Baserunning Mistakes Cost Red Sox In 5-2 Loss
By Conor Duffy
It is getting harder and harder to believe that the John Lackey we are seeing this year is the same John Lackey that was the worst pitcher in baseball in 2011. Today, he was dominant again against the Yankees; unfortunately, some costly offensive mistakes and poor relief pitching were enough to cost the Red Sox the win.
Jul 20, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; New York Yankees second baseman
Robinson Cano(24) tags out Boston Red Sox right fielder
Daniel Nava(29) during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
The most telling story from today’s game was the multitude of baserunning errors committed by both sides, but especially by the Red Sox. It started in the first inning when, with Daniel Nava on second, David Ortiz singled to left. Nava tripped rounding third base, but kept going and was easily thrown out at home by left fielder Vernon Wells. The next error came in the fifth inning when Mike Carp tried to score on a wild pitch, but was thrown out by catcher Chris Stewart. The final, and most infuriating error came when Daniel Nava was doubled off as he tried to tag up and advance on a popup behind the plate.
With all those mistakes considered, it’s easy to why John Lackey walked away from today’s game with a loss. Lackey was dominant for the first six innings, allowing just a run while striking out seven batters. However, he struggled in the seventh inning and allowed a couple of runners to reach base with one out.
He was replaced by Matt Thornton, who worked one out but then allowed both runs to score on singles by Robinson Cano and Lyle Overbay. Pedro Beato allowed one more run to cross the plate in the ninth inning, but paved the way for Drake Britton to make his first major league appearance. Britton looked good as he allowed one inherited runner to score on a sac fly, but allowed no more runners to reach base.
The Red Sox got their pair of runs on a sac fly by Jonny Gomes and a wild pitch, both coming in the seventh inning. However, by then it was too late to catch the Yankees in a frustrating and disappointing game.