When was the last time that we scored literally no runs? I remember scoring a lot of runs. I remember scoring a handful of runs. I even remember scoring almost no runs, a scenario with which we have both won and lost. But I find myself now in the fortunate position of being unable to recall exactly when we lost and scored zero runs. It was a bad case of extremes. Our pitcher’s horrendous day happened to coincide with their pitcher’s great day. What are the odds?
Doubront had a great first inning; he gave up a single but then recorded three straight outs to end the frame. After recording the first two outs in the second, he gave up a double and two singles that resulted in only one run that inning. He gave up three singles in the third but didn’t allow any runs. All in all, his first three innings were perfectly respectable. There were signs of trouble; he allowed too many hits than he should have and was fortunate to escape relatively unscathed. But it all unraveled in the fourth.
Doubront induced a popout and then gave up a single. He got a strikeout and then gave up two consecutive singles, a walk, a double, and another single. All told, five runs scored. That last single was technically given up by Wilson, but the runner who scored was inherited, so there you go. Wilson, taking his cue from Doubront, gave up two singles and a double in the fifth that plated the game’s final run. The sixth proceeded without incident, as did the first half of the seventh. Mortensen pitched the rest of the seventh as well as the eighth.
Doubront’s three-and-two-thirds innings constituted the absolute worst start of his career. That’s a fact. He walked one, struck out two, and gave up six runs on twelve hits. We have seen him, start in and start out, maneuver himself into and out of jams repeatedly. At some point, some lineup was bound to figure out a way to capitalize on those jams. It happened yesterday.
Our performance at the plate was nothing short of disgraceful. We went down in order in the first. Papi singled to lead off the second. We went down in order again in the third and fourth, the latter despite Victorino’s single thanks to a double play. The same occurred in the fifth when Middlebrooks walked and the inning still ended after three came up. Ciriaco and Ellsbury hit back-to-back singled in the sixth, but nothing materialized. Gomes singled in the seventh, Ellsbury singled in the eighth, and we went down in order in the ninth; Derek Lowe of all people closed it out.
And that’s how we managed six hits, one walk (belonging to Gomes), and only two runners in scoring position all game long. The final score was seven-zip, most definitely not in our favor.
Everyone gets shut out during a long season, but I’ve learned to deal with those shutouts because they happen more rarely than most teams!