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JERED WEAVER |
BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
Jered Weaver holds back
the Red Sox bats
July 7, 2013 ...
The continued great pitching of John Lackey wasn't enough for the Red Sox at Angel Stadium. Lackey was outpitched by former teammate Jered Weaver just enough for the Angels to come away with the 3-0 victory in the rubber match of this three-game series.
For the fifth straight start, Lackey turned in a stellar performance, giving up five hits and two runs over seven innings. He walked one and struck out nine, throwing a season-high 116 pitches. Don't let Lackey's 6-6 record fool you. His 2.80 ERA is far more
indicative of the way he has pitched. When Lackey takes the ball, the Red Sox know exactly what they are going to get. Consider that what Lackey has done of late isn't just remarkable in his post-Tommy John surgery stretch. There are those who think
Lackey has never pitched better than he is these days.
Jered Weaver gave the Angels 6 2/3 shutout innings, giving up five hits. He walked two and struck out six, throwing 114 pitches. As it turned out, solo homers by Mike Trout (first inning) and Hank Conger (fifth) were the difference in the game. While
Lackey and Weaver were engaged in quite a duel, the Red Sox were having a hard time producing anything of substance. Boston's best early rally was in the first, when Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a double and Daniel Nava followed with a single. But
Weaver sent the next three batters down in order, the first of which was a bullet off the bat of Dustin Pedroia that was hit right at third baseman Alberto Callaspo.
Albert Pujols nearly manufactured a run for the Angels in the sixth with some heads-up baserunning. After Josh Hamilton drew a walk, Pujols, off with the 3-2 pitch, moved to second. The Red Sox had been in an overshift during the Hamilton at-bat and Pujols, who
noticed that third base was uncovered, roared to third as catcher Ryan Lavarnway was getting the ball back to Lackey. Pujols wound up stranded, after a hard groundout to short by Howie Kendrick.
Once Weaver departed, the Red Sox didn't have any better luck against the Angels' bullpen. For the second straight night, Halos closer Ernesto Frieri was nothing short of filthy. After David Ortiz reached on an error, Frieri struck out Mike Napoli, Mike Carp
and Lavarnway to end the game.
They now head to Seattle with a 4 1/2-game lead on the Orioles and Rays in the American League East. |
