The youngsters come through with
help from Big Papi and Koji doing what he does best, save the game quickly with
no stress on our hearts.
Win #2, as the Red Sox down the
Orioles 4-3 in Camden Yards and take their first series win of the year.
It seems that the expectations that
came with rookie Xander Bogaerts are the real thing. Bogaerts continued his hot hitting by going 3
for 4 scoring 2 runs and is off to a fast start this season already batting
.556. The biggest thing I’ve noticed
with X-Man, is that he doesn’t seem overwhelmed or nervous. His poise and approach at the plate has been
almost veteran like and for a 21 year old, it’s quite impressive.
Fellow youngster, Jackie Bradley
Jr., who’s had a rough go at it as of late with a terrible spring and losing
his starting role to Grady Sizemore, had a good day at the dish going 2 for 4
with a run scored and a RBI. He got the
start in centerfield as the Sox gave Sizemore a day off for rest and
contributed in a big way.
Will Middlebrooks also found his
stroke as he went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a double. Will really needed a day like this after
going 0-fer in his first 2 games. It’s
important for him to get off to a good start so he doesn’t get into his own
head. A slump to start the season will
really hurt his psyche especially after he tore the cover off the ball all spring.
Jonny Gomes batted lead-off, yes,
you read that right. I thought that was
just a Spring Training thing but apparently John Farrell is actually going to
bat him leadoff against lefties this year.
I can’t bang on Farrell too much for the decision though as he did
produce by getting on base twice with a hit and a hit by pitch. Although, he did strike out twice as
well. Without a true leadoff man this
year, get used to seeing Gomes’ name penciled in the leadoff spot against
lefties.
Pedroia, Nava and David Ross,
starting in place of A.J. Pierzynski all had a hit in the game. Ross also had an RBI and a walk and Pedroia’s
hit was a double. David Ortiz went 3 for
5 and drove in a run in the game as well.
Overall the Sox put up 14 hits but struggled with runners in scoring position, going 2 for 10 leaving 9 men on base. It looks a lot like last year again at the start of the season. HAVE to get better with runners in scoring position, just have to.
Lefty, Felix Doubront took the
mound in his first start of the season.
While he wasn’t spectacular he did just enough to get the win. He went 5 and 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs
on 6 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4.
His command wasn’t sharp and he left a lot of pitches up in the zone and
against a good hitting team like the Orioles, they’ll make you pay. His toughest inning was the 4th where
the O’s were able to get 2 runs off of him.
The inning opened with a
wall-ball double by Chris Davis and it looked as if Felix would get out of it
unscathed as he induced Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz to ground out for 2 quick
outs. But Matt Wieters doubled in Davis
and Delmon Young singled in Wieters to get the O’s back in the game at 3-2.
The 5th was a good
bounce back inning as the retired the O’s in order but he left in the sixth
after a single and a flyball to make way for Brandon Workman. Workman allowed the inherited runner to score
but the bullpen would retire get the final 11 outs to nail down the win for
Doubront.
Workman, Chris Capuano and
Junichi Tazawa all did their jobs setting up birthday boy Koji Uehara for the
save.
Capuano, in his first appearance
in a Red Sox uniform, retired all three batters he faced while striking out
one. Junichi Tazawa had a scary outing,
allowing 2 hits but was able to work around the 2 hits and get out of the
inning with no damage.
Uehara came in for the ninth and
recorded his first save of the season on his 39th birthday. It was a blink-and-you-miss it save of only 7
pitches. He struck out 1 and got the
final 2 hitters to pop-out in foul territory.
The guy is simply amazing and Buck Showalter, the O’s manager, had some
words of admiration for him after the game, saying:
They have grasped how to use him, No. 1," said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. "A lot of guys, you've heard about hitters who are ambush hitters. He's an ambush pitcher. One of the few I've seen. He spins the ball real well with his fastball. That's why velocity doesn't matter. I think they said he has more rotation on his fastball than anybody else.
"He slows them down with a get-me-over slider, and a split for the left-handers. He's got a lot of weapons. And that's a sharp knife. If you can ever get him in that 15-pitch margin, you've got a chance. He doesn't really give you time to make the adjustments with the late life on the fastball, so you get ambushed by him early."
Of the 7 pitches he needed to complete the save, 6 were strikes. He’s not only ridiculously dominant but he’s also pretty damn efficient.
It was a nice way to finish off
the series and now the hometown boys will head back to Boston for the home
opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Jake Peavy will get his first start of the season and he’ll be opposed
by Marco Estrada. Estrada was 7-4 last
year with a 3.87 ERA in 21 starts for the Brewers. He’s a tough righty and the Sox will have
their hands full today.
SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE –
GAME MVP
Koji Uehara. A 7 pitch save with a strikeout? 6 of 7 for strikes? Just crazy how dominant he’s become.
ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP
Mike Napoli. That’s just how baseball goes I guess. One day you’re the game MVP, the next day you’re
the loser of the group. Naps went 0 for
5 with 2 strikeouts on the day.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Jackie Bradley’s RBI single in
the top of the 6th to plate Will Middlebrooks. It was the fourth run of the game and it
proved to be the game winner.
NEXT
Friday, April 4th at home vs. the
Milwaukee Brewers.
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