Texas 5, Sox 4
WP: Mahay (1-0)
LP: Beckett (11-2)
SV: Gagne (9)
HRs: BOS- Youk (9); TEX- Sosa (14)
SUMMARY
Boston was cruising with an early 4-0 lead before the wheels fell off for Josh Beckett.
Beckett allowed Texas to tie the game by allowing four runs in a sloppy fourth, then gave up a tracer to Sammy Sosa with one out in the fifth that proved to be the game- winning run.
#1 STUNNER Sosa 2-4, 2R, RBI, HR
One day after whiffing three times including once with the bases loaded, the resurgent slugger gave his team a big boost with his 5th inning Monstah shot, career homer #602.
PAN'S FAUN Julio Lugo 0-0, CS
Beckett should've grabbed this honor, but it was The Man Who Can Do No Right who earned it for his brief cameo in this one.
Pinch running for Dustin Pedroia, who doubled with two outs in the 8th, Lugo picked a bad time for his first 'caught stealing' of the season as his boneheaded decision to swipe third with Youk at the plate ran Boston right out of a potential game-tying rally.
When it rains...
RECAP
The game just ended and I'm still not really sure what happened.
One minute Boston was throwing runs on the board like crazy and threatening to blow the game open, the next thing I know Beckett is making like Julian Tavarez, and with one swing of Sosa's (supposedly) uncorked bat the Sox turned what looked like a sure win into a disappoining loss.
Yet despite the early cushion the signs were there for another potential Sox collapse, as once again the team's maddening tendency to leave large amounts of men on base prevented what could have been a comfortable victory.
Boston may have scored two times in each of the first two innings off shaky starter Robinson Tejada, but with six men left stranded and a gut-punching double play thrown in, the boys missed out on a couple of big opportunities to put this one out of reach early.
Tejada (4IP, 5H, 4ER, 6BB, 4K, HR) was nowhere near the pitcher he was when he shut out the Sox for seven innings on two hits back in early April; two problems have plagued him since that start-walks and home runs- and tonight he got burned by both once again.
Boston batters wasted no time getting to Tejada in this one as Pedroia, leading off in place of Coco, walked to open the game and Youk followed with the first of his three walks on the night.
Three pitches later Papi deposited a single to right to plate Pedroia, and just minutes into the game the Sox did something they weren't able to do at all last time they faced Tejada-score a run off of him.
But after Tejada wild pitched Youk and Papi over to second & third, Boston couldn't capitalize; Manny grounded out without advancing the runners, and after Drew was walked to load the bases, Lowell hit a deep sac fly to score Youk, but Varitek struck out to let Tejada off the hook allowing just two runs.
Boston really had a chance to chase Tejada in the second when five batters reached base, but they could only score two more runs despite Tejada's rising pitch count and inability to find the strike zone.
Alex Cora, making his second straight start for the slumping Lugo, led off the frame with a triple, and after Jacoby Ellsbury, in his first major league at bat, tapped out meekly to the catcher and Pedroia struck out swinging, Youk followed with his 9th homer of the season, a deep blast to the back row of the Monstah seats that made the score 4-0 Boston just 11 batters into the game.
So when the Sox left the bases full after Tejada walked two and hit one following Youk's homer, it didn't seem like a big deal the way they were spanking the ball.
Little did we know that those would be the final runs Boston would score on the night, or that Josh Beckett wouldn't be able to hold a four-run lead for the first time this season.
Things went sideways in a hurry in the fateful fourth. After Michael Young grounded out to start the inning, Sosa followed with a single to left, and when notorious Sox killer Frankie Catalonotto (3-4, R) beat out an infield single, Nation members started to get that queasy feeling deep in their guts.
Those feelings proved justified when Marlon 'member me? Byrd lined a single to right to score Sammy, and after Brad Wilkerson ripped a double to deep center that scored the Cat & Byrd, all of a sudden that once commanding lead was sliced to a single run, 4-3.
But not for long.
After Gerald Laird popped up to his counterpart Tek on a foolish bunt attempt for the second out of the inning, it looked as if Beckett & Boston might escape the frame with the lead intact.
