Sox Heroics Against Mo & Others

Well, tonight the Sox showed what makes champions. Every night someone will pick up the flag and lead the team to victory. Yesterday Jake personally destroyed Mr. Hankie's Yankees. Tonight, he was O-fer, but still played an important role in the eventual win (I'll get there later). JB was pitching and doing well, as he had only one pitch he'd like back, and left after six tied at one. He had five K's, allowed 6 hits and a pair of freebies, lowering his ERA to 2.17. But that one bad pitch cost him the chance at the W. While this was happening, the Hose were continuing their recent maddening habit of leaving lots of baserunners on base. Their first run came after they opened the inning with the sacks jammed and no-one out. They finished the inning with them jammed. Later, they got the first two hitters on base in the 6th, had the bases loaded with two gone, and failed to score. Meanwhile, in the Stripes 7th, Albers was looking great--through the first two batters. Then, Gardner absolutely crushed one of Albers pitches and suddenly the Hose trailed. After hitting Jeter, he was gone and Morales came on--with absolutely no command or apparent confidence in his pitches. Granderson walked and Texeira followed on four pitches; bases loaded Stripes. Fortunately, Morales recovered enough to get Cano on a grounder to end the threat. However, the Fenmen weren't getting anybody across the dish. Finally, the Hose half of the 9th arrives, and with it Rivera. Now, this is in many cases not a good thing if you're trying to come back and avoid a loss. However, with the Sox, I have at least some faith, because of the total of Blown Saves in Mo's career, 72 of them, the Sox have more than any other team in MLB--14. That's just shy of 20% of the total. So, Scoots leads off with a solid double. Jake, making up for his collar, drops a sac bunt toward third and as he is thrown out by an eyelash, Scoots takes third. Can they get him home, or will it be another LOB? Not to worry. The Dustman rescues the run with a sac fly to left and it's tied. The Hose have just passed the twenty percent mark of BS's for Rivera. On the way to here--top of the 9th, The Laser was almost lights out, giving the Sox the chance to present Rivera with the BS. On to the 10th: Bard, throwing them well into the high 90's, sandwiches K's of Texeira and Swisher around a harmless broken bat ground out by Cano. Seventeen pitches later and it's the home team's turn. Another scoreless string for Bard has now officially begun.
Sox turn: against the planned Stripes starter for Tuesday, the Hose start off with a fly out by Yooouuukk. Then the fun continues. Big Papi steps up, and suddenly, it's 2004 post-season again. He didn't drive one to the cheaps, but he bounced one in and is standing on second with a ground rule two-bagger. McDonald came in to pinch run, and the Stripes pitcher decides the better part of valor is to intentionally walk Crawford, who finally is starting to look like the guy the Hose acquired for that $140 Mill in the off season. Between last night's 4-4, Friday's couple of hits and tonight's 3-4 to that point, he approached the plate on a nine for ten tear. Can't say I blame the Stripes. Fortunately, all it did was piss off the Sox' newest young hot player. Following Crawford was Reddick, and while he may not be maintaining the torrid pace of a month or two ago, he's still a dangerous man with a piece of northern white ash in his hands. Pitch comes in, pitch goes out toward the left field corner, and it's obvious to everyone in attendance or watching on the tube the game is over even before the ball lands on Fenway's lush grass. Sox win and everyone goes berserk.
Sox are back in first by themselves, have won four of six and have clinched the season's series against the Stripes with six yet to play. After over four hours, the Hose are now off to the Twin Cities to face the Twinkies, and Wake makes his third attempt for his 200th win.
Individual achievements: in addition to Crawford's previously cited 3-4 for the night, Scoots went 4-4, including the aforementioned double. Papi went 2-4. The moundsmen also had an overall good night, the two HR's aside. Collectively, they allowed a well scattered eight hits and four BB's, against a total of eleven K's.