Humble Origins

We are recently masters of the difficult win.  We come from behind, we come back at the last minute, we barely eke it out.  But I’m proud of our slow-but-steady-and-successful showing of late; it’s the kind of confidence-building that we need to get ourselves back on track.  So this is a good sign; eventually we’ll be back to winning freely and easily.

Nava singled in the first and scored on a single by Papi.  We walked in each of the following three innings; in the fourth, the walk came after a single, but we didn’t capitalize on that opportunity.

Buchholz made a mistake in the third.  I suppose that he made two mistakes.  He gave up a double to lead off the inning and, one out later, he threw a bad curveball that missed.  How often this year have you seen Buchholz fire off a bad curveball and miss his spot? It’s a rare sight indeed.  I almost couldn’t believe it when I saw it.  But it was hit for a two-run home run.  He then issued two consecutive walks in the fourth but didn’t give up any runs; still, the sight of him issuing any walks, much less two in a row, was quite foreign.

As if that weren’t enough, he gave up two singles and a walk in the fifth, loading the bases with one out.  He pitched himself out of it thanks to a strikeout and a flyout.  But I can’t remember the last time he was in a bases-loaded situation.

Fortunately, it was smooth sailing after that, and Buchholz was back to his old self.  Also fortunately, we were able to tie the game at two in the seventh; Gomes walked, and when Ellsbury singled, it was deflected, and Gomes scored.

Drew doubled and Gomes walked in the eighth, but we didn’t score; Miller came in and held down the fort.  We went down in order in the ninth; Miller and Wilson combined to preserve the tie.

And then something wonderful happened.  For the third time in as many games, we were patient and resilient, and we came from behind.  And it was sweet.  We didn’t play well at all the last time we faced the Twins, but revenge is a dish best served cold, even in the month of May.  Pedroia singled, Papi walked, and Ciriaco came in to pinch-run for him.  Both runners advanced on Middlebrooks’s sac fly, and Drew loaded the bases thanks to an intentional walk.

The stage was set for another grand slam, or even another bases-clearing double.  But it seems like each come-from-behind win is more humble than the last.  Gomes was at the plate; he took a slider in the dirt and fouled off a fastball.  Then he got another slider, and he lofted it to center field.  It was obviously going to be an out.  But it was hit deep enough that Pedroia was able to come home.  One run on a sac fly in the tenth inning decided the game.

Uehara had a one-two-three tenth, and the final score was 3-2.  Buchholz’s final line featured seven innings, two runs on four hits, three walks, and nine K’s.  We totaled ten hits and walked a whopping seven times.  But Drew’s double was our only extra-base hit, and we went two for ten with runners in scoring position and left eleven on base.  In contrast, Minnesota was held to only four hits.  Throughout the game, we had one on base here, one or two on base there.  We just failed to close the deal and score; had we made good on all of our opportunities, we would have won the game long before the ninth inning rolled around.  Either way, though, we won; at least we’re getting on base again.

Boston Globe Staff

Read Full Post »

Distribution

Okay, so Buchholz didn’t almost throw a perfect game.  But he did pitch well enough to have gotten the win.  The fact that he didn’t wasn’t his fault.  Just like the offense should be expected to carry a pitcher who throws a complete-game shutout, so too should the offense be expected to carry a pitcher who limits the opposition to only two runs over eight innings.

Buchholz had a one-two-three first and second.  He gave up a walk and a subsequent RBI single in the third.  He gave up two singles that resulted in another run in the fourth.  Other than a walk in the fifth and a single in the eighth, that was it for the Jays yesterday on Buchholz’s watch.  He threw 101 pitches, yet again exhibiting his brutal efficiency.  He was aggressive and wasn’t afraid to go after the strike zone.  All in all, it was a masterful performance.  He should have gotten a win; he didn’t deserve a no-decision.

But at least he didn’t pick up the loss.  That was all Tazawa’s fault.  Tazawa came in for the ninth and gave up a solo shot on his sixth pitch.  His fastball was great, but this was a slider.  He threw a slider, and he missed.  He missed big.  Our only response in the bottom of the inning was a double by Middlebrooks.  But he never made it to home plate.  It was just awful.  There was no justice for Buchholz yesterday.  No justice whatsoever.  It is the job of the relief corps to inherit a situation that they do not make worse.  That is their function.  If they inherit a lead, they’re supposed to keep it intact.  If they inherit a loss, they’re supposed to keep a lid on it so that the offense can turn things around.  But they are not supposed to lose ballgames.

