|
A SEASON IN THE DRINK
(CHICKEN & BEER) ...
The Cubs take a
beating
May 20, 2011 ...
Adrian Gonzalez had four hits and drove in four more runs as the Red
Sox welcomed the Cubs back to Fenway Park with a 15-5 thrashing. It
was the seventh straight victory for the 24-20 Sox, their longest
streak since late in the 2009 season, and moved them into second
place in the American League East. They are a half-game behind the
Rays and a half-game ahead of the Yankees. The Sox are 22-10 since
their bad start with victories in 10 of their last 12 games.
Gonzalez is
up to .326 with 41 RBIs. Kevin Youkilis continued his progress with three hits
and three RBIs. He is up to .271 thanks to an eight-game hitting streak that has
included 11 RBIs and six extra-base hits. Jacoby Ellsbury had three hits, two
RBIs, and scored twice. Dustin Pedroia was on base four times and scored three
runs. With the exception of Mike Cameron, every Red Sox starter had at least one
hit. Jed Lowrie was the only starter not to score, but had two hits and an RBI.
The 15 runs were a season high as were the 19 hits, eight of which were for
extra bases. The Cubs committed four errors.
It had been
93 years since Chicago played at Fenway, that coming in the 1918 World Series.
It may be that long before the Cubs want to come back if last night was any
indication how the weekend will proceed.
The park was
loaded with Chicago fans, too, their blue jerseys, hats, and jackets
intermingling with the usual red in the stands. Their chants of "Let's Go
Cubbies" was loud in the first inning but faded as the Sox piled on.
Jon Lester
(6-1) was a largely undeserving winner, giving up five runs on 12 hits over six
innings. Scott Atchison pitched three hitless innings of relief for his first
career save. Lester continued what has been a tough stretch. He needed 104
pitches to get through six innings and put at least two runners on in each
frame. He finished with two walks, a hit batter, and five strikeouts. Lester has
thrown 17 1/3 innings in his last three starts, giving up 14 earned runs on 24
hits and 11 walks. His ERA has risen from 2.33 to 3.68. But he has won two of
those games. Lester insisted that he is fine physically, an assertion backed up
by his consistent velocity. To Lester's credit, he limited damage effectively.
Although he put 15 runners on base, the Cubs were 4 for 14 with runners in
scoring position against him and stranded nine.
Cubs starter
Doug Davis, a 35-year-old lefthander, threw as slowly as he worked. Thankfully,
for those in attendance hoping to arrive home at a reasonable hour, Davis (0-2)
was done after 3 2/3 innings. The Sox scored twice in the first inning, twice
more in the third, and four times in the fourth inning. Gonzalez had a two-run
single in the fourth followed by Youkilis belting his eighth home run, a ball
headed in the general direction of Kenmore Square. Jarrod Saltalamacchia added
to the carnage in the fifth inning, belting his second home run (and second in
his last three games) off the billboard above the Monster Seats in left-center.
When the
ball bounced back into the seats, Cubs president Crane Kenney ended up with the
ball and handed it to a youngster. So his night wasn't a total loss. |
