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THE RAYS and A ONE WAY
TICKET TO "MANNY-WOOD" ...
Dice-K wins #10 ... Papelbon saves #100
July 13,
2008 ...
Even with a sparkling 10-1 record and 2.65 ERA after yesterday's
game, Matsuzaka was not extended an invitation to the All Star Game.
And to anyone who has watched a Matsuzaka start, not just checked out
a line score, that was hardly a surprise.
Matsuzaka
beat the Orioles, 2-1, to bring the Red Sox back into first place in the
American League East at the break by a half-game over the Rays. It was ugly, as
usual. It featured too many walks, as usual. And Matsuzaka won, as usual.
Lulling the
37,344 at Fenway Park into a near stupor, Matsuzaka was at 76 pitches through
four innings, and finished with 115 in six, leaving the remaining work to a
bullpen that will get its share of rest over the next four days. The starter
allowed 10 runners in those six innings (four hits, five walks, one hit batter).
Typical.
Despite a
WHIP that was already at a sky-high 1.37, especially for a starter with such
otherwise good stats, Matsuzaka raised that a fraction, to 1.38. Of course,
Matsuzaka also has given up just one run in his last four starts (0.39 ERA).
It wasn't
real easy for anyone. Like the opposing starter, Daniel Cabrera, who wasn't much
better. Like Sean Casey, who seems incapable of getting from home plate to
second base on anything shy of a home run. The legs-of-steel first baseman hit
one off the Green Monster in the fourth inning, lumbering into second base just
a tick ahead of the throw from Jay Payton in left field. He was in, barely, and
he came around to score the winning run after a sacrifice bunt got him to third
and a fielder's choice by Dustin Pedroia got him home.
But it
didn't work out so well in the seventh. With two outs, after another shot off
the Monster, Payton nabbed the slow-motion Casey heading into second, leaving
him with a good afternoon (2 for 2, two walks), and a bad reputation (though he
did get a hug from Manny Ramirez for his troubles).
But it
wasn't all that funny for the pitchers. The teams left 24 men on base, extreme
for a 2-1 game. They combined for 14 hits and 14 walks, making for just four
1-2-3 innings. Even though the Orioles loaded the bases with one out in the
fifth (on that walk, hit batter, walk combination), Matsuzaka escaped once
again, getting Aubrey Huff to strike out and inducing a ground out from Melvin
Mora.
The Orioles,
though, did wake up the crowd in the ninth, scoring their first run off closer
Jonathan Papelbon. With one out, Papelbon allowed hits to Brian Roberts and Adam
Jones, then struck out Nick Markakis on a fastball. But on a 1-2 pitch to Huff,
the first baseman singled up the middle, scoring Roberts. Mora, though, lined to
second to end the game and the first half, while helping the Sox right back into
first place in the East.
Though he
gave up a run in the ninth inning, the Orioles' only run in a 2-1 loss to the
Sox yesterday, Jonathan Papelbon recorded the 100th save of his career. Papelbon
became just the third player (Dick Radatz, Bob Stanley) to save 100 games for
the Sox, and the second-fastest ever to reach the milestone, doing it in 176
games (Seattle's Kazuhiro Sasaki accomplished it in 160 games). |
