Empyreal Environs

What happened to the team from less than a week ago that dropped 14 runs on the Padres? The Red Sox need to do a Google search for the cheat codes they unlocked because they have seemingly lost the ability to hit with runners in scoring position. They also need to deselect the random injury option, because the lack of the designated hitter in National League parks compounded with Carl Crawford’s absence has upset the finely-tuned offensive engine that powered Boston to the top of the division.

To cap off an ugly series the Red Sox tallied an unattractive win. Their first run came in the fourth. Jarrod Saltalamacchia ran out a double to Andrew McCutchen to start the inning. Chasing down the ball seemed to have gotten McCutchen’s juices flowing because when he fielded Josh Reddick’s fly ball the Pirates center fielder sent the relay throw over the cutoff man to third baseman Chase d’Arnaud. The ball bounced out of d’Arnaud’s glove into the stands. Saltalamacchia scored and McCutchen got the error, but if the official scorer could parse out the blame to more than one person d’Arnaud deserved a share.

Reddick was the catalyst in the sixth inning, too. The replacement left fielder drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly to his counterpart.

Dustin Pedroia had the opportunity to payback the Pirates for the multiple dusters their pitchers gave him in the seventh. With the bases loaded and none out Pedroia sent a chopper to the shortstop, pushing across the go-head run. Adrian Gonzalez was intentionally walked to get to Kevin Youkilis, who took the affront with aplomb by lofting a fly ball to Garrett Jones.

Jones’s catch was calamitous as it almost resulted in a collision with McCutchen. The throw to rookie catcher Eric Fryer was almost in time to hose David Ortiz, but Fryer seemed hesitant to tag the designated hitter. Perhaps 230 or so pounds of speeding slugger was too much for the greenhorn.

The Red Sox found themselves a half a game behind the Yankees despite their victory. They dropped consecutive series to the Padres (last place in the NL West) and the Pirates (third place in the NL Central) and now travel across Pennsyltucky to face the Phillies, the powerhouse of the senior circuit.

With Gonzalez unlocked as a playable character you can hit towering fly balls to the right field that just miss being fair in one pitch and then fly out to the base of the left field wall on the very next offering. Even though Gonzalez didn’t go bridge in the fifth, the fact that he could get enough on the ball to nearly hit longballs from one side to the field to the other was breathtaking. Fans in Philadelphia should prepare to get a lot of souvenirs over the next three games.

Game 77: June 26, 2011
Boston Red Sox 45-32	4	W: Andrew Miller (1-0) H: Alfredo Aceves (5) H: Daniel Bard (15) S: Jonathan Papelbon (14)
		2B: Jarrod Saltalamacchia (12)
Pittsburgh Pirates 39-38	2	L: Tim Wood (0-2)
		No extra base hits