September 18, 2007
...
For the first time in almost a month, Terry Francona called upon Eric
Gagne to protect a lead. The only difference in the result was that
Gagne didn't have to walk home through a gantlet of insults as he did
the August night he blew a ninth-inning lead against the Angels in
Fenway Park.
After
getting two quick outs in the eighth inning last night against the Blue Jays,
Gagne's radar suddenly went haywire. He walked three batters, forcing home the
tying run, then gave up a two-run double to pinch hitter Russ Adams that pinned
a 4-3 loss on the Red Sox, their fourth in five games. The lead over the Yankees
shrink to 2 1/2 games in the AL East with 10 to play (the Yanks have 11).
The fans
probably weren't mollified by the news of the Tigers' loss in Cleveland, which
means the Sox' magic number to clinch a postseason berth is down to 4. Any
combination of Sox wins and Tiger losses totaling four, and the Sox are assured
of a spot in the October tournament. That's not the same as winning the
division, of course, and now Boston's hold on the best record in the league is
down to just a half-game over the Indians and the Angels. Prestige and
home-field advantage are teetering in the balance, but Francona maintained that
he had to know whether Gagne would prove reliable as he was with the Dodgers
before he got hurt, but someone who can get the tough outs when needed.
So far, the
answer has been as loud and clear as Gagne's voice was soft and pained after
last night's defeat. Gagne has pitched 15 times for the Sox since coming from
Texas in a trading-deadline deal. He has given up 14 earned runs in 14 innings,
an ERA of 9.00. He has a win, two losses, and three blown saves. He was supposed
to be the stabilizer. Instead, he has fostered more doubt than anyone on the
roster, including J.D. Drew, over whose head Adams's tie-breaking double flew.
All season
long, the Sox have dominated in the late innings. But Hideki Okajima and
Papelbon couldn't hold a five-run lead Friday night against the Yankees, and
Curt Schilling couldn't preserve a tie game Sunday night in another loss to the
Bombers. After losing last night in a game in which Jon Lester went 6 2/3
innings to give the Sox a 2-1 lead over A.J. Burnett, the Sox are now 79-6 in
games they led after seven.
Lester, who
gave up a run in the first when leadoff man Vernon Wells walked and Alex Rios
doubled him home, left the bases loaded in the inning when he struck out Gregg
Zaun. Lester was given a 2-1 lead in the fifth when Dustin Pedroia singled off
the glove of second baseman Aaron Hill and came home on a double by David Ortiz,
who had whiffed in his previous four at-bats and five of his last six.
Manny
Delcarmen retired Wells on a liner to center with a runner aboard in the seventh
on the last of Lester's four walks, before handing the game over to Gagne, the
native of Canada pitching in his home country. The first two outs came easily.
Reed Johnson tried to bunt his way on, but Gagne hustled over to first to take
Eric Hinske's flip. Rios hit a soft liner to short for the second out.
But then
Gagne went 3-and-0 to Thomas, who had hit three home runs the night before, a
couple pitches borderline. Gagne threw a strike, then walked him. He went
2-and-0 to Hill, then gave up a ground single to left. He got ahead of fellow
Canadian Matt Stairs, 0-and-2, then missed with his next four pitches, the last
a full-count changeup, one of the few he mixed in while pumping fastballs, that
wasn't close. Pitching coach John Farrell came to the mound. Gagne's first three
pitches to Zaun were wide. He threw one strike, missed again, and the score was
tied. The count was 2-and-2 when Adams untied it, belting a drive over Drew. The
inning ended only because Pedroia's relay cut down Zaun at the plate.
Julio Lugo
homered with two outs in the ninth off Burnett, who departed with 11 strikeouts.
The final out belonged to Scott Downs, who caught Jacoby Ellsbury looking at a
curveball.
Manny
Ramirez missed his 20th straight game with a strained left oblique, with rookie
Brandon Moss playing left field last night against the Blue Jays. The Sox were
without three regulars: Kevin Youkilis (wrist), Coco Crisp (back), and Ramirez.
