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Just when you thought the Red Sox were spiraling into a tailspin they pulled off a series win against the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays. Boston is eight games back as we near the midpoint of the season. I would settle for a less lofty goal than the postseason, like an above .500 winning percentage or not finishing in last place. Justin Masterson returned to the team and while his pitching wasn’t impressive he turned in a yeoman-like five innings to prevail over Cy Young candidate Chris Archer. Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy are certainly happy with Masterson‘s return; with him comes his wife Meryl and with Meryl comes cookies. Masterson allowed five hits and gave up an unearned run while striking out six with no walks. Masterson’s line looks better on paper than his actual stuff, but then again Joe Kelly’s arsenal was spectacular with poor results. How much did David Ortiz enjoy smashing a home run off Archer in the fourth inning? This much. While Ortiz, Pablo Sandoval, and Alejandro De Aza clouted four-baggers one slugger made an early exit. Mike Napoli’s second-inning at bat ended when home plate umpire Tripp Gibson’s called strike against him. The Amica, or...
This team was constructed to bash its way to victories, not rely on pitching excellence to triumph in close games. Perhaps Wade Miley was tired about hearing how the Red Sox pitching staff had no aces? Miley was visibly angry when John Farrell pulled the pitcher in the sixth inning with two outs on the board. Miley had allowed Brandon Guyer a single and then proceeded to load the bases by walking Logan Forsythe and Evan Longoria. While I appreciated the passion that Miley displayed, Farrell’s decision to bring in Alexi Ogando to get Desmond Jennings out was the right one. Jennings grounded into a force play, an outcome you could foresee with his three-year splits against left- and right-handed hurlers: .273/.359/.454 compared to .238/.309/.371. What you might not have imagined was Pablo Sandoval’s leaping snare of Steven Souza, Jr.’s liner. Forget Kung Fu Panda, he’s Air Panda. There are many storylines to weave with Ryan Hanigan: player with local connections as an Andover High School graduate, former Rays catcher, horse breeder, and dog fancier. But most importantly for this game was his single in the third inning as it was the catalyst for the only run of the evening....
Chris Archer lasted only four innings. Last night he had just three opportunities to showboat after striking out Red Sox batters. Archer allowed 10 hits and 7 earned runs. In the first inning Archer couldn’t field Mookie Betts’s comebacker, which loaded the bases. It wouldn’t be the worst situation for Archer in this game with the bases jammed. The Red Sox batted around in both the first and second inning, the first time since the second game of a doubleheader on August 14, 1962. Betts came up with ducks on the pond and sent the ball over the left field fences for his first major league grand slam. The rookie converted outfielder provided the fireworks rather than any incidents between Archer and David Ortiz. The designated hitter went 1-for-5 and was not hit by a pitch. Archer hit Daniel Nava with a slider in the second inning but it was with a full count, two men on, and two men out. That set the stage for Betts’s blast. Carlos Rivero was in the minor leagues for nine years before setting foot on a major league field. Unfortunately that field was Tropicana, but to Rivero even the most ramshackle of major...
Chris Archer will be lucky if he shows up in David Ortiz’s highlight reel for the designated hitter’s Hall of Fame induction. The young starter was quick to call out Ortiz for his bat flip and home run trot but it slipped his mind that he kissed his bicep after striking out Daniel Nava with the bases loaded. This particular trot was around 27 seconds and wasn’t even in Ortiz’s top five slowest circuits this season. The three-run homer put the Red Sox ahead to avoid a series sweep. Your browser does not support iframes. It’s okay, Mr. Archer. Your well-informed comments on Ortiz really demonstrate that the Rays are an important, well-respected organization. Truly the game of baseball is elevated to hitherto unseen heights in Tropicana Field. Bill Veeck himself would rise from the grave to witness the extraordinary Christmas in July celebration in St. Petersburg. Rising from the dead? Wait, stop the presses! Time for Zombie Apocalypse Night at the Trop! Game 105: July 27, 2014 Boston Red Sox48-57 3 W: Allen Webster (1-0)H: Edward Mujica (1), Andrew Miller (13), Junichi Tazawa (11)S: Koji Uehara (21) HR: David Ortiz (25) Tampa Bay Rays51-54 2 L: Chris Archer (6-6)...
I need for Dennis Eckersley to come to my office to recap portions of my day with his pithy phrases. “If we win that bid it will bring in some big iron for the company,” he’d exclaim after attempting to woo a client. In a tough meeting he would try to sympathize, “Those weren’t easy questions at all, they came with some high cheese.” And if my boss had to sit me down for a heart-to-heart to discuss complaints about me it would be a “nuclear meeting.” Even after garnering Theo Epstein there was no revolution for the Cubbies. A debuting show on NBC set in the near future revised a shot of an overgrown Wrigley Field to omit the “2012 World Series Champions” sign. The North Siders can’t even win in a fictional universe. Alfredo Aceves handed the ball directly to Bobby Valentine when the reliever was pulled off the mound in the sixth but they didn’t make eye contact. With this sort of line I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror: 2 innings pitched, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, and one strikeout. Alex Ochoa and Valentine had a good rapport. Ochoa noted a tell in Chris Archer’s...
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Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library’s Sports Temples of Boston.