When the Stars Threw Down Their Spears
I knew that I would miss Jonathan Papelbon but I didn’t know it would be this hard and this soon. How I’ll miss hearing “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.” The way the pitchers tapped to replace Andrew Bailey have been pitching Ken Casey probably won’t let them use his song. My suggestions? Alfredo Aceves’s entry song should be Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” and Mark Melancon’s “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” by the Smashing Pumpkins.
Things are falling apart; the center is not holding. Around the pitcher’s mound swirls a maelstrom of uncertainty. Clay Buchholz didn’t give up the longball like Josh Beckett did but in the four innings Buchholz pitched he allowed 8 hits and 7 runs. The best relief arm on the Red Sox roster, Daniel Bard, is starting this Tuesday night’s game against the Blue Jays.
As disappointing as the pitching has been, the Red Sox offense finally came to life. Mike Aviles knocked in key hits in the second and third innings to chip away at the Tigers’ lead, executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to add to his team’s lead in the ninth, and singled and scored in the eleventh. Adrian Gonzalez swatted his first home run of the season, a two-run clout in the sixth that granted Boston its second lead of the game.
Utility man Nick Punto also swung his bat in an annoyingly timely way as he did when he played against the Red Sox. He tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the third, tapped an infield single to short for an insurance run in the ninth, and blooped a single into shallow left for the go-ahead run in the eleventh.
The Red Sox will just have to win games by scoring a dozen or more runs. The ownership group will be happy with all the extra base hits that can be sponsored by advertisers. And how about signing up an official leaf blower whose brand can be announced for each blown save?
| Game 3: April 8, 2012 ∙ 11 innings | ||
| Boston Red Sox 0-3 |
12 |
BS: Alfredo Aceves (1) BS, L: Mark Melancon (1, 0-2) |
| 2B: Mike Aviles (1), David Ortiz (2), Jacoby Ellsbury (1), Nick Punto (1) HR: Adrian Gonzalez (1) | ||
 Detroit Tigers3-0 |
13 |
W: Duane Below (2-0) |
| 2B: Austin Jackson (2), Jhonny Peralta (2) HR: Miguel Cabrera (3), Alex Avila (2) | ||
