Dogged
| Game 84: June 29, 2008 | |||
| Red Sox | 2 | L: David Aardsma (2-2) | 50-34, 2 game losing streak |
 Astros |
3 | H: Wesley Wright (7) BS: Oscar Villareal (1) W: Doug Brocail (4-3) S: Jose Valverde (21) |
39-43, 2 game winning streak |
| Highlights: Ruh roh, Rito! Rai rhope ru ron’t ret rired rike Rirrie Ranrolf! Eep opp ork ah-ah, that means I love you. | |||
I don’t love interleague. Just too much of good (?) thing. I can’t tell the difference between the Astros and Diamondbacks’ uniforms any longer. In the words of George Jetson, “Stop this crazy thing!”
As with any game there was an instance of brilliance that should be remembered but won’t show up in the box score. Dustin Pedroia smacked a single to left field and then swiped second not on the basis of speed but by superior reaction time. As the infielder slid into second he avoided a sweep tag by raising his arm above the arc of the mitt and touching the second base sack at the end of his evasive maneuver.
It was a perfect example of what sets Pedroia apart from other hitters. He doesn’t need the stature of a power hitter as his hand-eye coordination compensates for his lack of muscle. Not that he can’t propel one to the stands, as he did to lead off the third inning, from time to time.
He should have done so more often yesterday. Josh Beckett was accosted by usually mediocre hitters such as Geoff Blum and Ty Wigginton and also walked pitcher Brian Moehler with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Moehler scored on a ground ball single up the middle by Lance Berkman.
The Red Sox seemed preoccupied knowing that two huge series against the Rays and the Yankees are in the offing. And I am, too, sweeping this last vestige of interleague play back into the dusty corners of my mind so that more important things, like series against other teams in the AL East.
