Fracas
| Game 142: September 7, 2007 | |||
 Red Sox |
4 | W: Jon Lester (4-0) | 86-56, 2 game winning streak 29-12-5 series record Magic number: 15 |
| Orioles | 0 | L: Daniel Cabrera (9-15) | 60-80, 3 game losing streak 17-26-2 series record |
| Highlights: The Red Sox are 12-6 in shutouts this season. Lester matched his season high for innings pitched in a game with seven sharp turns on the mound. Javier Lopez and Manny Delcarmen picked up the last two innings flawlessly. | |||
Don’t mess with people whose lot in life is worse than yours. They have less to lose than you and will go farther as a consequence.
They will take greater risks. They will take their lack of success out on you.
Witness the Baltimore Orioles. They haven’t had a winning record in 10 years. All levels of management are in disarray. After Dave Trembley was inked to a contract extension his team responded with a nine-game losing streak.
The only member of the organization who has his act together is Ernie Tyler, and even he finally asked for a few days off after 3,769 straight games working at Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards. He begged off to see Cal Ripken, Jr.’s induction.
An old-timer’s game on Doubleday Field would feature more heart and talent than the Orioles currently trot out every evening.
Daniel Cabrera’s idea of competition is to retaliate against those whom he thinks shows him up. If anything, the Red Sox gave Baltimore too much respect by attempting to get on base in the fourth.
The visitors held a 2-0 lead since the second thanks to Kevin Youkilis’s leadoff walk and J.D. Drew’s ground-rule double. They scored on Jason Varitek’s line drive single that eluded Brian Roberts’s glove and Coco Crisp’s sacrifice fly to left-center.
Crisp was the first target of Cabrera’s ire in the fourth. He attempted a bunt to commence the frame before singling to right. The towering pitcher eyed Crisp as he ran down the line.
The Red Sox center fielder advanced to third on ground outs and danced down the third base line as Cabrera prepared to pitch to Dustin Pedroia. Every baserunner worth his salt does this in the off chance he might induce a balk, and Cabrera was the rare case in which the feint worked.
After Crisp jogged across home plate, Cabrera was clearly seething. He threw at Pedroia’s head, prompting Mike DiMuro to warn both dugouts. Cabrera’s intent was incontrovertible and all present with the exception of DiMuro realized this. Jerry Remy was incensed that Cabrera was not immediately thrown out.
When Cabrera did get tossed, he ignited another round of ruckus. The bullpen corps charged the infield, some jumping over the fences to join the fracas. The odd thing is that the configuration of Camden forces them to enter the field of play from the same door.
After that display, it is no wonder Cabrera and his team never attained their potential. They can merely watch as their AL East adversaries outsmart and outplay them while replenishing their major league roster with homegrown talent.
Like when Tike Redman is outpaced to the first base sack by Youkilis’s relay to Jon Lester for the final out of the second. Or when Jacoby Ellsbury robbed Melvin Mora of extra bases in the eighth.
The Orioles don’t have the best lot in the division, but there are infinitely better ways to remedy that than blind retaliation.
