Your Orioles & Red Sox Recap with Stephanie
That’s right Red Sox fans you get me for your fun filled recap of the Red Sox Orioles game on this fine afternoon. Let’s get down to business shall we?
Mike Aviles opens us up with Arrieta pitching for the Orioles. Aviles breaks his bat and is safe at first. Pedroia pops it up and that’s first out. Big Papi is up and he strikes out. Adrian Gonzalez is up and he can’t get to first in time and that’s three outs.
Bottom of the first and Daniel Bard is pitching in what is his ninth start. Shoppach is catching. Avery bunts Bard who cannot get to it in time and makes a desperate throw to first, it missed, Avery is safe and is working on stealing second. Andino hits one right down the middle and Avery moves to second making it two on with zero outs. Markakis flies out but wisely tagging Avery makes it to third and Andino makes it to second. One out. Bard walks the next guy (SIGH) and the bases are loaded. Chris Davis hits a sac fly scoring Avery despite a close play from Shoppach. It is now 1-0 with 2 on base and 2 outs. Third out is a ball to right field, on to the second.
Top of the second we are still with Arrieta and Youk is up and gets a base hit. Middlebrooks is up and gets a base hit and Youk moves to third so it’s first and third and no one is out. Nava is up, who eventually walks and the bases are loaded. Youk scores on a ground ball double play by Scott Podsednik, two outs with a man on third. Shoppach is up and he is walked. One on first one on third and tied 1-1. Mike Aviles is up and let’s do some work! And it’s an out, never mind.
Bottom of the second with Bard still pitching and Johnson gets a homerun off him to make it 2-1. Bard throws a couple wild pitches and ALLEGEDLY hits Flarehty and he walks to first. (Really Ump?) The defense is looking terrible. We cannot seem to get a double play to save our life and Avery just stole second. He tries for third and Middlebrooks stops him.
Top of the third with Arietta and its Pedroia up. He gets a base hit and its Big Papi up next. Ortiz out at first Pedroia at second. Gonzalez ground balls and out at first Pedroia moves on to third. Two out and Youk is trying to make it happen gets to first base and it is up to Middlebrooks again. And it’s a good hit, Pedroia makes it and Youk is on his way in and…tagged out. Don’t be sad Youk tried hard, he just didn’t see the coach waving him in on time. Game is tied 2-2 as we head to the bottom.
What will Bard do this time, maybe strike some people out? We have a boss double play and two outs come super quick. And Jones makes his hitting streak now a 15 gamer. Then he gets caught stealing by Pedroia and that is three outs. On to the fourth.
Nava gets a base hit and its three easy outs to take us to the bottom of the fourth.
Bottom of the fourth, Bard still with no strikeouts walks another guy, wait make that two guys, and its time for a talk. I would like to point out here that Kelly Shoppach is being a fantastic catcher. And they have one on first and one on third with two outs. And a soft toss to first gets the last guy out.
In the top of the 5th in case you missed it Pedroia was out at first as was Big Papi and Adrian Gonzalez. I don’t want to assume everyone watched Boston’s feed but that replay of Pedroia’s broken bat was wicked cool. I have no idea why broken bats fascinate me but…on we move to the bottom of the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth Bard had walked four and had struck out no one throwing 40-40. And there is a strikeout and that moves next to a double play and some good looking defense. Bard, did you just wake up?!
Top of the sixth Youk gets retired pretty quick and we move on to Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks hits his leg off a foul ball. Arrieta still pitching shakes off his catcher and throws (forgive me) one of the prettiest strikes I have ever seen in my life and Middlebrooks is out. Up next is Nava and it is a homerun!! And the Red Sox are on top. Posednik gets to first base and considers stealing and for a few minutes Arrieta plays catch with the first base men. This does not sit well with the manager and it seems he is out relieving Arrieta who literally looks like he might cry. We now get Ayala and Shoppach says welcome to the game by hitting a two run homer off him and Mike Aviles gets the third out and on to the bottom sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth Bard is still pitching but maybe looking a little bit tired. Wait…what is this? Did Bobby Valentine read My Bloody Valentine? Is he actually pulling Bard before it’s too late? Miller comes in and walks the first batter and the second homers and the game is now 4-5. Top of the seventh Pedroia and Ortiz get picked off fairly easy Gonzales gets to first. It is up to Youkillis. He gets on base Gonzales gets to second for two two out and it is Middlebrooks to the rescue, or out.
Bottom of the seventh with Hill pitching, he has 2 outs in 8 pitches and Valentine is coming out to…remove him? Padilla comes in and what just happened? Three outs and we go to the 8th.
Top of the eighth and Pasednik gets his first homerun in a Red Sox uniform, the crowd goes wild. Well, by crowd I mean me at home. Red Sox up 4-6.
I have nothing to say about the bottom of the 8th other then I am not a fan of Padilla and was very happy to see Aceves come out to save. I wish I could report something else about this inning bt watching Padilla infuriated me. I apologise.
Top of the ninth and Patton takes down Ortiz, Gonzales, and Westbrook in a 1,2,3 fashion.
Bottom of the ninth and it’s Aceves going for the save and he gets it. Good game everyone high fives all around.