Tight Game Gets Away From Sox, Tigers Win 7-3
What a sparkling night in Boston for a baseball game. The shots in and around Fenway made me homesick for New England. Crisp, not a percentage of humidity to be found. Play ball!
The Red Sox went into last night’s game riding a three game win streak and, although being in last place, were all of 2.5 games behind first place Baltimore and Tampa Bay in the knotted up AL East.
After the blowback and eventual blow over from Golfgate – well for some maybe – Josh Beckett was also riding a three-game win streak. In the early innings it looked like the pre-Golfgate ineffective Beckett was the one that showed up. He gave up a few hits and got into a jam in the second but Ryan Sweeney bailed him out on a sweet catch and gun out double play at the plate to end the inning.
Boston converted that momentum into a two-run second inning when Jarrod Saltalamacchia went yard, Sweeney singled and Scott Podsednik doubled him home.
"Last night, however, was ultimately the story of high-wire acts. Beckett gave up the lead in a three-run Tiger third and would remain perched on the razor’s edge all night, getting into and out of scrapes while giving up a season-high 10 hits."
Even as he pulled rabbits out of his hat (or perhaps another orifice) most of the evening, Beckett was touched up for another run in the fifth as Detroit pushed ahead 4-3.
Both pitchers tired as their respective pitch counts piled up. Boston wore out Tigers starter Matt Scherzer (six innings, 117 pitches) but never had enough in the tank to tie the game. Boston was 1-7 with runners in scoring position. When Beckett left after seven complete innings and 102 pitches it was left up to Tiger reliever Phil Coke and the Sox Franklin Morales. Coke did his job. Morales didn’t.
In the eighth after a Detroit homer by Delmon Young to put the Tigers up 5-3 and two walks it was clear Morales didn’t have it. Bobby Valentine was justifiably quick with the hook, opting for righty Matt Albers. Albers shut down the Tigers to keep Boston in the game. My kingdom for some offense! But alas, there was none to be found. Well, unless you were a Detroit fan.
The Sox were shut down the rest of the way and Rich Hill gave up two more in the ninth inning as Detroit bagged the third and final game of the set. With the loss Boston let an opportunity to move up on every other idle team in the AL East slip away.
All I want is ecstacy
But I aint getting much
Just getting off on misery
It seems I’ve lost my touch
– Slipping Away, The Rolling Stones