Last night was a toughie. Losing 1-0 to Scott Kazmir shouldn’t bother me as much as it did, but it did, and the Sox tonight will try to ride Tim Wakefield’s flutter pitch (1,312 and negative-five against Tampa in his career) to victory and avoid the ignominy of losing three straight to Tampa Bay (they lost the last game of their series on Aug. 22) for just the fourth time ever (twice in 1999, once last year). Thankfully, the rest of the Devil Rays’ staff isn’t Scott Kazmir.
Wakefield, who now has one no-decision this year (thankfully), tries to tie his career high in wins against Red Sox plant Andy Sonnanstine, who has a 7.71 ERA against Boston since Aug. 1, but a 0.00 ERA against the Yankees.
Comment away!
Game’s been delayed 15 minutes, according to the Globe.
Boston
1. Ellsbury LF
2. Pedroia 2B
3. Ortiz DH
4. Lowell 3B
5. Drew RF
6. Youkilis 1B
7. Crisp CF
8. Lugo SS
9. Cash C
Tampa Bay
1. Iwamura 3B
2. Crawford LF
3. Pena 1B
4. Upton CF
5. Young RF
6. Harris 2B
7. Gomes DH
8. Navarro C
9. Wilson SS
Man, I keep feeling like any start now Wakefield is going to just absolutely stink against the Devil Rays to make up for how much he’s handled them in the past (even though I know that’s not how it works statistically!).
I hope this isn’t that start.
Long at bat for Jacoby
Whoa! Jacoby makes it to first on a strike out! Speeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed Demon
So.. is there an out? How does that work?
No out.. until Pedroia gorunds in to a DP. Gona be one of thos enights.
Nah, no out, though I think Sonnanstine gets credit for a K.
Two outs as DP hits into a DP.
Even I can’t be optimistic with Drew up, 2 down, and RISP.
Papi walks, Lowells singles.
Here’s Drew to end the inning.
I mean…utterly predictable.
That was a meatball. Right down the middle.
AND HE LOOKED AT IT!
I’m gonna vomit.
Well, I think it was more over the outside corner, but the point is…f*** you, Drew.
Man. If he wants ot make up for this season he’s gonn ahve to hit 60 homers next year.
ANd wake was looking so good too… I’m gonna go watch House.
Oh Jesus. 2-0 Rays. Man on 1st, one out.
Yeah, I’ve gotten better as the season goes on at just leaving games behind (for an hour or so) if they’re looking bad. I don’t wanna just be mad for no reason.
Heh…2nd and 3rd, one out. So long, game. Maybe I’ll check on you in awhile.
Aaaand another double, 2nd and 3rd, just one out.
The Rays seem to have finally solved Wakes.
Could Theo have volunteered to play this one at the Trop? ;^0
Another hit, 3-0 Rays.
The Orc hustles out to warm up, whispering to himself “Ooo! Oo! Here’s my big chance!”
Sox try for a double play, don’t get the guy at first, run scores, 4-zip.
Any update on Manny?
So glad to have been labeled a chicken little instead of Nostradamus.
This team is a sad joke right now.
i have noticed that the comments on the game threads really drop off when a team is getting spanked…
Lugo could hit a dinger here and we’d be right back in it!
Come on, Cash, justify yourself.
Yes! Single makes it 8-4.
that’ll work
should the Sox pull closer, might we see Buchholz?
Ells walks. Tying run is at the plate.
Pedroia sacs Lugo home, now 2/3 with two down. A baseknock here would be enormous.
This is ugly baseball.
Ortiz flies out on the first pitch. Nice approach.
Ortizille flies out to end the inning. 1st pitch fly to right.
I’m not even attempting a jinx here, but I have no confidence that Tampa Bay will be the victors at the end of this game. None.
Thanks, Nick. Go away now.
SF, you here anything on when Manny is returning?
Ugh, I ducked out and just listened on the radio… The Sox teased me back with a big inning, but as soon as I log back in Snyder and Lopez combine for yet another Tampa run, 9-5.
Lopez gives up a double to Iwamura…another run scores. 9-5
The tease resumes as the Sox leadoff with two singles (Mike & J.D.), Youks batting.
