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BRONSON ARROYO |
A TEAM "FIT TO BE TIED"
Manny's HR wins
for Bronson Arroyo
September 17, 2005
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Tonight's game Manny Ramirez won with a towering solo homer that
snapped a 1-all sixth-inning tie in a crucial 2-1 victory over the
Oakland Athletics, maintaining a tenuous 1 1/2-game lead on the
Yankees, who beat Toronto, 1-0.
Ramirez, who
had provided an RBI single in the first inning, manufactured the winner by
himself, rapidly uncoiling his arms and bat on a lingering Dan Haren curveball
with one down in the sixth. That ensured a win for Bronson Arroyo, who was as
good as he's been on any night this year, bringing a perfect game into the fifth
inning in what ended as a seven-inning, three-hit, one-run gem.
The Sox are
just 10-7 this month but their starting pitching (8-7, 3.43 ERA) has been
excellent. Pitching wins this time of year, and the Sox, who were winning by
football scores in July and August, have won by scores of 3-2 and 2-1 the last
two nights, scores more indicative of October.
Arroyo sent
down the A's in order in the first, second, third, and fourth innings. He threw
some effective changeups early. He needed only 50 pitches to work through four
innings with a 1-0 lead. But, he needed 30 pitches in the fifth, in which
Oakland had two on with no outs and the bases loaded with two outs but managed
only to tie the game at 1-1. Arroyo pitched himself into a jam in that inning,
getting ahead of both Scott Hatteberg and Jay Payton, 0 and 2, but walking both
to begin the inning. Arroyo, ahead of Hatteberg, threw him four straight balls.
Payton, behind, 0 and 2, waged a 10-pitch battle to get a walk. Arroyo got Dan
Johnson to ground to second. Alex Cora began the first of two 4-6-3 double
plays.
At long
last, on Arroyo's 78th pitch, he surrendered a hit. His 17th batter faced, Marco
Scutaro, lined a single to left, scoring Hatteberg to tie the game at 1-1. To
begin the sixth, the Sox right-hander allowed two hits, with the A's biggest
bat, Eric Chavez, coming up. But Chavez grounded to the right side and Cora
began another 4-6-3 turn.
Despite his
28 errors (No. 28 came last night), Renteria continues to do the most difficult
thing asked of him: turn double plays artistically, regularly, and with apparent
ease. He notched his major league-leading 28th error in the eighth when Jason
Kendall doubled to right. Trot Nixon threw to Renteria, who lackadaisically
attempted to field Nixon's throw on a hop. It skipped by him, allowing Kendall
to advance.
But Jonathan
Papelbon, who appears to be the bridge to Mike Timlin for as long as the Red Sox
play this fall, pitched an otherwise steady eighth. Scutaro, his first batter,
reached out and nearly doubled to right, but the ball landed just foul.
Papelbon, at 2and 2, came back with a pitch up and in and with intent at 93
miles per hour that sent Scutaro backpedaling. He proceeded to fly out. Papelbon
overpowered Adam Melhuse for a strikeout. Kendall doubled and advanced, but
Papelbon got Mark Kotsay to fly out. Timlin
finished it for his ninth save, working a 1-2-3 ninth.
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