GAME 3 – 4/4/2013 - @ Yankees

RESULT - LOSS – 4-2

Well folks, the Sox will not have an undefeated season, no 162-0 this year for the hometown team.  While I doubt anyone thought that I also think the 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners are safe as well with their record 116 wins.  Looking for the sweep, the Sox ran into a pair of familiar faces that just wouldn’t let it happen.

I keep hearing that Andy Pettitte is old and washed up, well, if you watched last night you saw vintage Andy.  It looked like the Pettitte of 2002 not a 40 year old version everyone keeps saying is going to hit a wall soon.  He looked sharp early and was incredibly efficient needing only 94 pitches to get through 8 innings.  He helped his own cause by starting 2 double plays and induced 3 overall in the game.  He simply looked fantastic and did exactly what the Yanks needed him to do, stop the losing streak and give their bullpen a rest.

Then came the dreaded song to all Sox fan.  Every time I hear “Enter Sandman” I cringe.  Even if I’m in my car, I look around and see if Mariano Rivera is running into the street.  Rivera wasn’t sharp and walked the leadoff hitter which is ultra rate and also gave up a shot down the line by Jonny Gomes but he settled down and got young Jackie Bradley looking to end the game.  Rivera gets those corners youngin’, you’ll learn that.  Fun fact, Jackie Bradley was only 5 years old when Rivera threw his first pitch for the Yankees in 1995.

Ryan Dempster’s debut wasn’t terrible.  He had too many walks (4) and seemed to get himself into a lot of 3-2 counts, only lasting 5 innings and throwing 101 pitches.  Dempster allowed the leadoff batter to reach base in each of the first 4 innings, not going to win many game like that.  However, he did strike out 8 batters and his curveball looked really nasty at times.  He only let up 5 hits and most was of the weak variety.  In the bottom of the second he let up a hard hit ground-rule double to Eduardo Nunez but with 2 outs I thought maybe he’d escape the scare.  Boy was I wrong; Lyle Overbay blooped a single into left-center-field to bring in both runs.  Overall though I don’t think he pitched too terrible.  I like what I saw and hope he can build on it going forward.  The homerun to Brett Gardner though is simply inexcusable.  Gardner isn’t exactly known for his power, in fact, his 3^rd inning HR was his first since late 2011.  You’re better than that Dempster but you’re not the reason the Sox lost this game.

Clayton Mortensen pitched two innings out of the bullpen and let up a HR to Francisco Cervelli.  Yes, I said Francisco Cervelli, who again hadn’t homered since 2011.  While Clayton wasn’t terrible, the HR came after the Sox had closed the lead to 3-1 and could have proved very costly had the Sox put one more run across the board in the 9^th.  In the end it didn’t matter though but Clayton is closely becoming Alfredo Aceves like with me.

Offensively, they just couldn’t get anything going.  They didn’t string hits together and when they did, Pettitte stepped up and induced an inning ending double play.  Jose Iglesias had 2 hits, one being a slick push bunt into no man’s world between the pitcher and first basemen.  If you remember, he did the same thing in Game 1, good job Jose of taking advantage of the defense not paying attention.  Will Middlebrooks also banged out 2 hits and drove in a run.  Jackie Bradley missed is first career HR by inches with a wall ball of the right-center-field fence in the 7^th where the Sox saw their best opportunity to get back into the game.  I thought they had it two on a very deep ball to left-center-field by David Ross, but Yankee Stadium is too damn big and Ross hit it to the wrong part of the ballpark to end the threat.  Off the bat, I thought for sure that it was a least a double but big park and the speed of Brett Gardner turned it into a long out and a dagger through the hearts of the Sox.

The Red Sox had a rally going in the first inning when Shane Victorino and Mike Napoli both singled but on a wild pitch, Victorino tried to score all the way from second base and was tagged out by a diving Cervelli to end the inning.  Perhaps Victorino was a bit over aggressive but he did see that Pettitte wasn’t covering and just tried to beat Cervelli to the plate.  He was a step from being safe so I really don’t mind the aggressiveness in that situation.  In the first inning, I don’t mind risks like that.  It seems to be what John Farrell has instilled in the Sox this year and I like it.  Aggressive, pedal to the medal mentality.

The Sox are back at it again this weekend traveling to Toronto to face the revamped Blue Jays. Should be an interesting series as that lineup is downright SCARY!

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP

David Ross.  David hit the ball well tonight going 1 for 3 with one of those outs being a HR in almost every other major league stadium.  The real reason for me giving him the game MVP though was his great play behind the plate.  Dempster throws a ton of curves and sinkers in the dirt.  He had no passed balls and even gunned down two base-runners.  I haven’t seen a Sox catcher throw out a base runner in a long time and for that reason alone I have to give him the game MVP.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP

Jacoby Ellsbury.  On a particularly bad offensive day, Ellsbury was the worst, going 0-4 and grounding into a very costly 8^th inning double play.  For this team to be successful this year, they need Ellsbury getting on base.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The David Ross deep fly to left-center-field that Brett Gardner was able to get to.  The Sox had just cut the lead to 3-1 and Jackie Bradley was on 2^nd base.  If that ball gets over Gardner’s head, Bradley scores and Ross is either on 2^nd or 3^rd and the pressure is all on the Yanks.  If that ball gets out, the games tied and who knows what happens.  Good job by Gardner catching up to that ball.

NEXT

Tonight, Friday 4/5 in Toronto vs. the Blue Jays.