Arizona 5, Sox 1
WP: Johnson (4-2)
LP: Matsuzaka (7-5)
HRs: None
SUMMARY:
A brilliant pitcher's duel between Daisuke Matsuzaka and Randy Johnson was spoiled by shoddy relief work from the Boston pen.
Brendan Donnelly, Javier Lopez and Mike Timlin combined to turn a 2-1 game in the 8th into a 5-1 rout, and Johnson got another victory over the sox while Dice had to settle for a well-pitched loss.
HERO: R. Johnson 6IP, 4H, 1ER, 3BB, 9Ks
The Unit came up big when his team needed it most, setting the tone by fanning 7 of the first 14 Boston batters and keeping the Sox off the basepaths for most of the game.
GOAT(s): Timlin & Tito
I'm not sure who's to blame more for ruining any chance of a Boston comeback, Timlin for making a 2-run error on a routine play, or Tito for using him in a pressure situation in just his second appearance since spending a month on the DL.
Call them Dumb & Dumber.
RECAP:
While the streaking Stankees were demolishing the Pirates to cut their AL East deficit to less than double-digits, Boston was busy trying to complete an unlikely sweep in the Phoenix desert over the recently hot D-Backs.
Ironically it was former Stankee starter Randy Johnson, who wanted out of the Bronx Zoo as badly as Roidger Clemens wanted back in, who threw a wrench in the Sox' plans, shutting down the righty-dominant Boston lineup on just four hits and a run while striking out nine in six innings.
But as good as Johnson was, Dice-K (6IP, 4H, 2ER, 4BB, 9K) was just as remarkable, matching the Unit pitch for pitch, strikeout for strikeout. It's no coincidence that the two ended the up with nearly identical numbers; they were like pitching Twins, yin & dang, separated at birth by thousands of miles and one incredibly ugly mullet.
Both the flamethrowing veteran and crafty rookie had allowed only one run through the first five innings, with Boston grabbing a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth on an RBI double by Lowell and 'Zona tying it in the bottom of the frame when Stephen Drew singled in Orlando Hudson, who had led off with a walk.
Matsuzaka and the Sox were lucky to escape the inning giving up just one run, though; after allowing two walks and Drew's one out single to start the inning, an error by Mike Lowell on a wicked hopper from right fielder Carlos Quentin loaded the bases and had the D-Backs threatening to break the game open early.
That's when Dice did his best Johnson impersonation, freezing Chris Snyder on a sugar sweet curveball for strike three and then blazing a knee-high fastball past the stork legs of Johnson to get out of the jam without any further damage done.
Unfortunately the D-Backs would grab the lead in the sixth when Dice was done in by-you guessed it- another leadoff walk, this time to Conor Jackson. After getting Drew the Younger to fly out, Quentin ripped a double deep in the left centerfield gap that easily scored Jackson and gave Arizona, and Johnson, the lead it would not relinquish.
With both starters compiling high pitch counts and departing after six innings, it would be up to the bullpens to finish it off. Arizona's battered pen needed to hold the lead, while Boston's steady but jumbled relief corps had to keep the game a one-run contest.
At least one group got their jobs done.
Brendan Donnelly relieved Matsuzaka for the 7th and after allowing a leadoff single to Eric Byrnes (3-5) he retired the next three batters without incident. But when he gave up a leadoff single to Jackson to begin the 8th, Tito called the pen and brought in lefty specialist Javier Lopez to face Drew. He walked Drew after a six pitch at bat.
On came Mike Timlin, he of the 17 years in the bigs and 1,110+ innings logged on his rubbery right arm. He was just activated from the DL on Tuesday after spending over a month there with shoulder tendinitis. Wonder why.
As Quentin (there's that fucking guy again!) laid down a perfect sac bunt, Timlin sprinted off the mound, grabbed the ball before Quentin was halfway down the line, then promptly threw it into right field for a horrendous two-run error that effectively ended any chance of Boston staging another come-from-behind win.
A walk and another single made it 5-1, and once Zona closer Jose Valverde got into and out of a 9th inning jam, the D-Backs had slammed the door on any thoughts of being swept at home.
The good news is the road trip is over, and after starting 0-3 the Sox finished 3-1 and got terrific starting pitching the whole time. Dice continued to improve from his previous bout of wildness, Beckett and Schilling were both dominant, and now Boston heads home for a much needed day off before taking on the Rockies at Fenway on Tuesday.
All in all a pretty decent trip out West. Too bad it couldn't have ended on a higher note.
NOTES:
- Due to interleague play: J.D. Drew & Papi got the day off, although Drew's might be injury-related; Wily Mo (1-3) played right, while Youk took first base
- How similar were Matsuzaka's & Johnson's outings? Dice threw 120 pitches, 78 for strikes while Johnson tossed 113 pitches with 71 strikes
- Boston batters managed just six hits from six different players, just one for extra bases (double by Lowell), but they did draw five walks
- Dice-K fanned twice in his first two ML at bats; unfortunately for him they had to come against Johnson
- Opposite ends: Manny went o-1 but scored a run and walked three times with Papi out, but Tek, the hero of yesterday's game, went 0-4 with three Ks; ouch!
- A day after snapping a 15-game hitting streak, Byrnes rapped three hits including a double; BTW, how fucked up is it that the team's best hitter bats leadoff?
- It was a sloppy game defensively as Boston committed three errors (Tek had the other) and Arizona was flagged for one when Jackson bumped into Coco on the basepaths for a rare interference call
- Johnson ran his record to 16-7 against Boston
- RSN Unite: it was another large, loud, Red-clad crowd and the two sides engaged in another Miller Lite-esque "Let's go Red Sox/Let's go D-Backs" chant that echoed throughout an enclosed Chase Field in the late innings
- Welcome back: third baseman Chad Tracy, just activated from the DL, struck out three times vs. Dice-K
- The error was Lowell's 11th of the season
"Our team lost, but overall I feel like I'm improving." --Matsuzaka, who tossed his second straight quality start but has no wins to show for it
"No one wants to get swept at home."--Quentin. Mission accomplished.
RECORD: 40-22
STREAK: L-1
LAST 10: 4-6
AL EAST: Up 9.5 on NYY
UP NEXT: Mon-Off; Tue vs. COL
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