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Ernesto Frieri is the star of the Angels’ bullpen. Frieri’s big bite comes from his four-seam heater clocked in the mid-90s. The closer’s repertoire contrasted sharply with Jered Weaver’s offerings, which consist primarily of a fastball that has declined in average speed from 90 MPH in 2010 to 86.5 MPH this season. Weaver’s declining skills didn’t help the Red Sox batters score runs, however. The Red Sox were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Jacoby Ellsbury’s leadoff double in the first frame was the only extra base hit of the game for the visitors. As always J.B. Shuck misplayed Ellsbury’s fly ball. Daniel Nava followed with a single but Weaver induced a line out off Dustin Pedroia’s bat and struck out David Ortiz and Mike Napoli to end the early threat. I can only imagine the expressions John Lackey would make if Shuck played behind him. In this game Lackey had only himself to blame as two runs he relinquished were solo home runs. In the seventh he even shared a moment of levity with Napoli, who failed to glove Lackey’s underhand toss and nearly failed to complete Alberto Callaspo’s ground out. Pedroia loaned Napoli his sunglasses for the rest...
Mike Scioscia may have his outfielders shagging fly balls and fielding balls on the bounce in earnest during batting practice today. Last night two players flubbed playable balls that led to Red Sox runs. In the second Jarrod Saltalmacchia floated a liner to left with two down and Jonny Gomes and Daniel Nava at second and first respectively. Had J.B. Shuck played the ball properly he could have caught the final out. At worst a single run would have scored if he didn’t let the ball by him, but the left fielder failed to gather the ball after the bounce and two runs scored. Saltalamacchia reached second on the error. Shane Victorino led off the seventh with a liner to center. C.J. Wilson secured the next two outs neatly enough: Dustin Pedroia flied out on two pitches and Mike Napoli whiffed on the fifth pitch he saw. Wilson would have exited the inning unscathed had Josh Hamilton properly played Jonny Gomes’s fly ball. Victorino scored from first to give his team a 3-2 lead and also chased Wilson from the mound. Mike Scioscia, the master of over-managing, for some reason didn’t intentionally walk pinch-hitting David Ortiz in the eighth with...
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Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library’s Sports Temples of Boston.