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Read 'Em And Sweep
September 4, 2008
Three games into the month of September, things could not be going more right for the Boston Red Sox. Thanks in part to good starting pitching, a potent offense and above all, the depth that this team has, the Red Sox are at the top of their game so far as this season long marathon is quickly evolving into the final stretch run. Boston is playing their best baseball at the perfect time and it is scary to think that this team is only going to get better upon the return of Mike Lowell, JD Drew, Kevin Youkilis and Josh Beckett.
The Red Sox put the finishing touches on their three game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles to cap off a 5-1 home stand. The final game of this series saw the Boston Red Sox fall behind 4-0 early only to have the score stay that way until the seventh inning when Dustin Pedroia came to the plate. Pedroia got the comeback started by hitting a high fly ball that would eventually come down in the Monster seats to account for his seventeenth home run of the season. Dustin Pedroia has now homered four times in his last ten games and is hitting .512 in those last ten games with 15 runs batted in.
He has just one hitless game in those past ten games but he makes up with his solo 0-for night with three 3-hit games and two 4-hit games. This seemingly never-ending offensive surge for Pedroia has sky rocketed his batting average to a league leading .333. This dominant home stand has been highlighted by Boston’s offense, Dustin Pedroia’s clutch hitting and the amazing defense by the man who lives on Sports Center’s Top Plays, Jacoby Ellsbury. In the top of the fifth inning, Jacoby Ellsbury secured his number one spot on the Top Plays by leaping and taking a home run away from Aubrey Huff.
The one run subtracted from Baltimore’s run column by Ellsbury was a very significant play that helped secure a win. The play is beyond worth mentioning and won’t be seen in any box score but Ellsbury wouldn’t be done making an impact on this game just yet. Down 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning with one out and David Ortiz on first via the walk, who else but Dustin Pedroia came to the plate. Down 0-2 in the count, Pedroia hammered his forty-fourth double of the season to left field to put two men in scoring position.
With a chance to tie the game, Mark Kotsay worked the count in his favor to 2-1 and belted a 93 MPH fastball to deep center field to drive in both Ortiz and Pedroia to tie up the score at four a piece. The two-RBI triple for Kotsay set the stage for a thrilling bottom of the ninth inning that got underway with a line drive single to right field by Alex Cora. Coco Crisp then caught the infield sleeping with a bunt single on the first pitch out of the hand of Orioles reliever, Jim Miller. Jacoby Ellsbury strolled to the plate looking to finish the comeback that he helped start as he squared around to bunt for Boston’s second consecutive attempt at the play.
Knowing that Ellsbury’s speed would have made it nearly impossible to record an out at first, pitcher Jim Miller ran off the mound to field the bunt and attempted to get the lead runner at third. His wild throw to third base was no where near the mitt of Orioles third baseman Aubrey Huff as the throw sailed up the line into left field allowing Alex Cora to score standing up to win the game for the Boston Red Sox on the throwing error by Jim Miller.
The Red Sox picked up game on the first place Tampa Bay Rays thanks to an 8-3 loss to the New York Yankees. A game in which saw the debut of instant replay for the very first time in Major League Baseball when a home run off the bat of Alex Rodriguez was reviewed and the call would stand to help secure the win and a game in the standings for the Sox. Boston will get a day off Thursday before heading to Texas to take on the Rangers for three games. Game one of the three game set will feature the return of Josh Beckett to the Red Sox rotation. After Boston wraps up their series with the Rangers they will return home for a crucial three game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
-Jared Carrabis
-Jared Carrabis
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