Empyreal Environs

Game 105: July 29, 2007
Red Sox	2	L: Daisuke Matsuzaka (12-8)	64-41, 1 game losing streak 22-9-4 series record
Devil Rays	5	W: Gary Glover (4-3)	39-65, 1 game winning streak 9-21-4 series record
Highlights: Hoshu is the Japanese word for catcher. The first character [捕] means to catch and the second [手] symbolizes hand. The character for hand is the same used in karate, where it is pronounced te. Doug Mirabelli caught in place of Jason Varitek on Sunday and there wasn’t a perceptible change in Matsuzaka’s effectiveness. He lasted six and one-third inning with a line of eight hits, two earned runs, one walk, and six strikeouts.

I’ve been loathe to begin this post because of a flurry of activity in the franchise league I am a part of. Just like the real MLB, we have a trading deadline and I’ve been thinking about the direction of my team.

I had traded for Jarrod Saltalamacchia before the season started and now that he was traded in real life to the Texas Rangers I have an extra bat in a scarce position. I did have to give up Adam Wainwright and Johnny Estrada, but in return I received Saltalamacchia, Chuck James, Beau Jones, and Brandon Jones.

And to think I only traded for him because he has the longest name in baseball history!

Once you have unrolled your eyes from your sockets because of all the fantasy baseball talk, your focus will fall on something even less interesting: Sunday evening’s game. Because if your ace doesn’t win a pitchers’ duel, it is inevitably boring.

It was much like the C.C. Sabathia versus Daisuke Matsuzaka head-to-head on July 24 except it didn’t go in Boston’s favor. Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis had consecutive solo homers in the eighth and the first of the Devil Rays’ three circuit clouts was a bases-empty effort, too.

Manny Delcarmen took the mound and surrendered back-to-back long balls in the seventh. Delcarmen had continues to experience some growing pains adjusting to his major league role, but like any good relief pitcher he’ll have to have to be an amnesiac. Hopefully he didn’t forget his way back to Pawtucket, as Delcarmen may have to be sent down given the recent rumblings from 4 Yawkey Way.

More trading deadline excitement to come!