Let’s set the stage. We’re on a losing streak and in last place. Wakefield takes the mound hoping to end that against a team that always gives us trouble. This is after a twelve-inning loss pitched almost exclusively by the bullpen, so the relief pitchers are shot. So the longer Wake can pitch the better, and if he holds the A’s at bay that’s good too. And if the lineup gives him run support that’s great. But the priority is for Wake to go deep and give the ‘pen a much-needed and well-deserved rest.
So Wake considered all that and went out and did his job. He said after the fact that the only thing he was thinking about going into the game was that he needed to go deep because of what happened two nights ago. That’s a real team player. This is the guy who refused to pitch in the 2007 World Series because he was hurt and knew he wouldn’t be on. That was what he wanted to do. And that’s exactly what he did. It just so happens that it was a no-hitter bid into the eighth inning. Kurt Suzuki quickly took care of that with a base hit into left field. At least it was a clean hit and not the result of some questionable play. But it was a no-hitter bid into the eighth. The knuckleball was dancing and everything. We’ve seen him do this before but not as deep; he had a bid going last year in Tropicana Field against the Rays that ended in the sixth or seventh. But he really deserved that no-hitter. Like I said, he’s a team player, and he continues to be Boston’s unsung hero year in and year out. If you ever seriously need a pitcher to step up, Wakefield’s always right there. He went the distance. It was his first complete game in exactly three years; his last was on April 15, 2006. He ended up giving up two runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts to bring his ERA down to 3.00.
And I give a lot of credit to George Kottaras. He hasn’t even made five Major League Starts, and he already was well on his way to calling a no-no.
The other great thing about yesterday was that, finally, we batted around. I’m telling you, we looked like ourselves again. Bay went two for four with a walk, and Lowell was perfect at the plate. An RBI for Nick Green, two RBIs each for Lowell and Ellsbury, and three for Drew. Lowell hit a two-run homer in the second, and Drew hit a three-run homer in the eighth. We scored six runs in that inning. When a no-hitter is in progress, there is nothing more irritating than having your team bat around, but in retrospect it was fantastic. This could be the break-out of some of our slumping guys. I mean Lowell and Drew found their slugging strokes, and Ellsbury batted one in. For once, we batted .500 with runners in scoring position. The only possible downside this is that it takes time to put together all those runs, and Wakefield had a twenty-five-minute wait before going out to pitch the bottom of the eighth. It’s possible that’s what cost him the no-hitter. When a pitcher’s in the middle of a no-no, they sit in the dugout and nobody talks to them. Baseball is a very superstitious game. It’s possible that, with all that time to himself, Wakefield thought things over a little too much. But like I said, either way he did his job. Takashi Saito sat down as soon as he got up, and Wakefield went right back out there and pitched the ninth. One thing is most definitely for sure: ladies and gentlemen, Tim Wakefield’s still got it!
There were some scary defensive moments before the eighth. One of the A’s reached on an error by Lowell, so that scoring saved the bid. Then Nick Green made a phenomenal catch in the seventh to save it; he jumped up and twisted to grab the ball. And of course Ellsbury was very busy in center field and chased down a fast-flying ball in the eighth. Did the same thing for Buchholz. An interesting statistic down the road will be how many no-hitters Ellsbury started for.
But really we can’t complain. Wakefield did exactly what he wanted to do: rest the ‘pen. Anything else was just a bonus. But what is it about The Coliseum? Schilling had a bid going into the ninth inning but couldn’t close the deal. (That was a bit different, though, because he shook Tek off, but still.) On the bright side, there were a lot of Sox fans in the crowd, so it felt a little like home in that respect.
Lowrie will not need wrist surgery, Lugo could start his rehab next week, and Smoltz is scheduled to start his rehab on Saturday. Dice-K is on the DL with arm fatigue. No surprise there. The World Baseball Classic is obviously at fault. Why else would arm fatigue start to kick in during his second start of the season? And because Bud Selig is responsible for instituting the World Baseball Classic, you could argue that Bud Selig is at fault. So thank you very much, Bud, for knocking out our Number 2 starter less than a month into the season while we’re trying to emerge from one of the worst season starts we’ve ever had.
In other news, the TD Banknorth Garden will be called simply the TD Garden starting in July. But what I really like is the fact that TD is keeping “Garden” in the name. That’s key. And the Bruins start their playoff run today at 7:00PM against the Canadiens in Boston. We’re coming off a great win against the Islanders, and we’ve played well all season long, especially against the Canadiens. I’m so psyched. Let’s see what we can do.
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