The Night of Buehrle: Sox-Dodgers Game 1

It was a bumpy (although fairly early) start, because the Sox were leading by only one for a long time, I only got to see Crede in the dugout, it was 9:10 when the game finally started, and there were at least two major technical difficulties over at Comcast (No, I couldn’t hear anything Harrelson & D.J. were saying, but I did get to hear a very loud “FU-K!” from Cabrera…), but for the first time in three games, I can say it, “Sox win, Sox win, Sox win!” The Sox extended their lead over Minnesota to 2 games, and finished their first game against the Dodgers with 6-1. I am unbelievably excited to see that they did not let the “incident” at Wrigley get them down.

What an outing for Buehrle! The man with the most un-spell-able name in the history of the Sox picks up his 1000th strikeout, has a great bunt, and how about that save he made when Swisher dropped the ball before the third out at the very bottom of the eighth? Yes, he is the MVP of the game!

I would have started the blog with some sad news, but Buehrle was way too hot to let him be overshadowed. Yes, it was a sad day at third base, where Joe Crede was out for the day ‘cause of a sore back. Get better soon, Joe! And I promise, I’m not just saying that because I love the man! I am saying it because I have my issues with Pablo Ozuna. Although he didn’t pick up any errors during this game, I still can’t say his throwing is as on target as Crede’s. At bat, he produced nothing three times, but managed a walk.

Speaking of replacement, Dewayne Wise stepped up in center field today. I expected Anderson, thinking you need someone with a strong arm out there, but I think the only word I can use for their choice to put Wise out there is “flawless.” He was 3 for 4, sent Swish home, and just blew me away. Wise choice, indeed! (That pun was so lame, it was barely a pun. Sorry guys, it was a late game)

Cabrera was another hot hitter today. He went 2 for 5, and he had an amazing play in the seventh, making up for that error they stuck on him. The guy was out, Swisher hit the base, but the call was for the Dodgers. And speaking of Nicholas Thompson Swisher, he finally got a hit in the eighth, and had a sacrificed fly, been playing great first base overall.

Ok, some not so great things. Alexei was great in the outfield- as usual, but not so hot at bat. No offense to Uribe, but I’m hoping they keep him off the field for the rest of the season. Pierzinski started strong, but was only 1 for 5. Carlos Quentin did go 2 for 5, but his performance seemed about as spectacular as this sentence. J. Dye was A.L Player of the Week. Yay for him, but he apparently let it go to his head quickly. Sure, his first time at bat was rough, but he didn’t hit anything else until his home run. Yes, that’s 17 for the year, but are we aiming blindly for homers now?

Overall, I’m glad the Sox stayed on top today, but weren’t particularly strong. Once again, they had a lot of hits but didn’t make all of them into runs. It definitely seemed as if they would rely on the 2-1 lead until someone would hit a home run at the bottom of the 9th as we have seen in so many games. Hopefully, the Sox don’t rely on the pitching as much as they did tonight, and the bats really get cracking tomorrow.