Sox Rookie Starter loses no-hit bid, Sox lose game, 3-2 in 11

Sox rookie Brandon Workman [24] made his first start in The Show vs. “El GordoViejo,” Bartolo Colon [40], who was appearing in his 400^th game; the Red Sox rookie out-pitched Colon, but lost his bid for a ho-hitter in the 7^th and the Sox lost the game 3-2 in the 11th, when new addition, lefty reliever, Matt Thornton, gave up the losing run.

Workman’s bid to be the 4^thpitcher in MLB history to spin a no-hitter in his first start ended, when Coco Crisp hit a sharp grounder near Pedroia, who knocked it down, but was unable to throw it to 1b in time to beat the speedy Crisp.

Jul 14, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brandon Workman (67) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

In a matter of moments, Workman also lost his shutout, when Josh Donaldson homered (16) into the center field batters’ background to tie the game at 2.

“Obviously I knew what was going on, but it wasn’t something I was worried about,” Workman said, “I wanted to go deep into the game, try to pitch as long as I could. Not giving up any hits was great for the while it lasted.”

[Bumpus Jones of the Cincinnati Reds is the only pitcher to have thrown a no hitter in his first MLB game. The date was October 15, 1892 and he no hit the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning 7-1. Jones pitched seven more games in the 1893 season and then was out of baseball for good. There have been two other pitchers that have thrown no hitters in their first MLB start.*]

Lefty Craig Breslow closed out the inning for the Sox.

Bested by rookie Workman, El Viejo Colon threw 107 pitches [strikes] and was tagged for 8 hits and 2 runs and was replaced in the top of the 7th by Sean Doolittle.

The A’s bid to break the scoreless deadlock in the 4th was stifled by a Strike-em-out/Throw-em-out DP with the K to Donaldson, a strong one-hop peg by Lavarnway and a nifty snap tag by Pedroia nailed runner John Jaso ended the A’s 4^th inning.

The Sox scored the game’s first run in the 6^th when…

· Jose Iglesias grounded out, shortstop Jed Lowrie to first baseman Brandon Moss.

· Jacoby Ellsbury singled on a line drive to left fielder Yoenis Cespedes.

· Daniel Nava singled on a line drive to right fielder Josh Reddick, moving Jacoby Ellsbury to 3rd.

· Dustin Pedroia singled on a line drive to left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, scoring Jacoby Ellsbury, advancing Daniel Nava to 2nd.

· David Ortiz skied out to left fielder Yoenis Cespedes.

· Jonny Gomes was called out on strikes.

The Sox scored their second run of the game in the 7th when…

· Mike Carp doubled (12) on a line drive to center fielder Coco Crisp.

· Ryan Lavarnway grounded out, shortstop Jed Lowrie to first baseman Brandon Moss. Moving Mike Carp to 3rd.

· Brock Holt singled to left and Mike Carp scored.

· Pitching Change: Sean Doolittle replaces Bartolo Colon.

· Jose Iglesias flew out to right fielder Josh Reddick.

· With Jacoby Ellsbury batting, Brock Holt stole (1) 2nd base.

· Jacoby Ellsbury poppped out to third baseman Josh Donaldson in foul territory for third out.

In the heart-breaking bottom of the 7^th, the A’s ruined rookie Workman’s no-hit bid…

· Coco Crisp singled on a ground ball to second baseman Dustin Pedroia spoiling the no-no.

· John Jaso popped out to shortstop Jose Iglesias.

· Josh Donaldson ended the shutout, homering (16) to left center field, scoring Crisp.

· Pitching Change: Craig Breslow replaces Brandon Workman.

· Coaching visit to mound.

· Jed Lowrie grounded out, pitcher Craig Breslow to first baseman Mike Carp.

· Yoenis Cespedes walked.

· Josh Reddick struck out swinging.

