Threesome
| Game 32: May 10, 2009 | |||
| Rays | 3 | L: Brian Shouse (1-1) | 15-18, 1 game losing streak |
 Red Sox | 4 | W: Ramon Ramirez (3-0) S: Jonathan Papelbon (8) | 20-12, 1 game winning streak |
| Highlights: What a white-knuckle ending to a tense game. It was bad enough living through the Celtics’ nailbiter, but Papelbon added some Glen Davis-sized drama to the ninth inning by walking Akinori Iwamura and letting Jason Bartlett single into center field. Can’t Papelbon have a clean inning like Hideki Okajima or Ramon Ramirez did? These relievers along with Manny Delcarmen form one of the best bullpens this season; they are currently fourth in the league behind the Athletics, Mets, and Royals with an ERA of 3.29. | |||
Jonathan Papelbon might be the next pitcher to get shown up by a batter. When Aubrey Huff homered off Joba Chamberlain yesterday the hitter made sure to demonstratively fist pump after passing first and again at home plate. In this link, Chamberlain’s lawyer (who also represents his mother in her upcoming criminal trial for distribution of a controlled substance) defends his client’s actions... oh wait, that’s Joba himself. You can try and take the white trash out of the boy but then again you can’t. Not when he plays on the Yankees.
I can’t imagine Papelbon ever trying to clean himself up like that, nor would the Red Sox management force him to do so. The Red Sox closer could improve his mound etiquette; I cringe every time he goes into Francisco Rodriguez-like paroxysms. I fully expect someone to get huffy if they manage to notch a run against him.
Last night was not the time. With the slimmest of leads Papelbon got out of his self-created jam, striking out the streaky Carlos Peña, the mercurial B.J. Upton, and the lethal Carl Crawford. Any of these three batters had the potential to double their team’s runs with a single swing. If any of them walked, the most dangerous of them all, Evan Longoria, would get a bite at the apple.
Never fear, Red Sox fans. Joe Morgan had a talk with David Ortiz during batting practice, so his season is going to turn around. Ortiz doubled off the deepest part of the left field wall to lead off the eighth. Jason Bay is so hot right now he could score 11 points, nab 5 rebounds, and get 3 steals for the Celtics, hop on a plane to Boston, get into hockey gear and score a shorthanded goal for the Bruins, then take the T to Fenway and double off the Green Monster to plate Ortiz for the winning run.
Just kidding. There’s no way he would play for the Bruins. He’s a Canuck fan.
Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis are both on the mend, but their backups have contributed. In the bottom of the fourth Jeff Bailey sent a two-out double off the center field wall and was driven in by Jason Varitek’s double to the corner pocket in left. Middle infielder Nick Green singled to his counterpart, who dropped the ball. Varitek scored on the hit, but Green was thrown out by the right fielder Ben Zobrist at the keystone sack. He was also hosed by Crawford to kick off the third inning.
Green needs to stop taking baserunning tips from Mike Lowell.
Boston had lost its last six series against the Rays. The two teams won’t play each other again until August. By then the contenders will distinguish themselves from the pretenders. I think these teams will find themselves in the former category in the late summer.
