Series Wrap-up: Red Sox @ Orioles
It was a tale of two teams heading in opposite directions. The Red Sox had won 5 in a row and the Orioles had lost 3 in a row and 8 of 10. So when Boston opened up a 3 game set against the Orioles it was all set up for an easy series win for the Red Sox. But that’s why the play the games.
The Red Sox were rolling right out of California and right into Maryland. However they were quickly stopped rolling when they ran into Orioles starting pitcher Zach Britton. The Sox could only muster 5 hits and 1 run over 6 innings against Britton, who then turned it over to the bullpen and they were lights out for the final 3 innings, closing out a 4-1 Orioles win. Clay Buchholz got the start for Boston and again he was just a bit off. Buchholz gave up a career high 12 hits over 6.2 innings giving up all 4 Orioles runs, all earned. He did strike out 5 batters which is a season high for the righty who won 17 games a year ago. The Red Sox had their chances to get back in the game as they left 8 runners on base, Adrian Gonzalez himself stranded 4 on the base paths. It was far too many and it was signs of what the Red Sox were doing earlier in the year.
Ok, so the Sox dropped the opener, but with Josh Beckett going in game two it’s a recipe for a win…..wrong again. Beckett was good for 5 of his 6 innings of work, but in the 4th he gave up a 3 run home run Luke Scott. Adam Jones would hit a solo bomb in the 5th, but aside from those two long balls Beckett was steady for the most part. He was on the hook for the loss before Kevin Youkilis tied the game in 8th with his own 3 run home run to left, which capped off a 4 run 8th inning. But the glory was short lived when Daniel Bard struggled in the home half of the inning, giving up 3 hits and eventually the winning run, although it was unearned. Again the story for the Sox offense was the number of runners they left on base. This night it was 7 and could have been more had Youk not come through.
Ok, so they’ve dropped the first two games. Now Jon Lester’s turn to start for Boston and he’s never lost to Baltimore. It’s a sure bet for a Red Sox win right? YES. Lester continued his dominance over the Orioles as he picked up his 3rd win of the season, going 8 strong while only giving up 4 hits and 2 earned runs. He walked 3 and struck out 5 and sees his ERA continue to head south and is now at 2.52. The offense would come through on this night as they were able to put up 6 runs on 13 hits. That’s all fine and dandy, but what perhaps it is worth noting that on this night they left 9 men stranded on base. Had Lester not been so brilliant this fact would easily be the scapegoat. But the Red Sox won, so all is calm in Red Sox Nation.
Series Monstah’
After finding his way back to the lead off role, Jacoby Ellsbury is finding his groove that he had back in Spring Training. Over the 3 game series in Baltimore, Ellsbury went 7 for 14 at the plate, including back to back 3 hit games. He’s seen his average climb from below .200 to .264 over the course of the road trip and he appears to be getting quite comfortable leading off.
The Last Word:
It was difficult to watch the first two games of this series. It was very similar to the start of the year when the Red Sox couldn’t get those key hits when they needed them and couldn’t get much going against the opposing starters. There were flashes of brilliance, ie: Youkilis capping an 8th inning rally, something that’s been missing all year, and the starting pitching was decent enough to win. In the finale, Lester once again cemented his status as the ace of this staff and he helped salvage one win in this series. The team appears to be coming around both at the plate and emotionally. They’ve shown signs of being able to rally late while put up some runs when they had a great opportunity. I think it’s safe to say despite dropping 2 of 3, the Red Sox are getting things going and will be over .500 real soon.
On Deck:
After a 9 game road trip that saw the Red Sox go 6-3, they now return home to kick off an 11 game home stand. The first to occupy the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park is the Seattle Mariners as they open up a 3 game series starting Friday. For more on this series, look for my post Series Snapshot: Seattle Mariners.
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