In fairness, however, we should have been able to score a sufficient number of runs so as to make that solo shot inconsequential.  After all, Tazawa gave up a solo shot; that’s only one run.  The reason why it lost us the game was because, at the time, we were tied with the Jays at two.  Had we been leading, that home run simply would have tied it up, and we would have gone into extras, and then it would have been possible that we would have won in the end.  Even better, had we been able to score more than three runs, then we would have won in nine, all else being equal.  So I think it’s fair to say that losing, in this case, was a team effort, Buchholz excluded.  (Although you could make an argument that, if Buchholz hadn’t allowed any runs whatsoever, then Tazawa could have allowed the solo shot and we still would have won.  And then it becomes a consideration of relative standards, that is, what one thinks is the threshold that acquits a ballplayer and places the blame elsewhere.)

Anyway, the game essentially came down to a pitcher’s duel, which we lost when, not coincidentally, we changed pitches.  Like the Jays through eight, we were lucky to score two runs at all and spent most of the game behind by two.  We didn’t get on the board until the eighth.

We had some opportunities.  Victorino and Pedroia hit back-to-back singles in the first.  Middlebrooks doubled and Drew walked in the second.  Pedroia and Papi hit back-to-back singles in the third.  We had absolutely no opportunities in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh.  Ross led off the eighth with a walk and scored on a triple by Ellsbury.  Victorino struck out, but Ellsbury scored on a fielding error.  Pedroia reached on that error and stole second, and after Papi struck out, Napoli was walked intentionally.  But the rally ended when Gomes struck out looking.

So we lost, 3-2.  We left eight men on base, went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position, and have lost seven of our last nine games.

Getty Images

Read Full Post »

Walk It Off

It’s never good to lose, and it’s especially crushing when you lose via the walkoff because that means you couldn’t score sufficiently or in time to prevent it or that your relief corps made a big mistake.  Either way, it tends to leave you with this sense that it was totally and completely preventable and that it was all your fault that it happened.  So losing a walkoff against the Rangers was awful, but winning a walkoff against the Twins felt about right.

Buchholz’s start was terrible compared to his usual work, which says a lot about his usual work.  He gave up four runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out nine in six innings.  Was it a quality start? No.  He would have had to allow one less run for that.  But his strikeout count was high.  He just labored; he had to throw a lot of pitches to get the job done, and you could see that the job wasn’t easy.

He recorded the game’s first out using only two pitches, but he then gave up two consecutive doubles and a single that he deflected, which scored two runs all together.  He gave up two straight walks before ending the inning with two strikeouts.  That first inning was his worst so far this year; he threw thirty-six pitches to eight batters.  The rest of the game wasn’t really that bad, but that first inning didn’t set a great tone.

Buchholz had one-two-three innings in the second and third.  He opened the fourth with a strikeout but then gave up two consecutive doubles that resulted in a run.  He ended the inning with two strikeouts.  He gave up a double, a single, and a successful sac fly before recording the first out of the fifth.  And he had a one-two-three inning in the sixth.

So there were great innings when he looked like his usual self, and then there were mediocre innings in which he looked like a mediocre version of himself.  Overall, however, it wasn’t a terrible start.  It just wasn’t what we’re used to seeing from him this year.  Hey, if this is as bad as it gets, that’s not bad at all.  Besides, we should have been able to overcome four runs easily.

In the end, we did.  But it wasn’t easy.  We pulled ahead by scoring one run in each of the fourth through eighth innings.  Victorino uncorked a massive swing on the sixth pitch of the fourth; it was a slider on a full count, and it ended up past the right field fence.  I think he’s back.  Nava doubled and scored on a single by Drew in the fifth.  Victorino and Pedroia hit back-to-back singles to lead off the sixth; Victorino moved to third when Papi hit into a double play and scored on a single by Napoli.  Middlebrooks grounded out to lead off the seventh, but Drew joined the day’s power club.  He got a curveball followed by a steady diet of fastballs; he worked the count 3-1 before he got a fastball he really liked and sent that one beyond the right field fence as well.

