The Time of the Decent Mariners
Every sub-500 team has that little morale-lifting series where they win or split a series against a powerhouse team. I suppose the injury-depleted Red Sox fill the role of the antagonist to the lovable underdog Mariners. The Seattle squad broke out of the shackles of disrepute and elevated themselves to the lofty heights of mediocrity, halving the four-game series with a timorous win. Not quite the way Jerry Remy would have liked his 3,000 game as a color analyst to play out.
The Mariners were largely powerless against Daisuke Matsuzaka’s middling effort. Chone Figgins doubled off the left field stands and scored on Jose Lopez’s liner to shallow left in the third. It was the only run marring Matsuzaka’s six-inning line of four hits, five walks, and four strikeouts.
The rest of the runs came on Hideki Okajima’s watch. The lefty inherited a baserunner from Daniel Bard and proceeded to allow five consecutive Mariners singles. Most egregious was the failure to get an out when Don Wakamatsu all but presented one on a silver platter by having Casey Kotchman bunt with men on first and second. Okajima fielded the ball and tried to toss to third twice before finally pivoting to first too late to throw out Kotchman, Steinway and all.
It might well be time to free the Red Sox of the albatrosses mouldering in the bullpen.
The selfsame moment I could pray;
And from my neck so free
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like lead into the sea.
“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
| Game 99: July 25, 2010 | ||
| Red Sox 55-44 | 2 | H: Daniel Bard (22) BS, L: Hideki Okajima (4, 3-3) |
| 2B: Kevin Youkilis (25) | ||
 Mariners39-60 | 4 | W: Brandon League (8-6) |
| 2B: Chone Figgins (13) | ||
