Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Game of the Day (4/7/14)

On a day with full slate of baseball games, even if the day is relatively uninspiring overall, the best game of a large group is typically rather good.

On a day with only 9 games scheduled and two of those getting rained out, sometimes you get a top result with an unimpressive score - something like Red Sox 5, Rangers 1.

Boston's John Lackey worked a 1-2-3 first inning; Texas starter Tanner Scheppers had a more adventurous time of it, as Daniel Nava was hit by a pitch and David Ortiz reached on an Elvis Andrus error, but Mike Napoli hit into a double play to end the threat. Lackey worked around an Alexis Rios single-and-error in the second, and Scheppers once again raised the hair-raising bar in the bottom of the frame. Xander Bogaerts and AJ Pierzynski both singled with one out, putting runners at the corners. With two away, Jackie Bradley Jr. singled as well to bring in the game's first run. Daniel Nava drew a walk to load the bases, but Dustin Pedroia grounded out to leave them that way.

Shin-Soo Choo hit a two-out triple before being stranded in the third; Boston then wasted a Napoli single when Grady Sizemore hit into a double play. With one out in the fourth, Adrian Beltre and Rios both singled, and a passed ball moved them to second and third. Mitch Moreland then hoisted a game-tying sacrifice fly to center.

The tie didn't survive an entire half-inning, as Pierzynski, Jonathan Herrera, and Bradley hit consecutive one-out singles in the bottom of the inning to reclaim the lead for the Sox. Lackey threw a perfect fifth and worked around an Andrus leadoff single in the sixth. Meanwhile, Boston threatened seriously in the fifth on one-out hits by Napoli and Sizemore; a passed ball advanced them both into scoring position before Pierzynski fanned to leave them there. Scheppers came out for Pedro Figueroa in the sixth; the reliever got off to a rocky start, immediately hitting Herrera with a pitch, but induced a double play from Nava to end the inning.

Texas mounted its most substantial threat to the lead in the seventh. Rios led off with a walk and stole second. Moreland grounded out, moving the tying run to third, but Donnie Murphy popped up for the second out. Leonys Martin walked and stole second, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position before JP Arencibia grounded out to leave both runners on. (It's worth pointing out that Lackey, approaching 100 pitches and clinging to the lead, was allowed to finish the inning.) Boston got a pair of two-out hits against Seth Rosin in the bottom of the inning, a Napoli single and a Sizemore double, and also left both of them in scoring position.

Lackey was pulled to start the eighth, and Choo greeted Chris Capuano with a single, but Prince Fielder hit into a double play two batters later. In the bottom of the inning, the Sox finally broke the game open. Pierzynski led off with a single, Herrera walked, and Bradley reached on a bunt hit; Fielder made a throwing error on the play that allowed Pierzynski to score the third Boston run of the game. Rosin was pulled for Shawn Tolleson, who allowed an RBI single to Nava and then induced three straight forceouts, the first of which (from Pedroia) scored another run. Koji Uehara came in for the ninth and allowed a single to Moreland and a double to Murphy before Martin struck out to end the game.

The final score of this game looks deceptively uninteresting - it was close throughout, and there were only two 1-2-3 innings in the contest. The Rangers tied it once, and had a few decent chances (and one great one) after that, and the Sox kept threatening to put it away but didn't actually do so until very late. The non-consummated rallies leave the game with a WPL of 3.09 - not spectacular, but entirely respectable as a baseball experience.

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