And then it was Pedroia’s turn.  He led off the eighth and fought quite the battle to stay alive.  His at-bat involved a total of ten pitches.  He took three for balls, fouled off six, and homered on a particularly nice changeup.  It was the perfect time to end a dry spell that reached almost two hundred games.  Nice for Pedroia, I mean.  Not so nice for the Twins, since at the time that represented the winning run.  Wilson and Miller had combined to pitch the seventh; Miller inherited runners but fortunately kept them on the bases.  Breslow had a one-two-three inning in the eighth.  And then Pedroia happened.  Like I always say, it’s so much fun to watch him unleash on a ball.  He’s a small guy, but he’s got a lot of power.  It was only a one-run lead, but things were looking good.

And then Hanrahan took the mound for the ninth, and things were not looking so good.  He induced a flyout on four pitches to start things off.  But I think he got his memos mixed up, because he let an opposing hitter join the day’s power club too.  The count was full; after throwing five consecutive fastballs, he threw a sixth, and it was bad, and it was hit well.  And the game was tied at five.  We didn’t score in the bottom of the ninth, so we had to play extras.  All because Hanrahan made a big mistake.  He is so fortunate that all that run did was tie the game and even more fortunate that we ended up winning.  Otherwise it would have been plausible to say that the process of losing the game had started with him and that home run.  He did the exact thing that no pitcher, let alone a closer, is supposed to do.  Needless to say, after Hanrahan notched a strikeout and then issued a walk, he was replaced by Mortensen, who vindicated himself pretty thoroughly.  (It turned out that Hanrahan would leave the game with a strained right forearm.)

Neither team scored in the tenth, and the Twins didn’t score in the top of the eleventh.  But they did make a pitching change.  Napoli and Nava were each out on three pitches to start it off.  But then the tide turned.  Salty singled right toward the mound; he kept his head down, ran hard, and beat it out, an especially challenging feat when you consider the fact that he’d been behind the plate for eleven innings already.  Middlebrooks singled to left.  And then Drew took a slider for a strike.  Then he got a good-looking fastball and laid into it.  It was a double, and it was enough to bring Salty home.

We won via the walkoff, 6-5.  Drew was obviously the man of the hour with a four-for-five performance at the plate and of course his vital two extra-base hits.  And we’re back on top with the best record in the Majors.

In other news, the B’s beat the Leafs, 5-2.  So far, we lead the series, 2-1.

AP Photo

Read Full Post »

Variety

After our spectacular slugging performance on Tuesday, I was very glad to see that we had some runs left in store.  It certainly was an adjustment to go from seeing runs being scored with remarkable frequency and then see barely any runs score at all.  But quality always trumps quantity, meaning that if you play quality baseball, you should be able to win with any run total greater than zero.

Taking a hint from Buchholz, the American League’s Pitcher of the Month, Dempster turned in a fabulous start.  Six innings seems to be about his usual, I guess.  Still, he gave up only one run on four hits while walking four and striking out three.  He threw exactly one hundred pitches.  His third pitch of the game was hit for a solo shot; that was essentially his only mistake.

Miller and Tazawa pitched the seventh, but barely.  Miller gave up a single, bestowing a runner upon Tazawa.  Tazawa gave up two walks, loading the bases with only one out.  Thankfully, the inning ended with a strikeout.  Uehara pitched the eighth, and Hanrahan actually succeeded in converting the save in the ninth.  It was nice to see him actually doing his job correctly.

It was a pretty quiet game all around, I’d say.  The Jays were held to one run, and we were held to three.  We went down in order in the first but got on the board in the second.  Napoli doubled and scored on a single by Carp.  That double was Napoli’s twenty-second extra-base hit this year, a number that leads the Majors.  Middlebrooks had walked, and he scored on a sac fly by Drew.  We had great scoring opportunities in the third, fourth, and fifth, but we didn’t take advantage of them.  It’s worth mentioning that we walked four times in the fourth, but the Jays were saved embarrassment thanks to a double play and a groundout.  We scored the game’s final run in the sixth; Ross walked, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Ellsbury.

Every game can’t be a slugfest.  Between yesterday and Tuesday, we showed that we can win with any lead, both big and small.  That skills is going to come in very handy.

