The newest member of the Red Sox and a rookie are the reason behind the Sox winning the past two games. (We won't talk about the first game and the fact that Buchholz still can't seem to locate his fast ball.)
Yes, Jason Bay is doing so well in left, most of the Fenway Faithful can be heard whispering "Manny who?" Believe it or not, today marks the one-week anniversary of the new left fielder. And over the course of that week, Bay has made a serious statement. He's hitting .423 over the last six days and that includes two doubles, a triple, a homer and six RBI's, three of which came during the past series against Kansas City. While he only had two hits in last night's game, he came around to score on both of them.
Everyone kept talking about how much pressure there would be for Bay to fill Manny's shoes. Well, based on the past week and this series especially, it looks as if Bay ain't feelin' no pressure.
Then there's Jacoby Ellsbury - the center fielder who made his statement at the end of last season and kept it up for the first couple months of this season. Then something happened and for no understandable reason, the young rookie quit hitting. He had hit such a skid, in fact, his batting average dropped to just .258. But then the team went west. And unlike every other away game this season the center fielder started hitting. He didn't play in the first game against the Royals. But he was present and accounted for in games two and three. And boy did he make his presence known.
He went two for four in game two and three for four last night. And Dad, I hate to correct you, but in actuality, Ellsbury stole bases both nights. He stole two on Tuesday and one last night. I think the reason last night's steal isn't in his stats is because it went uncontested. By the time the pitch reached home, Ellsbury was already standing on 2nd, so why risk throwing the ball away? But he really let the Sox management know he was back when he drove the ball 410 feet to straight-away center field for a three-run shot. Turns out the back of the order isn't such a horrible place to be.
It's good to see the rookie hitting again. But while his hitting took a slump, the one thing that never failed to show up, was Ellsbury's spirit in the outfield. Whether he was playing left, center, or even right field, he always tried to catch the ball. It didn't matter if it was hit right to him or nowhere near the outfielder, he gave it his all and caught the leather. Well, last night was no different.
The bottom of the fifth inning the Royals were on the verge of tying the Sox when Mitch Maier hit a fly ball to shallow center. Cora, Lowrie and Ellsbury all ran after it. And just as it looked like Lowrie and Ellsbury would crash into each other with no one catching the ball, Ellsbury stopped, dropped and rolled and somehow came up with the baseball securely in his glove for the out. It was a spectacular play that I'm sure would have made last night's web gems if Brett Farve's trade to the Jets hadn't monopolized ESPN for the next several hours.
It was a great game that gave Wakefield a much needed win and allowed the fans to see the Red Sox do what they need to win a pennant - hit! We're still three behind the Rays, but this momentum is a step toward righting that wrong. Tomorrow it's off to Chicago to face the White Sox for the first time this season and John Lester's on the mound. Let the winning continue.
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