Thursday, June 5, 2014

Game 59 – 6/4/2014 – in Cleveland vs. the Indians

RESULT – LOSS 7-4 (12 innings)

A long night gets even more dreadful as the Indians walk-off on the Sox in extras with a 7-4 win to complete the 3 game sweep.

The game started at 9:35 after a 2 and ½ hours rain delay and when all was said and done, it was 2:02 in the morning when Asdrubal Cabrera hit a walk-off 3-run homer in the bottom of the 12th to finish off the Sox and sweep them out of Cleveland.

It is the 5th time the Sox have been swept this season and the 6th time they have been walked-off on.  In the 3 game series against the Indians, the Sox led just once, Wednesday after an Ortiz 6th inning homer gave them a 2-1 lead.  They now fall to 5 games under .500 and 8 and ½ games behind the 1st place Toronto Blue Jays.  It’s the biggest deficit they have had all season.

I get the Sox were at the end of their bullpen but putting Edward Mujica in a close situation right now is just not a good option.  In fact after this disaster of an outing, the Sox may just cut ties with the terrible relief pitcher.  He just doesn’t have it anymore; he lost it at the end of last year and still can’t find it.  In 1/3 of an inning last night, he let up 3 runs on 3 hits including the walk-off bomb.  His ERA is now up to a disappointing 7.29 as he’s allowed 17 earned runs in just 21 innings.  He’s also given up 28 hits, 7 walks and now 5 homers in those 21 innings of work.  The Sox have tons of options at Triple-A so it’s likely the Sox will cut ties with the right-hander.  If they don’t, they are just plain stupid at this point, the guys a bum.

The starter on the night, Brandon Workman didn’t do great but didn’t do terrible either.  Another so-so effort on his part has he went just 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 3.  It’s likely that he’s a 5, maybe 6 inning starter at this point as he seems to struggle after 5 innings of work.

Chris Capuano didn’t help causes either as after Workman was lifted in the bottom of the 6th after allowing a walk and then a single to put runners on 1st and 3rd, Capuano gave up an RBI single to Jason Kipnis to tie the game at 2.  He then would allow 2 more singles in a row to put the Sox down 4-2 before he was lifted for Burke Badenhop.  All in all, he allowed 1 earned run (2 inherited runs) on 3 hits without recording an out.

Burke Badenhop came in and settled things down going 1 and 1/3 innings allowing nothing.  Craig Breslow took over for the next 1 and 2/3 and allowed nothing as well while striking out 2.  Junichi Tazawa tossed a scoreless inning working around a hit and striking out 1 and Koji Uehara allowed just 1 walk while striking out 2 in his 2 innings of work.  Then Mujica came in and just stunk up the joint.

But you can’t win games when you don’t get any offense and the Sox were again putrid with the bats, getting 4 runs on only 7 hits while stranding 8 men on base and going 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position.  They struck out 14 times as a team and their batting average on the night was a ghastly .167.

David Ortiz went 2 for 4 with a run scored, 2 RBI, a walk and his 13th homer of the season.  Brock Holt went 1 for 6 with 2 RBI.  A.J. Pierzynski went 1 for 3 with a double before getting tossed arguing balls and strikes in the bottom of the sixth.  Daniel Nava, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Dustin Pedroia all had a hit in the loss.  Stephen Drew scored a run and walked once while everyone else did jack sh..

Just an awful series and the Sox will get a much needed day off before heading to Detroit to do battle with the Tigers.  It doesn’t get any easier folks as the Tigers are one of the best, if not the best team in the league.  Here’s hoping the Sox bats can come alive sometime soon.

SHAVING CREAM PIE TO THE FACE – GAME MVP
David Ortiz.  Ortiz reached base 3 times and hit his 13th homer of the season on a night where the rest of the offense couldn’t get anything going.

ELBOW TO THE FACE – GAME LVP
David Ross.  Ross came in for Pierzynski and struck out in his only 2 plate appearances.  I know he brings a lot of leadership to the team but he absolutely can’t hit and is a liability every time he comes to the plate.

PLAY OF THE GAME
The walk-off 3-run homer by Cabrera to win the game in the bottom of the 12th.

NEXT
Friday, June 6th in Detroit vs. the Tigers.

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