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This should be about Blake Swihart’s first major league home run. I should be writing about how Swihart persevered on the defensive side by wrangling Steven Wright’s knuckleball and help the starter triumph thanks to his third-inning solo shot. But instead Wright’s four-run lead evaporated in the fifth inning with Torii Hunter’s three-run homer. Wright notched two outs in the sixth inning but had difficulty nailing down the final out. Pablo Sandoval fielded Eduardo Escobar’s ground ball easily but uncorked a poor throw to allow the Twins shortstop to reach second base. Kurt Suzuki lined a single to right to tie the game. Koji Uehara wasn’t helped by his fielders, either. Brian Dozier led off the ninth with a single that might have been caught by a more proficient left fielder than Hanley Ramirez. Hunter followed with a single to short. Joe Mauer bunted and Swihart scooped it up. Swihart fired a low throw to Sandoval but it was catchable. The ball skittered under Sandoval’s glove and Dozier crossed home to give the Twins the lead. Minnesota went on to score three more runs in the last frame, an insurmountable lead for the inconsistent Red Sox offense. Like his favorite...
After Eduardo Rodriguez’s dazzling major league debut Clay Buchholz huddled up close to the rookie sensation. Perhaps some of Rodriguez’s run support will rub off onto the other starters. Rodriguez pitched seven and two-thirds innings with three hits and two walks allowed. He struck out seven, including the hot-hitting Prince Fielder. David Ortiz took a break last night and the rest of the lineup came through in his absence. Hanley Ramirez clubbed a solo shot in the sixth to increase the lead to 2-0. He received a well-deserved hug from Dustin Pedroia in the dugout. Pedroia went 3-for-5 in the leadoff spot. A surprising offensive force was Blake Swihart in the eight-hole. He supported his rookie starter with a two-run single in the eighth. Every additional late-inning run helped with Tommy Layne toeing the rubber. Layne gave up an RBI single to Josh Hamilton, but that turned out to be a meaningless feel-good moment for the returning Ranger outfielder. One must enjoy a certain form of torture to want to be a catcher. Robinson Chirinos arranged the warm-up equipment in an almost ritualistic manner before his at bat. Perhaps it brings him luck, but more likely it’s a cypher saying...
It was a game of firsts and lasts. Blake Swihart got his first run batted in as a major league player in the third inning. He sent a humpback double into center field to plate Xander Bogaerts, who also doubled. Swihart also tallied his first run, crossing home plate on Dustin Pedroia’s sacrifice fly to center. Edward Mujica made his last appearance in a Red Sox uniform. He relieved Justin Masterson in the fifth inning after the starter surrendered two consecutive walks bookended by two singles. Mujica got out of the inning cleanly and escaped damage in the sixth. Rene Rivera led off with a double but was moved over by Kevin Kiermaier’s bunt. Kiermaier was ruled safe at first but John Farrell won the challenge. Mujica then fielded Logan Forsythe’s comebacker and nailed Rivera at home. Mujica fought valiantly, Mujica fought nobly. And Mujica was DFAed. Juan Nieves was fired yesterday. No replacement has been announced as of yet. With the release of the Wells Report there’s likely to be a few openings in the Patriots clubhouse for guys who know their way around balls. Nieves is a scapegoat for the underperforming, overwhelmingly mediocre pitching staff, Farrell indicated that...
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Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library’s Sports Temples of Boston.