With the score knotted at 2, All-Star closer, Grant Balfour, fanned the side in the top of the 9^th; Uehara matched him in the A’s half of the inning, setting Oakland down 1-2-3 and got one out before being replaced by Thornto in the 11th.

Cook, [W, 2-2] replaced Balfour and shut out the Sox in the 10th and 11th innings.

IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
2.0	1	0	0	2	2

Thornton made his first appearance for his new team surrendered the losing runL

Chris Young walked.
2.Eric Sogard out on a sacrifice bunt, first baseman Mike Napoli to second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Chris Young to 2nd.
Coco Crisp grounded out, third baseman Brock Holt to first baseman Mike Napoli.
Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Derek Norris replaces John Jaso.
Derek Norris walked.
Josh Donaldson singles on a soft line drive to right fielder Daniel Nava. Chris Young scores winning run.

Thornton [0-4] line:

IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
0.2	1	1	1	2	0

“You walk guys like that, you’re in trouble from the get-go,” Thornton said. “Walking the leadoff batter is my main goal of what not to do. Made a good pitch there to Josh, but the hit doesn’t matter if I don’t walk guys. Walking guys late in the game is going to kill you every time.”Athletics 3, Red Sox 2

H 5 9

E 0 1

And now, the Good News:

The Sox enter the All-Star break leading MLB in wins [58] and two games ahead of 2nd place Tampa Bay in the AL East.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

* Bobo Holloman of the 1953 St. Louis Browns threw a no hitter in his first major league start on May 6, 1953 against the Philadelphia Athletics, winning 6-0. Holloman made his MLB debut in relief earlier on April 18 of 1953 and had pitched four games in relief before pitching his no hitter. Holloman also went 2 for 3 with a sacrifice bunt and 3 RBIs in the game. Holloman’s only season in MLB was 1953.

Ted Breitenstein of the St. Louis Browns of the American Association threw a no hitter in his first start on October 4, 1891 against the Louisville Colonels. He had pitched 19 innings in relief before getting his first start. Breitenstein pitched for 11 years in MLB and threw four no hitters.

Q: Which two MLB pitchers are older than Colon?

HINT: One in the NL is 41; the one in the AL is 43.

A: Jose Contreras [Pirates], Mariano Rivera [Yankees]

SOX FEATS:

* Sox high-scoring offense batted only .208 (22-for-106) in the three-game Oakland series.

* Tied with Texas for best road record in AL, 27-22.

* Lead MLB in day-game wins.

* Workman-like performance

Farrell’s comments about Workman prior to today’s game:

“We know he’s going to throw strikes, that’s the one thing he’s proven over his Minor League career,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said of Workman. “He’s been a good strike thrower, and this is a team that forces you to throw strikes against them. We’re looking forward to seeing him in the starter’s role.”

Workman, who is Boston’s No. 13 prospect, but considered by the Sox as the most-ready for prime time, made his Major League debut on Wednesday, when he tossed the final two innings of a blowout victory against the Mariners. The right-hander surrendered three runs on four hits in his first frame before bouncing back to spin a perfect second inning. He tallied four strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter.

“Hopefully he takes the second of inning of work the other night in Seattle to the mound [Sunday],” Farrell said. “He’s going to be back into his normal routine having started many games in his pro career. I’m sure there was a lot of adrenaline the other night coming in after the game was already underway. He was much more under control that second inning of work, particularly that balanced strike zone with all of his pitches.”

The organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year last year, Workman compiled an 8-2 record and 3.21 ERA in 17 outings (16 starts) split between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket this season.

* Colon got off the hook for a decision in the 7^th is headed to his third All-Star Game this week, is 12-3 with a 2.69 ERA in his previous 18 outings this season. It’s his highest win total since he totaled 21 victories in 2005, when he won the American League Cy Young Award with the Angels.

“I’ve never had a year like this,” Colon said. “I believe this year is my best year. It was always in my thoughts, but I never imagined having the kind of numbers that I do right now before the All-Star break.”

