Empyreal Environs

Aaron Laffey hadn’t started a major league game since June of 2010, when he was pressed into the starter’s role for the Cleveland Indians. My friend and I were talking about Laffey’s paltry major league resume and laughed about how the Red Sox lineup would pummel him. But then I remembered: this is exactly the sort of less than replacement level player that somehow shows up Boston from time to time.

Sure enough, Laffey lasted six innings, allowed only three hits, walked a pair of batters, and struck out two extremely hot hitters, Cody Ross and Will Middlebrooks.

Daisuke Matsuzaka had a laborious 24-pitch first inning. Brett Lawrie led off with a liner starched to center. Colby Rasmus beat out Mike Aviles’s throw to first and Lawrie advanced to third on the play. Matsuzaka battled against Jose Bautista and induced a pop out to his backstop. Rather than wait around for his pitch Edwin Encarnacion swung at the first he saw and plated Lawrie with a single to third.

Middlebrooks rushed his throw to first and sent the ball towards the tarp, which allowed the both runners to get into scoring position. But then Matsuzaka had Kelly Johnson fly out to left and deftly gloved Yunel Escobar’s comebacker to avert further disaster. From that point on Matsuzaka was Laffey circa this game.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered with two down in the seventh to tie the game 1-1. It was too late to give his battery mate the win but perfectly timed to give Andrew Miller rather than Vicente Padilla the win.

Former Red Sox hurler David Pauley isn’t flourishing under John Farrell. He took the mound with two down in the seventh and inherited Ryan Kalish at second from Luis Perez. He hit Daniel Nava and then walked Aviles to load the bases. Dustin Pedroia knocked two runners in with a gutshot single but Aviles ran into the final out by getting hung up between second and third.

It was the only out Pauley managed. He toed the rubber in the eighth and allowed in succession a double to David Ortiz, a single to Ross, and a double to Adrian Gonzalez. It’s nice to have an embedded Red Sox player in the Blue Jays bullpen, but he has to pitch well enough to keep the job.

There are openings for twirlers in the Bronx.

Game 74: June 26, 2012
Toronto Blue Jays 38-36	1	BS: Jason Frasor (3) L: Luis Perez (2-2)
		2B: Brett Lawrie (13)
Boston Red Sox 39-35	5	W: Andrew Miller (2-0) H: Vicente Padilla (17)
		2B: Adrian Gonzalez – 2 (24), David Ortiz – 2 (23), Ryan Kalish (1) HR: Jarrod Saltalamacchia (14)