Fledglings
| Game 95: July 24, 2009 | |||
| Orioles | 1 | L: Brad Bergesen (6-5) | 41-54, 4 game losing streak |
 Red Sox | 3 | W: Brad Penny (7-4) H: Manny Delcarmen (6) H: Hideki Okajima (19) S: Jonathan Papelbon (25) | 56-39, 1 game winning streak |
| Highlights: The name Bergesen is a patronym of Birger, a given name in Swedish that means one who saves, protects, or helps. The Orioles starter did just that against the Red Sox until the fourth inning. | |||
They began the first three innings with the lead runner on but in the fourth it finally paid off. J.D. Drew lined a single to the middle of the field and advanced to third on Mike Lowell’s line drive double to left. Brian Roberts tried to knock down Jason Varitek’s sharp grounder before it got into the infield but it evaded his outstretched (as much as the diminutive can stretch) arm. Nick Markakis had no play at home since Drew took a lead off third and was headed home when the ball got past Roberts. Lowell also jogged to third on the play
With the game tied, Jed Lowrie lofted the ball deep enough into right so that even Markakis couldn’t make a play on Lowell tagging up to give the Red Sox the lead for the first time since the first inning of the opening game against Texas.
The Red Sox capitalized on Kevin Youkilis’s leadoff base on balls in the fifth. David Ortiz moved the runner to third with a shift-shattering single to right. Youkilis smartly held at third on Jason Bay’s fly ball out to right, keeping him on base to score on Drew’s ground ball out. Had the Orioles played with any vigor they could have turned a double play, but their lackluster infield defense allowed the score to tick to 3-1.
When can you say that a hitter just missed a home run if it stayed inside the park instead of sneaking over the fence for a ground-rule double? When the batter is Jacoby Ellsbury and he drops a hit into Fenway’s triangle as he did in the sixth.
A quartet of young talent made a memorable play to close that inning. Dustin Pedroia lined a single just in front of Markakis. The Orioles right fielder attacked the ball and used the momentum from his run to power his throw to home. The massive Matt Wieters made the catch in front of the dish and used his huge frame to block Ellsbury from scoring. To his credit, the Red Sox center fielder forced Wieters back a few inches in the impact. I had expected Ellsbury to simply bounce off the backstop, as we have seen so many runners do against Varitek. Markakis leads the American League with 11 outfield assists.
The Charm City club is on its way to a 12th straight season with a losing record, but is on track to be a contender as their young players mature. The American League East is a beast of a division and it will only get tougher.
