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SWEPT AWAY BY A "RALLY MONKEY" ...
Buccholz cementing his place in the rotation
September 9, 2009 ...
Victor Martinez came of the bench looking to hack, and hack he did.
The pinch hitter blasted a pitch by Danys Baez to left-center field
for a double, clearing the bases, and leading the Sox a 7-5 win at
Fenway Park. Martinez improved to 11 for 27 (.407) in his career as a
pinch hitter, and 6 for 12 this season with the bases loaded with 15
RBIs.
With the Sox
putting up two first-inning runs, it appeared this game might go the way of
Tuesday's, a lopsided Sox win. But the Orioles cut their deficit in half in the
second. With Paul Byrd having gone five innings and allowed two runs, the Sox
went to Manny Delcarmen with a 3-2 lead in the sixth. It didn't go well. After a
Wall single and an error on Delcarmen, Cesar Izturis added a single to load the
bases. That came on a bizarre play as Alex Gonzalez picked up a grounder at
shortstop and went tearing after Matt Wieters advancing from second to third.
Gonzalez was too late, and the bases were loaded for Brian Roberts. Delcarmen
then walked Roberts to tie the game at 3-3, earning boos from the crowd of
37,712. The reliever was relieved of his post, giving way to Ramon Ramirez, who
promptly allowed Felix Pie to untie the score. Pie singled up the middle,
bringing home Ty Wigginton. But that was it, as Ramirez struck out Nolan Reimold
looking, then got Nick Markakis swinging on a 96-mile-per-hour fastball to end
the inning.
The Sox came
back to tie it, 4-4, in the bottom of the sixth, as Dustin Pedroia singled off
pitcher Matt Albers to bring in Joey Gathright, who was pinch running for Jason
Varitek (single). And then came the seventh, and Martinez's clutch double.
The win was
crucial, and not just because every win is crucial in a close wild-card race in
September. The Rangers already had beaten up on the Indians, a fact the Sox knew
before they stepped on the field. They would have to win to keep their lead at
two games.
Paul Byrd,
who had hoped for another chance to prove himself after his disastrous start
last time out, looked better last night, though he still wasn't happy with the
results. Byrd allowed two runs on six hits over his five innings, quite
different than that start against Chicago, in which he allowed seven runs in
just 2 1/3 innings. |
