The New Streak Continues!
Well, as I mentioned a couple of days ago against the Phils, the Sox have quickly recovered from the first game loss to the Phils that ended their 5 game streak and begun a new one--exactly how you want your team to react to a streak ending loss. Now, the new streak has reached 3 games with last night's come back win against the O's, 8-6. While definitely a team effort, the singular event in the win was Papi's homer, his 10th of the year. To call it a monster shot fails to adequately describe the blast. Back in my youth, blows like this were called 'towering fly balls'. Even that doesn't do justice to this. The O's outfielder looked up briefly and, the ball's destination being so obvious, didn't bother to even watch it's flight, much less follow it to the wall. The minute this ball left the bat, the only question was whether it would go into orbit and endanger the space station. It finally ended up in Eutaw Street outside the huge warehouse wall that forms the backdrop barrier to the field in that direction, a destination that only a very few balls have reached since the stadium was constructed. It keyed the Sox comeback, with them trailing 5-2 when Papi stepped to the plate. By the inning's end, the game was tied at five. The Hose later added to that and took an 8-5 lead into the 8th, which the O's cut by one run before finally folding their tents.
The Sox bullpen continued its overall excellent support that has existed since the Yankee debacle comeback last month. The collective ERA for the pen is sub-2, and in many cases, we're seeing perfect innings thrown by the squad. Aceves now has ten saves. Pretty good for someone who wasn't supposed to be closing.
Speaking of pitchers, the intended Sox closer, Bailey, is expected back around the All-Star break, and Dice may be back in the next 1-2 weeks. Also, both Crawford and Jake are expected back about the same time as Bailey, so it could be quite a boost for the Hose.