The Gladiator
Pitching coach Juan Nieves called Felix Doubront “the Gladiator” and the southpaw certainly showed aspects of that last night. His line wasn’t overwhelming (4 innings pitched, 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts), but he kept the Royals off the board until the fifth inning. Kansas City’s spunky hitters got to him in the fifth but Brandon Workman took over and only allowed one inherited runner score. Workman tallied his third victory with 1⅓ innings pitched, 2 hits, no bases on balls, and 3 strikeouts.
Justin Maxwell had been a burr under Boston’s saddle but last night he was only 1-for-3 with two strikeouts and three left on base. The Royals’ right fielder also misplayed Stephen Drew’s line drive in the fourth, caught between making a diving attempt at a catch and trapping the ball before it skipped behind him. His indecision resulted in the visiting team scoring first.
Will Middlebrooks is playing as if his job were on the line (and in the near future it very well could be with Xander Bogaerts waiting in the wings). The third baseman went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in. He also scored twice from first base. He also seems to be a magnet for broken bats, if such a thing were possible without defying the laws of physics. Now that he is back he can practice the hidden ball trick with the other infielders, a la Joe Maddon’s Rays.
Junichi Tazawa acknowledged Jacoby Ellsbury’s superlative effort in the eighth. The center fielder played his light-hitting counterpart shallow and was able to make a diving grab of a floater off Jarrod Dyson’s bat, a pivotal defensive play with Brett Hayes at second and one out.
| Game 119: August 10, 2013 | ||
 Boston Red Sox71-48 |
5 | W: Brandon Workman (3-1) H: Craig Breslow (9), Junichi Tazawa (19) S: Koji Uehara (12) |
| 2B: Stephen Drew (17), Jacoby Ellsbury – 2 (26) | ||
| Kansas City Royals 60-54 |
3 | L: Jeremy Guthrie (12-8) |
| 2B: Eric Hosmer (23), Billy Butler – 2 (24), Brett Hayes (2) | ||