Entering the game, Oakland starter, Colon had logged 2513.2 innings, facing 10,633 batters; Red Sox rookie Workman had logged 2 innings and faced 10 batters.

* With the win, the A’s head into the All-Star break in first place in the American League West with a 56-39 record, tying an A’s record for wins before the break, also accomplished by the 1971, ’72 and ’73 clubs.

• Matt Thornton was thrilled to join the AL East-leading Red Sox, who acquired him from the White Sox on Friday night. The southpaw went 0-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 40 appearances with Chicago.

“They’re a first-place team,” Thornton said. “It’s all about winning in this game. That’s why I prepare the way I do in the offseason, to win ballgames.”

• Red Sox reliever — and former A’s closer — Andrew Bailey has tossed four scoreless outings in July after posting a 10.13 ERA in June.

On Baseball Season Solstice Day, “El Viejo,” The Old One, faced a Rookie; Bartolo Colon [40], appearing in his 400^th game, faced Brandon Workman [24] making his first start in The Show; the Red Sox rookie matched zeros with Colon for 5 innings, until Bartolo blinked and surrendered a run in the 6^th and 7^th innings, but Workman, who had a no-hitter through 6 innings, suddenly lost his bid, his shutout, and his chance for a W in the home half of the 7^th and the Red Sox

Workman’s bid to be the 4^th pitcher in MLB history to spin a no-hitter in his first start ended, when Coco Crisp hit a sharp grounder near Pedroia, who knocked it down, but was unable to throw it to 1b in time to beat the speedy Crisp.

In a matter of moments, Workman also lost his shutout, when Josh Donaldson homered (16) into the center field batters’ background to tie the game at 2.

Bumpus Jones of the Cincinnati Reds is the only pitcher to have thrown a no hitter in his first MLB game. The date was October 15, 1892 and he no hit the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning 7-1. Jones pitched seven more games in the 1893 season and then was out of baseball for good.

There have been two other pitchers that have thrown no hitters in their first MLB start.*

Lefty Craig Breslow closed out the inning for the Sox.

El Viejo threw 107 pitches [strikes] and was tagged for 8 hits in was replaced by Sean Doolittle, who had coughed up the winning runs in the 4-2 loss in game 1 of the series on Friday night in the 7^th.

The Sox scored the game’s first run in the 6^th when…

· Jose Iglesias grounded out, shortstop Jed Lowrie to first baseman Brandon Moss.

· Jacoby Ellsbury singled on a line drive to left fielder Yoenis Cespedes.

· Daniel Nava singled on a line drive to right fielder Josh Reddick, moving Jacoby Ellsbury to 3rd.

· Dustin Pedroia singled on a line drive to left fielder Yoenis Cespedes, scoring Jacoby Ellsbury, advancing Daniel Nava to 2nd.

· David Ortiz skied out to left fielder Yoenis Cespedes.

· Jonny Gomes was called out on strikes.

The Sox scored their second run of the game in the 7th when…

· Mike Carp doubled (12) on a line drive to center fielder Coco Crisp.

· Ryan Lavarnway grounded out, shortstop Jed Lowrie to first baseman Brandon Moss. Moving Mike Carp to 3rd.

· Brock Holt singled to left and Mike Carp scored.

· Pitching Change: Sean Doolittle replaces Bartolo Colon.

· Jose Iglesias flew out to right fielder Josh Reddick.

· With Jacoby Ellsbury batting, Brock Holt stole (1) 2nd base.

· Jacoby Ellsbury poppped out to third baseman Josh Donaldson in foul territory for third out.

In the heart-breaking bottom of the 7^th, the A’s ruined rookie Workman’s no-hit bid…

· Coco Crisp singled on a ground ball to second baseman Dustin Pedroia spoiling the no-no.

· John Jaso popped out to shortstop Jose Iglesias.

