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BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
The Royals beat the Red Sox
twice in a doubleheader
April 21, 2013 ...
There was no late-inning magic for the Red Sox on Sunday, and they fell to the Royals, 4-2 in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park. In the first game Ryan Dempster allowed four runs over seven innings registering as the worst outing by a
Red Sox starter in 2013. Dempster's start wasn't all that bad, as the 35-year-old finished with eight strikeouts and had the Royals off-balance for much of the afternoon.
Still, the 16-game streak in which Boston starters allowed three runs or fewer finally came to an end. Dempster needed 107 pitches, 71 of which were strikes, to get through his seven innings. Although he's still looking for his first win in a Red Sox uniform, he has now struck out
at least seven batters in 10 of his last 12 starts dating back to his time with the Rangers last season. No pitcher in the Majors has more seven-plus-strikeout games in that time.
David Ortiz finished with three hits and is 5-for-8 since returning from the 15-day disabled list. Nava finished 2-for-4 to raise his season average to .357. The Red Sox are now 1-4 on the season when scoring two runs or fewer. They're 2-4 when allowing four
runs or more.
In the night game, Andrew Miller was the second-to-last reliever in the bullpen who hadn't yet pitched on Sunday. The only other rested reliever was knuckleballer Steven Wright, who has never thrown a pitch in the Major Leagues.
In the 10th inning of the second game of a doubleheader, Red Sox manager John Farrell left the ball in Miller's hands. Miller fully expected to get the inning to himself at that point. He just couldn't throw a strike when he needed to. The 6-foot-7 lefty got
two outs before losing control and walking home the go-ahead run on four pitches, as the Royals rallied for a 5-4 win and a twin-bill sweep at Fenway Park. Miller threw 29 pitches, just 15 for strikes, to get his first loss of the season. With Franklin Morales and Craig Breslow
working their way back from the disabled list, Miller has been the only lefty in the Red Sox bullpen.
A late-inning meltdown spoiled a positive Major League debut for Allen Webster. The first pitch Webster threw was a 95-mph fastball that caught too much of the plate. The left-handed-hitting Alex Gordon launched the ball off the Green Monster. Gordon later
scored, but Webster bounced back to log six innings, allowing just two earned runs on five total hits. The 23-year-old made headlines in Spring Training with a fastball that touched 99 mph and a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings. In his first two starts with Triple-A Pawtucket, Webster struck
out 12 batters in 10 innings and allowed just one run on seven hits. But Webster showed a lot on Sunday, bouncing back each time he made a mistake. He struck out five batters in his six innings, throwing 84 pitches, 57 for strikes.
Webster will be sent back to Pawtucket without a corresponding roster move because of an MLB rule that allows a 26th man for doubleheaders. But he could be back at some point this season. The Red Sox Foundation made a $646,500 contribution to the One Fund
Boston. The One Fund, a nonprofit organization set up by Mayor Thomas Menino and Governor Deval Patrick to help people affected by the Marathon bombings, includes a $100,000 contribution from the Red Sox, $500,000 from Major League Baseball and the Players Association, and a $46,500 check
from the Red Sox Foundation as a result of donations made at Fenway Park over the weekend.
John Lackey will make his first rehab start Monday in Portland and will go four innings or 65 pitches. Farrell indicated that might be the only rehab he needs. Craig Breslow will go one inning in Portland Tuesday, and Wednesday Franklin Morales also will make a
start. Joel Hanrahan also will get on a mound in the next few days. |
