Hollywood Lowell
This team is like the sad-eyed puppy at the shelter that you just can’t turn your back on. No matter how pathetic the circumstances, the team musters that irresistible tail-wag, that cloying big-eyed gaze, that spunky growl as it plays tug-of-war with a shredded remnant of fabric.
That tattered cloth may have well been Boston’s playoff hopes, ragged and threadbare. Mike Lowell, activated to replaced the injured Kevin Youkilis, played the tailor in the second inning. Since June 22 Lowell has not faced major league pitching, yet the first pitch he saw he knocked over the Green Monster to give his team a two-run lead. The Fenway faithful didn’t even have time to sit down from their “welcome back” standing ovation; they continued to stand as they cheered Lowell around the bases.
The only runs that scored in this game were by way of the longball. Indians backstop Lou Marson, who took the spot of Carlos Santana, homered in the third to shave Boston’s lead to a single run. Bill Hall responded in the bottom of the fourth with a no-doubter over the left field wall.
Homers weren’t the only fireworks the 37,714 fans enjoyed. As retaliation for Josh Beckett hitting Shelley Duncan and Shin-Soo Choo both David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre had pitches thrown behind them. Choo lolled about on the ground like a soccer player before promptly swiping second, so in the ledger of baseball retaliation that hit by pitch didn’t need to paid back. According to Dennis Eckersley, if Justin Germano couldn’t plunk Ortiz in the rather sizable tuchis, the Indians shouldn’t get another bite at the apple.
Of all players the Indians selected Beltre, who led off the eighth, as a target. Perhaps they were unaware that Beltre singled-handedly wiped out two-thirds of his own outfield and charges teammates who dare muss his hair. Jensen Lewis’s pitch missed Beltre but still cleared the benches.
In the dust-up Beckett got into a highly-charged verbal tussle with Duncan. He was done for the evening so Beckett’s ejection didn’t impact the game. Jensen was also tossed along with visiting third base coach Steve Smith.
It’s rare to see coaches get actively involved in the fray; not everyone administers headlocks à la Tony Cloninger in the 2002 brawl against the Orioles. Smith had some choice words for John Farrell, prompting Terry Francona to shout at Smith with Beckett-like ferocity.
And so that fiesty puppy found a home, yet again.
| Game 107: August 3, 2010 | ||
| Indians 45-62 | 1 | L: David Huff (2-10) |
| HR: Lou Marson (2) | ||
 Red Sox61-46 | 3 | W: Josh Beckett (3-1) S: Jonathan Papelbon (25) |
| 2B: Victor Martinez (23) HR: Mike Lowell (3), Bill Hall (12) | ||
