Edged
Game 127: August 24, 2006
Red Sox (71-56), 2
Angels (67-61), 1
W: Josh Beckett (14-8)
H: Mike Timlin (20)
S: Jonathan Papelbon (34)
L: Jered Weaver (9-1)
So this is what a series win feels like. I had forgotten. It’s nice, like cocoa on a chill night like last night. The last time the Red Sox enjoyed a series win, back in mid-August, lemonade iced tea was the required drink.
Josh Beckett tossed an effective six innings, displaying renewed confidence in his curveball until the seventh inning. He cut himself and had to leave after walking Garrett Anderson. Thankfully, it wasn’t a blister, a chronic injury that has plagued the fireballer.
David Ortiz continued his pursuit of the franchise home run record. In the fourth, after watching a called strike two traverse the plate, Ortiz nodded. He knew, with the count 1-2, exactly where the pitch was going to be. With a single mighty swing, the designated hitter jolted his team into the lead.
The Angels starter, Jered Weaver, slumped his shoulders and kicked at the dirt after relinquishing his fifth roundtripper of the season. Like brother, like brother. And if he metamorphoses into anything like his older sibling, he should get used to seeing such shots being hit off of him. Like his brother, he began his career in a pitcher-friendly park and impressed the masses with his ability. Perhaps Jered will follow in Jeff’s footsteps and the Yankees will overestimate the younger one’s talent as well. The Angels’ Weaver is currently sporting a 0.65 G/F ratio and benefits from Angel Stadium dimensions, which are 330' left, 387' left-center, 400' center, 370' right-center, and 330' right.
Two pivotal plays on defense determined the outcome of this game.
In the seventh, Orlando Cabrera could have flipped the ball to his second baseman, Adam Kennedy, to end the inning but opted to race to the keystone sack himself and then relay to first base. The Angels shortstop failed to touch second with the sliding Alex Cora toppling him in mid-throw, but did nab Doug Mirabelli for the second out. Mike Lowell, part of trio that lined three straight singles to load the bases, scored an insurance run through the backdoor.
That run would prove vital as the Angels clawed back into contention in the bottom of the seventh.
Mike Timlin took the mound in relief of Beckett. In addition to inheriting Anderson, the veteran gave a free pass to Juan Rivera. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch to Howie Kendrick. There must have been some sort of advisory to the Angels crowd, for they began to cheer madly.
Kendrick singled to left field, where Wily Mo Peña prowled. Anderson crossed home easily enough, but sending Rivera was a risky play because the rookie’s hit meandered into the shallow left.
Peña’s toss to home was a near-perfect arc to Mirabelli, who deked the runner by merely standing akimbo in front of home plate. Just as Rivera slid, Mirabelli gloved the ball and tagged the runner on the arm. Replays showed that Rivera was probably safe for the tying run, his hand sweeping across the plate before the tag. Although the preference is for the outcome of a game not to rely on a blown call, I believe the Red Sox would have worn out the weaker Anaheim hitting crew.
Jonathan Papelbon shut down the Anaheim lineup in his one and a third innings of work despite allowing a leadoff single to Vladimir Guerrero. The rookie tallied his 34th save and is three saves from matching Kazuhiro Sasaki’s rookie saves record, which he set in 2000.
