Empyreal Environs

Game 89: July 15, 2006
Athletics (47-44), 0
Red Sox (54-35), 7
L: Dan Haren (6-8)
W: Curt Schilling (11-3)

Judging by the small dose of Chris “Mad Dog” Russo from WFAN I was exposed to in the pre-game show, I’m not missing much. Russo was twice as coherent and enjoyable as any personality on WEEI’s Big Show, and I enjoyed Russo as much as the extraction of my impacted wisdom teeth.

Desperate times lead to desperate measures. Jerry Remy unleashed the power of the upside-down Wally in the second inning in response to Frank Thomas’s leadoff single that eluded the shallow-playing Manny Ramirez. Monster green mojo overcame athletic green moxie, so much so that the Red Sox collected their first shutout of the season.

In the third inning David Ortiz darted around the horn for his first triple of 2006. He plated Kevin Youkilis and Mark Loretta. Later in that inning Mike Lowell sacrificed to score Ramirez for his second RBI of the game. The third baseman persisted to make his case for comeback player of the year; he had doubled in the first to drive in the first run for the home team.

To further support his case for AL MVP, Ortiz hit a superfluous homer in the eighth inning. Although Ortiz will probably continue to flourish with the game on the line, he now realizes that it’s tawdry numbers that will impress MVP voters and will throw in an extra four-bagger from time to time.

Curt Schilling proved to be Boston’s stopper and horse with his seven-inning showing. His nine strikeouts exceeded the total for all four of Oakland’s pitchers and he allowed just two hits and a single base on balls. After Jason Varitek was hit by Dan Haren in the fifth, Schilling responded in the top of the next inning by coming in on Nick Swisher twice before eventually plunking him. Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen both permitted just two hits between them to shut down the visitors in their two innings of work.

I’ll be going to this afternoon’s game and given that there were a few beanings throughout the series I wonder if the crowd will be treated to some on-field pyrotechnics. Swisher hinted at some possible retaliatory actions and the expendable Kyle Snyder will probably be happy to oblige. After the game I’ll be attending the release party for David Laurila’s Interviews from Red Sox Nation at The Plough and Stars in Cambridge from 6:00 to 8:00. I love leisurely Sundays suffused with baseball.