YOU’RE IN FIRST PLACE!
If only the Sox paniced like Sox fans.
Youks walks, bags loaded, tie game one swing away.
Flyout by Coco gets a run home, 9-6.
Lugo double! 9-7, runners on 2nd and 3rd, one out, Cash to bat… Tek PH?
Lugo! 9-7.
I guess this is why I keep watching…
Cash sac flies to right in foul ground, Youks gets home, 9-8.
Dammit Tampa, hold on.
Sigh. That’s alright, as long as the Yanks keep it up, I guess I can’t complain too much.
just a single here, or a wild pitch…
Yankees are up 8-2 on KC in the 7th… The Sox *cannot* let this one go.
(And yeah, we *are* Sox fans, first place and a 5-game lead means nothing, even at this stage of the season.)
make that two wild pitches.
Lugo on 2nd, 2 outs, new pitcher, Ellsbury batting.
And he grounds out, first pitch swinging, against a guy with a 9.00 ERA. Phooey.
But we’re much better off and this game is far from over.
sheesh
why not MDC here? Corey again? Or Clay?
I don’t get this.
Hudson, I feel the same way- this lead is looking all too precious these days. If we get swept by the DRays and the Yankees sweep the Blue Jays, we’re looking at a 2.5 game lead going into the weekend series and that’s scary.
why corey again, is what I mean.
What I want to know is why we arent giving Clay the start against the Yankees and skippign Daisuke for a turn. He claerly needs the rest.
Endless at bat by Upton… And Corey finally gets the K! Nice.
Young tries the opposite approach, swings at the first pitch and GIDPs. Even nicer.
Time to get a lead in the bottom of the 6th…
that’s why! Scoreless inning, holy shit!
Good question, Dionysus. I’m thinking the same thing.
I, too, would like to see a lot more of Clay. The kid can throw 6-7 innings, this short leash stuff is what I most dislike about baseball today — treating pitchers as if they were made of crystal.
This game is winnable, only because my binky Ellsbury is in it. 11 game htting streak, baby. Three homeruns!
Heart of the order comin’ up.
DUSTIN! SOLO SHOT TIES IT UP!
[I AM EXCITED, CAN YOU TELL??!?]
Dustin!!!! All square!!!
Tied! SWEET!
By the way.. aren’t we all glad wehavent traded Jacoby?
The only thing I’d give him up for would be as part of a Johan Santana package.
ROY ROY ROY ROY!
Sometime in the 4th inning, the Sox woke up from their slumbers and said, “What? We’re playing the Devil Rays? What the f— is this?”
And Ortiz singles.
I kept watching, and look what happened. What a game.
at first i thought the sox were laying down for tb, but now i think tb is laying down for the sox… ;)
Seriously. The following things MUST happen or there will be murderation.
1. Coco Crisp MUST win a Gold Glove
2. Dustin Pedroia MUST be the Rookie of the Year
3. Youkilis MUST win a Gold Glove.
Tampa definitely has legit position players, it’s their pitching staff that sucks- minus Kazmir of course.
Its a shame they wont keep Kazmir. They need to keep him and build around him.. but the Yankees are gonan get him at some point.
Lowell single, 1st and 2nd, no outs… For J.D.
LOWELL! looooong single! 4 for 4!
Please, JD, reward me for my faith.
this’ll shock the s— out of you, but i agree 100% dio…based on anecdote mostly [i haven’t studied the stats too closely, but i know what these guys have meant to the sox]…the gg is still a mystery to me, and something that many yfsf participants declared “meaningless” and tainted last year, but i think roy is still a big deal, and pedro has to be considered the leading candidate…
Yes, reward him for his faith and punish me for my lack thereof.
1-0, high
2-0, outside
2-1, outside corner.. taking all the way.
3-1, up and away
3-2, fouled back
Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul. Foul (broken bat.. soudned almost fair).
BALL FOUR!
Loaded, no outs!
Drew: … Ball 1… … Ball 2… Called strike, taking… … … … … … … … … Ball 3… … … … … … … … … … … Foul, 3-2… … Foul… … … … … Foul… … suspense killin’ me… … … … … … Foul! … … … FOUL, unreal … … … … … … … … … Foul (wake me when it’s over)… … … … … Ball!
