Dice-K gave up three runs in the first inning, and I’m thinking that making this start on eight days’ rest wasn’t such a good idea; maybe he needed more, maybe he needed less, but the eight days’ rest probably did something because he was as unpredictable as ever. He threw thirty-four pitches in that first inning alone. That’s unheard of, and it could have been a really bad situation. Wake and Aceves weren’t available, and Lackey was seen in the bullpen. That would have been disastrous for our rotation.
When the Twins went down in order in the top of the second and we scored our first run in the bottom – Youk doubled and scored on Drew’s groundout – I started to remember that, lately, it’s been possible to relax when Dice-K is on the mound.
When we put up a four-spot in the third, that’s when things really started to be fun. Crawford led off the inning with a triple, his first of the season, and scored on Tek’s groundout. Ellsbury then singled and stole second, and Pedroia walked. Ellsbury scored on Gonzalez’s single. Pedroia scored when Youk grounded into a force out. And Youk scored on a single by Drew. Drew was the sixth consecutive batter in that sequence to reach base safely.
Danny Valencia led off the fourth with a home run that bounced off the Fisk Pole and stood through review, and I’m thinking this better not be the start of something bad. Naturally, I wasn’t pleased when Michael Cuddyer threw Ellsbury out at second in the bottom of the inning. Thankfully, Gonzalez decided to celebrate his twenty-ninth birthday with a solo shot of his own in the fifth, which he also hit on the second pitch of his at-bat, a sinker down and away. He just sent that ball to the Monster like it was no big deal. Youk and Papi followed that with two consecutive singles; Youk scored on a groundout by Drew thanks to a throwing error.
Dice-K’s final line was six innings, four runs on five hits, one home run, two walks, and four strikeouts. He threw 102 pitches, sixty-two of which were strikes. All of his pitches were excellent except his slider, of which he maybe threw one all night, and his curveball and cutter, which weren’t as effective as some of his other pitches. Really, it was that first inning that did him in. He probably would have stayed in the game longer had he not thrown at least two innings’ worth of pitches in that single frame. He seemed healthy and picked up the win. Albers came on.
By the time Jason Kubel singled in a run in the eighth, Lowrie had doubled in two more in the previous inning. Bard closed out the ninth, and the final score was 9-5. We won, obviously.
Ellsbury and Gonzalez both went three for five; Ellsbury has a seventeen-game hitting streak, and Gonzalez has hit safely in fourteen of his last fifteen games. Youk and Papi went two for four.
When this series ends after our game tomorrow, our longest homestand of the year will have ended. Currently we’re five and five during the homestand; I want a winning record. Let’s head out on a high note.
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