Sunday, August 31, 2008

A Questionable Performance: Sox - Red Sox Game 2

Recapping the game in Q & A format.

How did Mark Buehrle pitch? Well, I didn’t keep track, but I’m willing to guess that Groundball Buehrle has less groundouts than Matt Thornton for the night. (As it turns out, he had 4, Thornton had 2. Does this seem like a normal ratio?) He gave up 11 hits and earned 7 runs. Unlike his previous meeting with Boston, where he dominated the BoSox, he let himself get dominated. He gave up just one home run, but it was to Bailey- his first of the season.

How were our relievers? Pretty good. Carrasco faced one batter and got him to ground out. Thornton got two to ground out and one fly out. No strike outs, which struck me as odd, but I’ll take it. And Dotel gave up 2 hits and walked one, but didn’t let anyone score. Clay Richard closed out the game and allowed one run, but got himself out of trouble.

How did our batters do? Well, they could only put together 2 runs in 9 innings, but at least they weren’t shut out like yesterday. Alexei went 2 for 4 with an RBI, as did A.J. but he deserves no accolades since he is guilty of some very questionable decisions while running the bases. Joe Crede’s only hit was a triple, which made me happy enough with him to forget that it was almost a flyout. He was ready to do the Paul Konerko BatDrag to first base (When he grounds out and he knows it, so he drags his bat along the first base line.) when he realized, “hold on a second! I can run all the way to my corner standing up!” It almost looked like he wouldn’t get sent home, but he got home on a groundout by A.J.

So, what was the final score? 8-2

Who was our center fielder? Griffey. Yup, after hit after hit made it into the outfield, the coaches decided we might as well give Griffey some playing time.

How did he do? Well, he had a really good catch that nooo one expected him to make, and wasn’t that much worse than Swish. He hurt Dye’s performance because he has to cover extra ground, but he wasn’t the biggest problem.

Why did the game start 2.5 minutes early? I have no idea.

Who was that other pitcher? Bowden was just called up from the minors. (AA, if I’m not mistaken.) You would think the ChiSox would have been able to take advantage of the fact that he threw about a thousand fastballs and should’ve scared the bejeezuz out of him, but no… he spanked us.

Why is Danks’s start being moved to Tuesday? Well, basically, last year, he got tired and everyone would like to take extra precautions this year and make sure he isn’t suffering from a dead arm. And because Ozzie seems to trust Clay Richard again. Maybe he saw this on the Yahoo! Sports front page:

Is Boone Logan really back? Yes, he is. Or will be. He was recalled from AAA and Broadway was optioned back after today’s game so that he could be eligible for the offseason. And because as much as he struggled in his last few starts with the Sox, he’s probably less dangerous on the mound than Horacio Ramirez. There will be even more additions to the roster Monday, when the rosters expand. Look for a pinch runner, an extra catcher, and possibly Ehren Wasserman or MacDougal. [The Article]

How did the Twins do today? Thankfully, they lost 3-2 to the Oakland Athletics, keeping the Sox in first place.

What’s Griffey’s report card with the Sox so far- And how’s Konerko? Since joining the Sox, Griffey’s been hitting .265 with a .363 OBP. As for PK, he’s hitting .323 this month.

How many games are left in the season? 27. Just 27.

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