Steady
| Game 37: May 8, 2008 | |||
 Red Sox |
5 | W: Josh Beckett (4-2) | 23-14, 1 game winning streak |
| Tigers | 1 | L: Justin Verlander (1-6) | 15-21, 1 game losing streak |
| Highlights: A pair of young aces faced off and Beckett emerged supreme. Verlander continued his puzzling decline; already he has as many losses as he did last year while his ERA has ballooned northwards of six. The usual bullpen suspects rested their arms, giving way to Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen. The visiting duo held the Tigers at bay to secure the game and the series. | |||
Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester should closely observe Josh Beckett when he pitches. They will see the successful result of not bullheadedly going after strikeouts and having unflagging confidence in one’s arsenal. Beckett put on a seven-inning clinic replete with eight strikeouts and no walks. The six hits allowed were all singles, and the Tigers were only able to score once by stringing three of them together in the fourth.
The Red Sox’s hottest hitter, Kevin Youkilis, batted in Manny Ramirez’s spot and emulated the Dominican slugger with a 1-for-2 showing with two walks. The corner infielder smacked his seventh home run of the season in the fifth inning off the crumbling Justin Verlander. The two-run shot added to the three runs from the second for what proved to be an insurmountable lead.
Boston had also had back-to-back-to-back singles, but their hat trick came in the second inning. After Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew got on base each advanced on a wild pitch. Jason Varitek rapped a shot towards Carlos Guillen who managed to cue the ball pass the pursuing Edgar Renteria into shallow left.
Lowell and Drew were plated for the first runs of the game, DeMarlo urging Drew to try for the run just in case Verlander chose this game to regain his form. Coco Crisp bunted on the patch of ground in front of home, catching replacement catcher Brandon Inge off his guard and positioning Varitek at third.
Perhaps disconcerted by his poor inning, Verlander plunked Julio Lugo to load the bases and Jacoby Ellsbury arced a fly ball to center for the third run of the inning.
In Boston a similar story was being written about the Celtics. The surging team demolished the Cavaliers in a 89-73 drubbing in Game 2. I can’t help but get excited by Kevin Garnett’s League of Clutch advertisement. The black and white still pictures subtly animated to appear to be three-dimensional accompanied by Carmina Burana are visually arresting.
It’s rather a letdown to see that spot and then turn over to NESN to see Dustin Pedroia work out with tires or people slapping Jonathan Papelbon’s bottom.
