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BRANDON WORKMAN |
BOSTON STRONG -
THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
Donaldson's walk-off crushes
the Sox and overshadows
Brandon Workman's no hit bid
July 14, 2013 ...
Brandon Workman, making the second appearance of his career and first start, carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Boston's 3-2 loss against the A's, before Josh Donaldson crushed his dreams, and eventually those of the Red Sox, with a two-run home run that knocked Workman out of
the game and the winning single in the 11th inning.
Donaldson's walk-off single against newly-acquired lefty Matt Thornton dropped the Red Sox (58-39) to 5-5 to end their 10-game West Coast trip and end the first half of the season just shy of their 20th series victory.
Thornton's ill-starred Boston debut spoiled a gem from Workman, who breezed his way through Oakland's lineup with 40 pitches after three innings before giving up a walk to John Jaso with one out in the fourth. Jaso reached base after working an 0-2 count
into a 10-pitch at-bat, but Workman and catcher Ryan Lavarnway responded with a run-of-the-mill strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out double play to end the inning. Former Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp spoiled Workman's no-hit bid with an infield single up the
middle to lead off the seventh, and Donaldson crushed Workman's 103rd and last pitch to tie the game, 2-2. Workman allowed two runs on two hits over his 6 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five. That came without having much of a curveball, a pitch
he usually relies heavily on.
The Red Sox scored on a pair of RBI singles in the sixth and seventh innings off Bartolo Colon by Dustin Pedroia and Brock Holt that put them up 2-0 for a brief spell before Donaldson's blast returned the game to a stalemate. They loaded the bases with two
outs in the 11th, but A's reliever Ryan Cook froze Holt looking to vanquish the attack.
The Red Sox head into the All-Star break with the most wins in baseball and best record in the American League, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Rays in the American League East. Boston's 19 series victories in the first half of the season are one shy of the club's
number of series wins last season.
Xander Bogaerts went 2 for 3 for the World team in the Futures Game in New York, and Garin Cecchini go 1 for 2 with an RBI for the US team and hit the ball hard twice. Bogaerts started at shortstop and then moved to DH late in the game for the World team;
Cecchini was a fifth-inning replacement at third and made his mark with two very good at-bats in the US team's 4-2 win Sunday at Citi Field. Bogaerts, who is playing at Pawtucket, is projected to move to third base. Bogaerts is hitting .294 with 13
homers and 54 RBIs between Portland and Pawtucket.
Drake Britton was called up from Triple A Pawtucket today. The Sox, who were carrying an extra position player, optioned outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. Britton, 24, was 7-7 with a 3.77 earned run average as a starter in Double A Portland and Triple A
Pawtucket. He pitched one game in Pawtucket before being promoted.
In recognition of his setting the record for most hits ever by a designated hitter last week, the Red Sox players presented Ortiz with a six-liter bottle of 2008 Orin Swift "Mercury Head" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. All of the players signed the bottle, which
has a Mercury Head dime imbedded in it. Gomes, who is a wine connoisseur, had the bottle delivered from Napa Valley to Oakland Coliseum. |
