Let's hope so.
- Mike Timlin has been proving everyone wrong. When everyone said he shouldn't be the closer, he's been lights out since taking over the reigns from Curt Schilling. Does anyone else think he should have been there earlier? I was a supporter of the "Timlin for Closer" campaign, and now I think we should be chanting "Rest of Season! Rest of Season!"