He’s So Nine
The right-left combination of Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester called to mind Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine in their heyday. Lester topped Buchholz’s eight-inning showing with a complete game and magnificent line: 6 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), no walks, and 9 strikeouts. The two-pronged, sustained pitching forays were exactly what the Red Sox needed after the skirmishes in the Bronx left the bullpen decimated.
Francisco Liriano shut down the Red Sox on April 15, but the Red Sox batters demanded a tax rebate this time around. Liriano hadn’t allowed a home run until he faced Adrian Beltre in the second. The Red Sox third baseman lofted the ball into Boston’s bullpen for the first run of the game. Kevin Youkilis quickly tallied the second four-bagger off Liriano in the third inning with two on and two out. The umpiring crew didn’t need instant replay on the shot to dead center.
Angel Sanchez, the shortstop who was called up to relieve Marco Scutaro and take Scott Schoeneweis’s place on the roster, must have been amazed watching his fellow infielder Dustin Pedroia doggedly chase down balls. The former MVP and Gold Glover dashed into shallow center to jump and snare Delmon Young’s liner for the final out of the fifth. Nick Punto probably thought he had a gutshot single up the middle in the sixth, but Pedroia scampered to the ball, executing his patented “sliding catch and pivot to first” for the second out of the inning.
Mike Lowell, who recently went to the press with his disappointment with his role (or lack thereof) on the team, went 0-for-4 and left three on base. Will he next proclaim to the media throng that his dearth of production is due to lack of regular playing time?
In consecutive games the Red Sox showed that fourth place in the AL East can compete against the class of the AL Central. The Twins came into Fenway leading their division but leave tied with the Tigers. The AL East has four teams playing above .500 while the other two divisions have two apiece. The Red Sox’s next trip has them in traveling to Philadelphia to see how they match up against the Phillies, who top the NL East standings.
| Game 42: May 20, 2010 | ||
| Twins 24-17 | 2 | L: Francisco Liriano (4-3) |
| 2B: Justin Morneau (10), Michael Cuddyer (7) | ||
 Red Sox22-20 | 6 | W: Jon Lester (4-3) |
| 2B: Victor Martinez (9), Kevin Youkilis (11), Adrian Beltre (11) HR: Adrian Beltre (3), Kevin Youkilis (8) | ||