· Josh Donaldson ended the shutout, homering (16) to left center field, scoring Crisp.

· Pitching Change: Craig Breslow replaces Brandon Workman.

· Coaching visit to mound.

· Jed Lowrie grounded out, pitcher Craig Breslow to first baseman Mike Carp.

· Yoenis Cespedes walked.

· Josh Reddick struck out swinging.

All-Star closer, Grant Balfour, fanned in the top of the 9^th.

Lead MLB in wins [58]

Best road record in AL, 28-22.

The Red Sox lead MLB in day-game wins.

Strike-em-out/Throw-em-out DP with the K to , a strong one-hop peg by Lavarnway and a nifty snap tag by Pedroia nailed runner John Jaso ended the A’s 4^th inning.

Q: Which two MLB pitchers are older than Colon?

HINT: One in the NL is 41; the one in the AL is 43.

A: Jose Contreras [Pirates], Mariano Rivera [Yankees]

Forty-year-old Bartolo Colon will make his 394th career start on Sunday.

Workman, Boston’s second-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, will face the A’s in Sunday’s affair in Oakland, the conclusion to the season’s first half.

Colon got off the hook for a decision in the 7^th is headed to his third All-Star Game this week, is 12-3 with a 2.69 ERA in his previous 18 outings this season. It’s his highest win total since he totaled 21 victories in 2005, when he won the American League Cy Young Award with the Angels.

Entering the game, Oakland starter, Colon had logged 2513.2 innings, facing 10,633 batters; Red Sox rookie Workman had logged 2 innings and faced 10 batters.

Red Sox: Thornton happy with his new club
• Matt Thornton was thrilled to join the AL East-leading Red Sox, who acquired him from the White Sox on Friday night. The southpaw went 0-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 40 appearances with Chicago.

“They’re a first-place team,” Thornton said. “It’s all about winning in this game. That’s why I prepare the way I do in the offseason, to win ballgames.”

Worth noting
• With a win Sunday, Boston would capture its 20th series victory of the season, which would match the club’s total from the 2012 campaign.

• Red Sox reliever — and former A’s closer — Andrew Bailey has tossed four scoreless outings in July after posting a 10.13 ERA in June.

Although the A’s have the lowest walk rate in the MLB their pitching staff is #25 or 30 in strikeout rate.

K%-BB% is the best predictor of future ERA. Here are the league standings of K%-BB%:

Team

BB%

K%-BB%

Tigers

24.50%

7.30%

17.20%

Cardinals

21.10%

6.50%

14.60%

Reds

21.90%

7.40%

14.50%

Yankees

21.00%

6.70%

14.30%

Mariners

20.70%

6.80%

13.90%

Rangers

21.40%

7.80%

13.60%

Rays

21.90%

8.30%

13.60%

Nationals

20.00%

6.60%

13.40%

Braves

20.00%

6.80%

13.20%

Red Sox

22.30%

9.20%

13.10%

Giants

21.30%

8.20%

13.10%

White Sox

21.20%

8.30%

12.90%

Dodgers

20.40%

8.30%

12.10%

Diamondbacks

19.60%

7.60%

12.00%

Cubs

19.90%

8.10%

11.80%

Indians

21.40%

9.60%

11.80%

Mets

19.30%

7.60%

11.70%

Pirates

20.40%

8.70%

11.70%

Athletics

18.20%

6.50%

11.70%

Royals

19.50%

8.20%

11.30%

Phillies

18.80%

7.60%

11.20%

Angels

19.30%

8.20%

11.10%

Brewers

18.50%

7.50%

11.00%

Marlins

18.30%

8.10%

10.20%

Orioles

18.00%

7.90%

10.10%

Blue Jays

18.30%

8.30%

10.00%

Rockies

16.90%

7.80%

9.10%

Padres

17.40%

8.50%

8.90%

Twins

15.20%

7.10%

8.10%

Astros

17.10%

9.10%

8.00%

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