AP Photo

Read Full Post »

Slug

Revenge is a dish best served cold.  But I’m more partial to a different variety, one preferably served with lots of runs.  Buchholz is now the only six-game winner in the Majors, obviously, and his ERA is 1.01.  Yes, indeed.  His ERA is only 0.001 above 1.00.  He has pitched at least seven innings in all six of those starts, and he has accumulated at least six strikeouts in five of those games.  He’s struck out a grand total of forty-seven batters so far.  And he has allowed two runs at most in each of his starts.  Pretty amazing, if you ask me.

It’s a shame Buchholz couldn’t stay in for the entire game.  He threw 101 pitches after seven innings of work.  Did I mention that those seven innings were shutout innings? He gave up three walks, two hits, and no runs.  And let’s not forget about his eight strikeouts, of course.

His first strikeout came in the first; it was called and ended with a curveball.  No strikeouts in the second, but it’s worth mentioning that it was a one-two-three inning that required three groundouts on ten pitches to finish.  Buchholz gave up a single in the third, but his three outs all came via the K: one swinging on a fastball, one looking on a fastball, and one swinging on a curveball.  He got another swinging strikeout on a curveball in the next frame.  And he completed a textbook, three-pitch strikeout to end the fifth; it was another one-two-three inning, and it ended on a ninety-five mile-per-hour fastball.  The sixth was yet another one-two-three inning ending with a called strike on a fastball clocked at ninety-six.  Buchholz ended his start in the spirit in which he pitched it: with a three-pitch strikeout, called on a fast fastball.

It was most definitely Buchholz’s best start to date.  Keep in mind, of course, that that doesn’t say much.  Usually that means that what you’re describing wasn’t actually that good.  In this case, it means that the general body of work to which you’re comparing what you’re describing wasn’t actually that bad.  I still can’t get over the fact that his ERA is 1.01.

It took the efforts of both Wilson and Mortensen to pitch the eighth.  Wilson gave up a single and an RBI triple in addition to a walk and two strikeouts; Mortensen secured the last out of the frame.

In the end, we provided a substantial cushion for the entire pitching staff.  The difference between yesterday’s game and Monday’s game was the pitching performance.  And a few extra runs for good measure.

The Jays’ staff was as horrendous as ours was glorious.  Other than Ellsbury’s single, nothing happened in the first.  The second began with two flyouts, but then Middlebrooks got hit and the Jays paid.  Drew took a fastball for a ball and then got one he liked and laid into it, smacking it out to right for a two-run shot.

Gomes walked in the third, but nothing else happened.  Then the fourth rolled around, and it was awesome.  Napoli and Nava smacked back-to-back jacks.  They both unleashed on the third pitches of their at-bats; Napoli got a changeup and Nava got a cutter, and the two were almost the same speed.  Napoli hit his ball out to center, and Nava hit his out  to left.  It’s always a pleasure to do that double-take and then realize that you’re actually seeing two home runs, not simply replays of one hit earlier.  We went down in order in the fifth.  We had the bases loaded in the sixth with one out, but Drew ground into a double play to end the rally before it got started.  Either way, at that point we could have just stopped playing, and we would have been fine.

But we didn’t.  With two out in the seventh, Gomes walked, Pedroia singled, and Gomes scored on a wild pitch.  Papi walked intentionally, and Napoli worked the count 3-0.  He got a fastball and crushed it to left center.  One swing.  Three runs.  If a game could be won by degrees, then the game was really, really won at that point.

We had two runners in scoring position in the eighth but did nothing with the opportunity.  Not so in the ninth.  Pedroia grounded out to lead it off, and then Carp got in on the long ball action.  During that at-bat, he received nothing but sinkers.  Four straight.  He took the first two for balls, the third for a strike, and he homered on the fourth.  Then Napoli doubled and scored on a single by Nava.

All told, we racked up eleven hits.  Two of them were doubles, and four were home runs, two of which were Napoli’s.  Papi’s double extended his hitting streak to twenty-two games, a career high.  So more than half of our hits were for extra bases.  We went two for eight with runners in scoring position and left six on base.  But I really don’t think that there’s anything to complain about.  It was just a good, old-fashioned slugfest.  We won, 10-1.  It felt good.  And it felt right.

In other news, the B’s beat the Leafs, 4-1.

CP Photo

 

Read Full Post »