Bases loaded. Nice job by J.D.
Balfour consistently high in the zone.
Youks’ turn.
Dion and I are keeping duelling diaries, you see.
WRKO says that the biggest deficit overcome by the Sox this year was 5 runs (three times).
YOUK
1-0 outside and low for Youk.
TRIPLE!
HOLY FRAKING SHIT!
YOUUUUUK!
YOUKS! TRIPLE! THREE RUNS IN (naturally).
12-9.
I am just starting to enjoy this game…
YEEEEHAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!
Welcome back Youk!
I think I am the only person on Earth who likes JD.
Coco to bat.
Amazingly, there are still no outs in this inning.
Squeeze play? Nah.
Coco!
Then we are the only two.
0-1 Fouled off by the Crisp-man
1-1 lost by the catcher, no advance
1-2 Foul
2-2 another bobble by the catcher, but controlled
SINGLE BY CRISP! NO! DOUBLE, HE STRETCHES IT!
13-9!
Now Coco piles on, legging out a double, 13-9 Sox.
You know, it only just hit me how much it must suck to be a TB fan. Are there any?
C. Pena
Do we see Gagne tonight?
I’m getting out a fountain pen and my best paper to write a thank-you note to the Rays bullpen.
New pitcher for Lugo. Crisp sittign pretty at second.
First pitch deeeep out, Crisp moves to 3rd.
Gagne could give this one back. Get another 4 runs, and maybe it’s worth trying.
Flyout, Cash sacs Crisp over to 3rd.
_One_ out.
I bet so, RAW
Cash up.
First pitch ground out. Coco can’t score.
Come on Jacoby!
Sorry, that was Lugo flying out, not Cash (who got out, too).
I’d like to see one more run plated.
Ellsbury up.
MDC warming.
Everyone in the lineup has a hit now.
Jacoby singles! 14-9.
Ahhhhh.
1-0 Very much outside.
1-1 Fouled back
Hey Its Jacobys 24th birthday today!
2-1, in the dirt
2-2 fouled back
I love you, Jacoby.. no matter what!
3-2, low
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Jacoby singles Crisp in!
ROY batting.
Seriously… havign both Jacoby and Dusitn next year? WOW.
0-1 outside corner for Droid.
0-2, fouled for Dusty.
1-2, pitch out. Pedro batting.
Popup. Oh well. Still.. what an inning.
Popout, inning over.
(Gotta love listening to the Sox on the radio on a cool Maine night, with the steady sound of a lighthouse in the background. Reminds me of being a kid in the 70s.)
Dion, what is your preferred use of Ellsbury next year? Do you think the Sox will shed one of the current outfielders, or use him to spell each of the others regularly?
Sounds nice Hudson. Im sittign drinking a cup of a new tea I bought at renn faire
MDC in.
I’m listening to the rain, farting away from the copious amount of onions I put in the meatloaf tonight. It’s poetry.
If you can get somethign for Coco, you shed him and start Jacoby – since you WONT be able to shed Drew.
If you cant get decent value, you use Jacoby to spell all three outfeilders.
IF by a miracle ou can dump Drew.. well.. HELL YES. I wonde rhow Manny would feel abotu beign moved to right…
K for MDC. 2 outs
Great play by Pedroia.. but fails to get the runner.
He’s even worthy of a GG but I think we’ll see that NEXT year
Ick.. another hit. runners at the corners, two outs.
Delcarmen losing it here after starting strong. Two down, but now two on.
Harris: Lineout, 9
Gomes: K
Navarro: Single, nice try by DPed
Wilson: Single, bleh, Navarro to 3rd
– – –
Noted: The Sox have had 22 baserunners already.
WHY OKI? WHY? LET HIM BE!!
That’s what’s so streaky about MDC. He’s got good stuff and can put people away but just when you think you’re in the clear, that’s when he tends to lose it.
There we go. Inning over.
Iwamura out 4-6. Phew.
I’d rather see Ellsbury learn how to play right than Manny, though I’m not sure how strong JEll’s arm is…
Gold globe shmold glove. That award is devalued.
MSC works it out.
Whoever is singing falsetto in this rendition of God Bless America needs to stop.
