Keeping the nose to the grindstone in the first, in the fifth, in the ninth, and in the thirteenth. That’s the Boston way, baby! And it works. Playing a 13-inning game with intensity is no easy task, but if any team can do it, it’s the Red Sox, no doubt. After Beckett allowed the Huff home run, it was tied 2-2 until the Red Sox scored not one, not two, but three runs in the 13th inning. We won, 5-2. And all three of those runs were unearned. The moral of the story? You stay alert, you hit, you run, and then you win.
After that one, Beckett deserves some praise, I think. Over 6 innings, he allowed two runs on four hits with 3 walks and 10 strikeouts. Here’s an interesting stat: he’s led the Major Leagues since 2006 in OPP AVG of batters leading off innings. That OPP AVG is .187. I think yesterday’s start was the closest Josh Beckett has come this season to, well, being himself. And the middle relief left nothing to complain about; that’s always a good thing to see, especially since this season the middle relief has been a bit of a hurdle for Boston pitching.
We lead the American League in average, ladies and gentleman, at .281. We are No. 2 in runs, No. 3 in home runs, and No. 4 in walks. Our third baseman is No. 1 in the league in fielding percentage, as is our first baseman, and our second baseman is No. 4. This right here is a team of champions, folks. Maybe it’s just the win talking, but I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I wholeheartedly believe we’re going all the way in October. What I saw last night was a Red Sox team capable of taking home the 2008 World Series title. Taking it home our way, with our game. It worked in the first, and it worked in the thirteenth. It worked in ‘04, and it worked in ‘07. And it is working and will continue to work in 2008.
As I’m sure you’ve discovered, Dice-K is on the DL. But never fear, Jacoby is here, or there, depending on how closely you’re watching him. The man is on pace to break the Major League record for most steals in a season (that would be Terry Harper with 54 in 1973). He’s got 23 already, and he’s only been caught twice. Basically, he’s a faster Dave Roberts who can field and hit. And Manny Ramirez is on pace to take his time with No. 500. But hey, that’s fine; if he continues to average one RBI every 4.4 at-bats, he can afford to take his time.
Prior to this series with the Orioles, we’ve lost four consecutive series on the road. I sure hope this one is going to be different. Accomplishments keep happening to the Red Sox, and I’m just waiting for them to convert them to energy and runs and some wins. Lester’s no hitter. Wake’s gem of a game. Beckett’s quality start and a late-night rally last night. Sooner or later, we’re going to turn it around. And something about Beckett always helps us do that. Last October, he turned the ALCS around when we were 1-3. Maybe a strong start from him is exactly what we need. At this point, I’ll take anything. The road is killing us. But it’s games like these that show that it won’t be killing us forever.
