Well, Jenn, today our heroes took the show to one of their least favorite road venues--the Tampa dome. I was thinking this morning as I perused the sports section over breakfast who makes these schedules? The Stripes get Baltimore in the final month of the race and we draw the Rays--in Tampa! Have you heard who's responsible? Sure like to know.
Anyway, the night started that way. Lester, in spite of having the heater working, gives up an early run to Haverhill's finest, Pena, and we're down one zip.But, and, Jenn, this is a very important 'but', the Hose didn't let things stay that way for long. Immediately after this, they got a tying run complements of the speedburner. Jake drove n the tying run. Next inning, before the Rays could reply, the Sox tacked on a trey when JD hit the cheaps with a drive, scoring Lowell in front of him. Yoouukk finished out the inning with a sacfly to make it 4-1. As things moved on through the middle innings, the Sox added on some more until the score stood at 7-2, complements of Bay, Yoouk and Lowell, the former pair going yard as well. In fact, if my count is not wrong, we now have four guys with at least 20 HR's each, and JD just one shy of the mark. In fact, it's not too much of a stretch to imagine all five over 20 and also Lowell making it six.
The pitching, with the rare exception of Oki, was also outstanding. Lester allowed both early runs, but K'd nine in six innings. In the process, Jenn, he set a team record for the most K's in a season by a southpaw, breaking Bruce Hurst's old one of 190 from, I believe, 1987. Lester finished up tonight at 196--and counting. The pen's newest addition, the closer anywhere else, Billy Wagner, threw another perfect inning in his second appearance for the Hose, taking just 13 pitches to get through the 7th inning, including a pair of K's. Looks like his shoulder surgery worked. Boy, the Mets would sure love to have him back. After Oki came on and had a rare bad outing allowing all five batters he saw to reach, which resulted in a pair of Tampa runs--now it's 7-4, Terry figured enough of this crap. He called on Pap to handle the final TWO innings. It was CLASSIC Laser! Six up, six down. Game over!Three K's along the way. Don't blink--you'll miss it!
Unfortunately, both the Rangers and Mr. Hankie's Yankees won, so the margins there remain. We trail NY by 6.5 with 29 to play. The Rays are now six down to us--wish it could have happened last year too.
Apart from the game, Penny news. As I told you on the phone tonight, Jenn, Penny got claimed by the SF Giants. Be something if he duplicated Smoltzie's post-departure performance. But don't bet on it.
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