Glove, that is. And “MDC” not “MSC”. Damn mobile device and the tiny keyboard!
Memo to Bank of America: that checking ad is getting waay annoying, only marginally less so than 1-800-54-GIANT.
My point is.. if you can put Ellsbury on the feild, you do it. Period.
He’s go tthe makings of a Rookie of the Year. Maybe the next Nomar… if not a greater name.
HOME RUN PAPI!
Tiz fo shiz!
PAPI! 15-9, #29 for Ortiz.
Heh. This is getting ugly.
don’t diss Giant Glass. Ever.
The lead is reaching Gagne-proof proportions. I said “reaching.”
Lowell makes his first out of the ballgame.
SF, I never park in Boston, so I’ll take my chances…
JD!!!!!
My man.
DREEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!!!!!!!
J.D. DREW! Gone. 16-9.
Mercy rule may have to be invoked soon.
Heh.. WKRO “Drew hits it out to left! UPton! We’ve seen a lot of his back tonight!”
I hope there’s some kid in Fenway, up way past bedtime, seeing their first ballgame. This one is memorable.
(Youks doubles. Brutal.)
Youk! Double!
Weeee!
Psh, all Drew does is pad his stats. ;P
BP in full effect.
Crisp gorunds out (robbed by a good play), Youk to 3rd.
Crisp makes the 2nd out, grounder, first pitch swinging, Youks to 3rd.
JLug takes pity and makes the 3rd out, 6-3.
Innign over, but two more runs in.
The Yankees won, btw, 9-2.
Hudson.. please. Stop wiht the first letter of first name-first syllable of last name nicknames. They are WAY overused and incredibly stupid.
Timlin to pitch the 8th.
Quick first out for Mike.
Who are the Yankees?
TIA
K for Timmy!
Ground rule double aqnd a bad track by Coco. Still, he’s spectacular.
Gange IS coming in for the 9th.
Repeat. Gange for the 9th.
Can we get soem insurance here, please?
Arrooooga, Gagne warming, repeat, Gagne warming.
Dion, *as I have posted before*, I use them precisely because I find them so ridiculous.
We have a 7-run lead.. and we see Gagne and we get jumpy. So sad.
Who’s Gange? Is he he better than Gagne?
(i keed, i keed!)
(Close observers — as if — will note that I almost only use the four-letter construction when a Sox player makes an out.)
Bah, stupid typos… *slaps NSTB*
Fans singing Jacoby Happy Birthday. Classic.
Thats fine, Hudson. But even as a joke it makes Zombie Baby Jesus cry
Ellsbury time! YAY! I wodner if its safe to buy and Ellsbury shirt… I dont want him to chnage his number on me.
Lockland, I think its really clear that he’s gonna be a star in this town. Bostons taken to Jacoby in the same way they took to Youk.
Only Jacoby is even BETTER.
Jacoby can beat out routine grounders. That is amazing, another close one.
My personal schema:
First name/fond nickname (“Papi”) when it’s good
Last name when it’s neutral (“Ortiz”)
Four-letters when it’s bad (“DOrt”)
I like Gange better, no stupid accents.
Jacoby grounds out. Poop.
Roy’s up
>>>But even as a joke it makes Zombie Baby Jesus cry
I hate ZBab.
Hudson, seriously.
“The Yankees won, btw, 9-2”
Who are the Yankees? By chance are you a figure skating fan, and they a group of skating demons?
Maybe in the shuffleboard circle?
Possibly water ballet?
Sir, you have really perked my interest here. Do tell, who are the Yankees?
TIA
count me as one happy to get EG back in the fold.
DPed Ks.
(See?)
I think if Dustin is robbed of ROY by some act of true evil, we shoudl all nickname him.. Roy. In Protest. It’d be awesome if it actually spreads.
Roy… Dusty… either way he sounds like a pet dog.
See, Hudson.. I cant see giving him a lesser name for just a strike out. Especially in a game where he has 2 hits and 2 RBIS including the game tying shot.
happy in theory, at least for the moment.
I’ll answer, RAW, if you explain why you are simultaneously flacking for the Telecommunications Industry Association and alerting us to a pending Transient Ischemic Attack.
Oh in general, Im in support of Droid.
