Seraphic
Game 138: September 7, 2005
Angels (77-61), 3
Red Sox (82-56), 6
L: Ervin Santana (8-7)
W: Bronson Arroyo (12-9)
S: Mike Timlin (7)
4 games ahead in the division
2 game winning streak
Some believe there are nine orders of angels. Their names and rankings vary, but one accepted sequence is Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Powers, Dominions, Principalities, Virtues, Archangels, and Angels, from the most powerful to the least. Whichever spirit perched on Santana’s shoulder on August 20th abandoned him last night. The rookie right-handed pitcher lasted only 4 innings with 5 hits, 6 runs (all earned), 4 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 1 home run.
Arroyo permitted the Angels an early lead in the first 2 innings. In the 1st inning, after easily dismissing the first 2 hitters in the lineup, Arroyo gave up a single to Garret Anderson and an RBI triple to Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero is in such a groove that the biblical David could hurl stones and the right fielder would be able to launch them into the stands. Johnny Damon made a valiant attempt at the deepest part of the center field right against the wall to snag Guerrero’s missle, to no avail. With 2 out, Darin Erstad then singled to score Guerrero. Manny Ramirez had a less than effective slide to preempt Erstad’s liner from touching ground, only managing to halt its progress to the warning track with his body.
The Angels had the makings of a big inning underway in the 2nd. Again with 2 outs, Arroyo allowed a runner on base, this time by hitting Adam Kennedy with a pitch. Bill Mueller was unable to catch up to Chone Figgins anemic grounder that stayed fair as it died along the third base line. Going the opposite way with a well-placed grounder, Orlando Cabrera singled to score Kennedy and advance Figgins to third. With runners at the corners, Edgar Renteria made a jewel-like play by fielding Anderson’s grounder deep in the hole and throwing it across the diamond to halt the assault.
I mentioned last post that I was ecstatic that John Olerud was in the lineup instead of Kevin Millar in the first game of the series. Notably, Olerud had a huge impact on that game with his stellar defense. How Millar loves to prove his naysayers wrong. He hit a home run into the Monster seats in the 2nd inning, into the section I was sitting in the night before, in fact.
The 3rd inning began badly for Santana with his back to back walks of Alex Cora and Damon. Renteria then singled to load the bases with no outs for David Ortiz. It’s times like these where one must truly hate one’s job. Ortiz took a 2-2 pitch to the opposite field to drive in 2 runs. Trot Nixon doubled off the wall to score Renteria to take the lead.
Cora had a triple of his own in the 4th inning to plate Mueller, who had reached with a base on balls and ran hard to score from first base. Triples in Fenway Park are riveting. This one shot the right center gap and bounded into the maw of the triangle. Cora went on to score a run on a Damon sacrifice fly.
Don “Announcer Boy” Orsillo jested with Jerry Remy about the nationally broadcasted Red Sox-Angels game the former Red Sox second baseman participated in last month. Remy’s Fox cohort called him “Jimmy ” and also pronounced the pitcher’s surname “Sahn-tah-nah,” with the long “a” sound, as in “father.” I think these two are finally forming more of a rapport and are approaching what Sean McDonough and Remy had. Sort of like how the Red Sox are now coming together this season.
