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HR #20 |
A SAD END TO A
RECORD SEASON
Rudy Saenez wins this one???
June 18, 2006 ...
Rudy Seanez whose first pitch last night was belted into the
left-field seats for a three-run home run by Jeff Francoeur, one
swing erasing the one-run lead Curt Schilling had nursed through six
innings, was the winning pitcher tonight at Turner Field. Seanez who
entered in the Braves' seventh, gave up the home run to Francoeur,
then retired Adam LaRoche on a grounder to first was the pitcher of
record when the Sox batted around in the eighth, scoring six times en
route to a 10-7 win.
But even
though Seanez was given credit for a job that was anything but well done, it
does not obscure the continuing travails of the Sox bullpen, on a night that
even the dependable Mike Timlin labored (2 R, 4 H, 2/3 IP) before the Braves
were subdued. Only the resilience of a Sox
Jonathan
Papelbon again provided the bailout, entering with two on and two out in the
eighth and retiring Brian McCann on a first-pitch fly ball, then working a
scoreless ninth for his 23d save, one shy of Dick Radatz's rookie team record
set in 1962.
In the last
10 games, the Sox bullpen has allowed 28 earned runs in 32 innings, which
translates to a 7.87 ERA. Included in that carnage, of course, is the
12th-inning grand slam struck by Jason Kubel off Julian Tavarez in Minnesota
last Tuesday night, when Schilling also pitched well and came away with a
no-decision.
Seanez
actually had pitched better of late, allowing just two earned runs in his last
17 1/3 innings. After yesterday's home run by Francoeur, Seanez has allowed 7 of
11 inherited runners to score. One of those base runners came courtesy of Manny
Delcarmen, who replaced Schilling at the start of the seventh, struck out Edgar
Renteria, then watched as Trot Nixon made a terrific, belly-flopping catch of
Scott Thorman's sinking liner. But with two out and nobody on, Delcarmen gave up
a line single by Andruw Jones. Terry Francona went to the new lefthander, Javier
Lopez, who walked McCann, bringing Francona out of the dugout and Seanez into
the game.
Curt
Schilling's single improved Sox pitchers to 5 for 15 (.333) with a homer and
three RBIs this year . |