Dion, it’s also more (highly obscure) “fun” to use the four-letter abbreviations with other abbreviations.
e.g., “JDre GIDPs.”
Gagne with some seriously odd body english out there, like he has discomfort.
Oh Gagne, how many pitches will it take to get three outs tonight? 20? 30? 92?
Dustin Pedroia is the second coming of Denny Doyle. But better.
holy crap, have any of you checked out the chat rooms now associated with Gameday? Yikes.
leadoff single. Eric is back!
Egad, EGag gives up a leadoff single.
Wow, when did that happen, stuck?
Dunno. Just noticed them yesterday.
Oh, I love riddles!
Are they a plane?
“Attention all passengers! Attention all passengers! All disabled and special seating passengers are now boarding the Yankee flight to nowhere”
flyball to Coco.
Gagne gets a free pass tonight after all this time off.
I don’t think I saw a single conjugated verb when I was in there.
RAW.. please please please.. stop tempting fate. Its dangerous.
Yeah, I noticed that tonight when I was checking ‘other’ scores. I was like, wtf are these little blue thingys? And lo, it was a chatroom.
aaaand gagne gives up a run. Good job, jackass.
That’s it, Raw, you guessed correctly. The Yankees are a plane.
Gagne is picking up right where he left off.
Gagne has me puzzled. How can this guy bow to pressure as he has?
Makes no sense
Here, let me reproduce some of the comments that greeted me in there:
—————————
FartGuy: please join my forums
yomamaiscallin: walked him
coocooface: i hope the red sox win
foredsox16: is any1 here?
—————————
Way to go, MLB! That is some value added right there. Really enhances my Gameday experience.
(Also, Sox win!)
We win!
Anyoen checking out the chat? The way the names.. float.. to the right? Freaks me the hell out.
Game over.
Bryan Corey gets a win.
7 Sox pitchers, 25 Sox baserunners, biggest comeback of the year, runs-wise.
You weren’t FartGuy, by any chance, were you no sleep til brooklyn SF?
:)
OK, which one of you is “FartGuy”? Fess up.
I wish MLB Radio would put the boxscore part of Gameday on the right-hand side, so would only have to keep one window open.
as, if there is one game to cut gagne some slack it is tonight, after two weeks if not pitching.
Big, ugly win. One more to win this series, then YF and I head to Beantown!
ANyone in the chat? What ‘section’ are oyu in? (cute touch)
Somehow Tito managed to use even more pitchers tonight than the Rays manager.
Gagne needed the tune up so that’s a good thing.
I think I’ll make a point of “visiting” the chat during the 7th inning stretch from now on.
Hmmm, I only just noticed that the Sox have played two more games than the Yankees… which casts the 5-game lead in a slightly different light.
Today’s win combined with a Detroit loss reduces the playoff-clinching magic number to 8.
Super game. JD finally got to show off his monterous power stroke. Lugo, as always, was Mr Clutch. An RBI machine he is. Gagne shuts the door, allowing zero chance for TB to crawl back into the game. There is just one word for players like those – stud
In the meanwhile, Manny was at home getting very, very worried. Come back, ya big lug!
Super game? The Tampa Bay Devil Rays scored ten runs. Congratulations to the RS on not giving up but this seems overly cheery to me.
IH, you have to admit that when the SOX have their offense working the team is pretty much unbeatable.
A pretty decent comeback without Manni against a team that took 2 of 3 from NY 2 weeks ago. Sounds good to me.
Take a look at this graph from FanGraphs:
http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?gameid=270911102
It shows the probability of winning over the course of the game. Its not every day your team comes back from a 2% chance of winning…
I’m not even attempting a jinx here, but I have no confidence that Tampa Bay will be the victors at the end of this game. None.
Posted by: Nick-YF | Tuesday, September 11, 2007 at 08:59 PM
FanGraphs has nothing on me. This was an easy one to call.
Fun game to keep checking on through the night. Watched a movie with the lady friend and kept checking every ten, fifteen, twenty minutes: 8-1, 8-5, 9-8, 9-9, 13-9, 16-9. Fun!
IH:
Spot on. A good, but ugly win. I think RAW has an unending supply of cocky pills.