Boston 11, Chicago 2
WP: Gabbard (4-0)
LP: Danks (6-7)
HRs: None
SUMMARY
For the second straight game the Boston batters tooled on the piss-poor Chicago pitching staff, blowing open a 4-1 game with a 7-run seventh inning that included three bases loaded walks.
Coco Crisp had his second big offensive game in a row and young Kason Gabbard won his fourth game with his second straight stellar outing. Ah, good times.
#1 STUNNER Coco 3-4, 1R, 5RBI
One day after his three-run triple broke open the ballgame Crisp provided not one, not two but three big run-producing hits today. The slim center fielder has now racked up 8 ribbies in his last two games and 16 in the month of July.
PAN's FAUN Wily Mo Pena 0-2, GIDP, E
Starting in place of Manny in left field (who was DHing in place of Papi) and dropped to 9th in the order, Pena's awful error led to Chicago's first run, then he grounded into a double play one pitch after Coco's single in the second. Ay.
RECAP
I think I'll have to miss games more often.
Although the wife & I didn't make it to the beach as planned due to those pesky Florida summer thunderstorms, we did go to the movies instead (saw "Knocked Up"-friggin hilarious) then went to dinner, so I didn't get to watch today's game until after we got home.
Ah, nothing like delayed gratification.
For the second straight game the Real Sox busted out the whooping stick on the ChiSox and slapped another double-digit scoring barrage on the beleaguered Chicago staff.
And the best funny thing about it is that despite scoring 11 runs, they didn't hit a home run and were without the services of slugging DH David Ortiz.
Big Papi injured his shoulder sliding into second base in last night's 10-3 pasting of the Pale Hose, necessitating an MRI on his damaged wing and at least a day or two out of the lineup, meaning Manny had to slide into his DH spot with Wily Mo Pena starting in left.
Although that configuration would quickly come back to bite Boston when Pena muffed a sinking flyball from Paul Konerko in the second inning that was ruled a two-base error, which was followed by a legitimate two-bagger by Josh Fields that plated the first run of the game, it turned out Pena's non-production at the plate and incompetence in the field would not hurt Boston today.
It turned out to be Boston doing all the hurting from the second inning on.
The Sox would grab the lead right back in the bottom of the frame when Chicago starter John Danks (6IP, 7H, 4ER, 3BB, 4K) handed out free passes to Youk & Mike Lowell and then a single by Jason Varitek to load the bases with one out.
In need of a big hit to keep the momentum of last night going and to prevent the team from falling into another "failed to deliver" funk, Coco Crisp, one of the club's hottest hitters, especially RBI-wise, delivered just that, lacing a Danks offering over the shortstop's head for a two run single that gave the Sox the lead and set the tone for the day.
This would not be a game of missed opportunities.
While the suddenly scintillating Kason Gabbard (7IP, 3H, 1R, 1BB, 1K) held the Chicago lineup in check using his assortment of speeds (slow & slower) to induce a slew of groundball outs, Boston batters set about getting the hard-working lefty a little bit more of a lead to work with.
The Sox would tack on two more runs in the sixth when J.D. Drew (1-3, 2R, 2BI, 2B, 2BB) followed singles by Pedroia and Youk with a line drive double to right that scored Manny, and after an intentional walk to Lowell and a fielder's choice by Tek, Coco lined a single to left that scored Drew but the inning ended when Lowell was called out at the plate.
Although for the second straight day replay showed Boston was robbed on a call when reverse angles showed Lowell's foot cross the plate before Toby hall put a phantom tag on his back.
Oh well. The best was still yet to come.
With Danks out of the game in the seventh and Ozzie Guillen forced to go to his anemic bullpen, Boston wasted no time in turning this somewhat close game into a blowout.
The inning started innocently enough when Big Hit Hinske, pinch-hitting for Wily Mo (thank you Tito), lined a single to right field off reliever Ehren Wasserman, who made his major league debut in last night's loss.
Wasserman appeared to escape any harm, though, when he struck out both Julio Lugo (1-5, 3K) and Dustin Pedroia (2-5), but little did we know the fireworks were just beginning.
Well, I guess you technically can't classify a shitload of bases on balls, a single and a triple as "fireworks", but you know what I mean.
After Hinske stole second while Lugo was whiffing (let's assume that was a busted hit & run), Guillen decided to have Wasserman walk Manny and pitch to Youk with two on and two out.
Talk about opening the floodgates.
Wasserman unintentionally walked Youk, then was replaced by--get this--Boone Logan (where the fuck are they getting these guys? isn't that a porn name? no wonder their bully sucks!), who proceeded to walk Drew on four pitches, scoring Hinske with the Sox fifth run of the day.
Wait, it gets better.
Ozzie pulled another name out of his hat and trotted Dewon Day out of the bunker to take one for the team, and Day honorably followed in his teammates footsteps by issuing free passes to both Lowell (0-2, 2R, BI, 3BB) and Cap'n Tek, the latter after an epic 12-pitch at bat, and just like that the score was 7-1 and the rout was on.
But wait, it gets even better.
Four pitches later Crisp ripped a single straight up the middle to score both Drew and Lowell, and when Ozzie left day in to face the tenth hitter of the inning, Hinske responded to that act of kindness with a ringing triple to deep right that plated Tek with Boston's 11th and final run, and suddenly a three game losing streak has turned into a two game winning streak in which Boston has scored 21 runs, rang up 21 hits and walked an amazing 12 times.
See what happens when I start missing games.
Good news, guys: the wife & I rescheduled our beach plans for tomorrow, so let the beatings continue!
NOTES
- Eagle eyes: of the nine walks issued today by Chicago pitchers, the passes were only distributed to five players--Manny & Tek (1 each), Youk & Drew (2 each) and Lowell (3 freebies)
- Coco's crispy: in addition to his hits, which gave him a modest five game hitting streak (7-20, .350), Coco also continued his Gold Glove campaign in center when he made yet another awesome basket catch of a Jose Uribe drive to end the second
- Lugo on top: for the first time in weeks the hot-hitting Julio Lugo was put back in the leadoff spot, and although he responded with a mediocre game, he extended his hitting streak to 11 games and is hitting a superb .465 (20-43) during that time
- Gabbard has now won three straight decisions since his debacle in Seattle, and this week alone he has won two games, allowing just six hits and one run in 16 innings with 2 walks and 9 Ks; can you say "hot commodity"?
- Joel Piniero got in his requisite one inning/one run allowed appearance when he pitched the ninth and gave up a run on a couple of hits, including a double. Old reliable, isn't he...
- Javier Lopez pitched around a couple of hits to toss a scoreless eighth
QUOTES
"Defensively, he's the best center fielder in baseball and offensively he makes things happen."--Pedroia on Coco
"He pitched better than Beckett"--Ozzie call 'em like he sees 'em Guillen on Gabbard
"When you don't get hits and the bullpen did what it did the last two nights, you're going to get what we did the last two nights. A loss."--Guillen
"Wily Mo will never win a Gold Glove"--FOX's Thom Brennaman after Pena's gaffe
RECORD: 58-39
AL EAST: Up 7.5 gms on NYY
STREAK: W-2
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Sun vs. CHI 205
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