Well, tonight's game provided a bit of pregame trepidation for me, based on the Diceman's last outing. Out for a stint on the DL due to shoulder problems that we were told were not serious, he came back last week and was shelled from the game in record (for him) time. He lasted just an inning plus and gave up about everything possible to give up. And that shoulder, we were still assured, was not anything to worry about. Hmmm!
So, my fears were understandable, particularly with the Astros having two certified .300 plus hitters in their lineup. Berkman has been second in the NL all season to Chipper Jones' run at .400 immortality and Tejada, never one of my favorites, is always a threat with the stick.
Dice wasted no time setting out who was boss tonight. First inning: three batters, including the aforementioned Tejada, three K's. Although he ultimately left after just five, his return still not at full condition, he threw nothing but zeroes on the board, picked up 4 K's and had a game WHIP of 1.0. He got credit for the W, too! Hopefully, this is a return to full normalcy for the Diceman.
After matching the Astros output for two innings, the Sox put some runs on the board. With two men on, JD planted one in the cheaps and, just like that, it was three zip, Sox. They added another in the 7th and two in the 9th, but with Drew's shot, they had all they needed to win.
Hansen and T.O.M. each threw a perfect inning, the former needing only 8 pitches, and after Okajima gave up a homer in his 2/3 of an inning, Laser came on to finish up the last 1 1/3 innings throwing perfect baseball on a total of just 13 pitches.
As for Oki's homer, I'm beginning to wonder if he isn't looking at the plate suddenly, totally unlike his normal delivery. Something's amiss. Hopefully, it gets corrected soon for the second half run. Yes, I said second half. Today's game is one beyond half way for the season.
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