Then Ramon Vazquez ripped a grounder to second that Pedroia muffed for a questionable hit, sending Wilkerson to third, and instead of being out of the inning Beckett had to face the red-hot Kenny Lofton, who was coming off a four-hit, four-steal night and had struck out looking on a questionable call to open the game.
This time Lofton had the last laugh as he drove a single into rightfield to score Wilkerson with the tying run, and just like that Boston's once luxurious lead had melted away before anyone watching even knew what happened.
As if blowing a four-run lead and potentially a starting spot in the All Star game weren't bad enough, Beckett (5IP, 10H, 5ER, 0BB, 4K) ruined the whole schlamiel by becoming the 365th pitcher to allow a homer to Sosa on a 2-1 fastball that gave Texas the lead and would signal the beginning of the end for Becks.
With both starters gone after that it was up to the bullpens to keep the score where it was, and with Boston & Texas posessing two of the top five bullys in the American League, it came as no surprise that the relief corps did just that.
Ron Mahay, Joaquin Benoit and Akinori Otsuka combined to shut the Sox down, allowing just three hits and a walk over four innings of work, while Boston got quality outings from Javier Lopez, Kyle Snyder (3Ks in 2 inns) and Mike Timlin to hold the Rangers at five runs and give the Sox a chance to pull out the win.
And they had a good chance to do just that when Pedroia lined a double into the leftfield corner with two outs in the 8th against Otsuka.
Needing speed on the bases to get the tying run home should Youk rope one to the outfield, Tito removed Pedroia and pinch ran Lugo, who was ice cold not only at the plate but as far as not having played in three days.
That iciness showed when he decied to tempt fate and steal third despite the fact that Youk was having a big night and he could've scored from second if the hit was deep enough.
No matter. Lugo cruised into third looking like a man who lost his mind, clumsily stopping then barrelling into the third baseman Travis Metcalf, finally flipping over the base before removing his foot and getting called out stealing for the first time this year.
Nice timing, Ice Man.
After that it was up to the artist formerly known as Eric Gagne to shut the door, and the guy who looks like "Knocked Up"s Seth Rogan on an all-Twinkie diet set the Sox boppers, Youk, Papi & Manny, down in order to close out a tough loss for the Sox, who have now lost five of seven and finished June under .500.
Not exactly the uplifting, winning streak-starting victory we had hoped for from Beckett, and with Tavarez going tomorrow afternoon it would have been nice to win this one and ensure at least a series split.
Now we've got to rely on Julie and Gabby to pull the series out for us.
Uh, when does Schill get back again?
NOTES
- Texas is now 28-0 when leading after eight innings, and the recovered Gagne is suddenly a hot trading cvommodity for a contending team
- June swoon: Boston's late losing skid cost them a shot at finishing each of the first three months over .500; they ended the month 13-14
- Welcome to the Show: Ellsbury had a difficult debut, check-swinging into an out in his first ML at bat and failing to get the ball out of the infield, plus he misplayed Wikerson's double off the wall. But he did notch his first ML hit when Young underestimated his blazing speed and nonchalantly threw to first on a grounder to short in the third. Kudos, kid
- More Ellsbury: he's believed to be the first Native American of Navajo descent to play in the majors. Kudos, again, kid!
- Coco crushed: the thumb injust he incurred on that ill-fated dive in Seattle is proving to be more serious than originally thought, and if it doesn't heal soon, look for a retro DL stint to span the AS break
- Cora had a triple and double in his first two at bats, and that combined with Lugo's baserunning blunder will hopefully keep him in the lineup for a few more games
- Lugo had been 20-20 in steals on the season, about the only thing he had been doing right-until now
- Youk had a wild game; along with his homer he had three walks and was standing at the plate facing Otsuka when Lugo got nailed. He then had to lead off the ninth against Gagne (he flied out.)
"When they give me four early runs like that, I've got to go out and shut the door."--Beckett. Ah, yeah, that's what we expect the best pitcher in baseball to do.
"Our bullpen has been outstanding and they came in and did a great job." --Texas manager Ron Washington
"We don't want to put ourselves in that situation too many times, but we're showing a lot of confidence that we can come from behind and fight to the end."--Wikerson, on facing Beckett and being down by four runs
RECORD: 49-30
AL EAST: Up 10*
STREAK: L-1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Sun vs. TEX 2:05
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