28 May 2009

Game 49 • Red Sox at Blue Jays • 7 PM

Tim Wakefield (6-2, 3.99) vs. Casey Janssen (0-1, 4.50)

The Red Sox visit the Rogers Centre for the first time in 2009 as the weird scheduling rolls on. It feels like by this point in other seasons we've played up there two or three times. No matter. The Bluebirds will roll out the welcome mat while trying to make the gray team feel as unwelcome as possible. After all, they were fine and dandy on their perch atop the AL East standings before the first pitch in the Back Bay. Let's just say it was all downhill from there. Boston swept the Jays in three at Fenway, and Toronto has not tasted victory since.
L L L L L L L L L.


Have a look at the AL East after Thursday:
BOS: 28-20, --
MFY: 27-20, 0.5 GB
TOR: 27-23, 1.5 GB
FKR: 23-26, 5.0 GB
BAL: 21-26, 6.0 GB
***
Quotes from Thursday's game in Minnesota:

Tito:
I thought [Tichenor] was making it hard on Beckett. I know Beckett yelled in. Tek's protecting Beckett, and I'm protecting Tek. He got Tek, and that's what I didn't want to have happen. I'm not fast enough to get out there in time. I'd rather him throw me out than Tek. Tek's going to have a hell of a lot more to do with the outcome than I am. Sometimes you have to state your opinion.

Beckett won't say what he told home plate umpire Todd Tichenor:
Just some baseball terms. You can't write it. [Television] can't hear it. There's no reason for me to elaborate.

Umpire Crew Chief Jerry Layne:
Varitek was trying to keep his pitcher in the game. Varitek took one for the team, basically. Terry Francona did his job, too. The bottom line is the managers have a job to do and the umpires have a job to do, and it was a different situation to be in as an umpire and I thought that Todd Tichenor did an extremely good job. He handled it the way I like to see a person handle it.

Francona on Varitek's second dong of the game, 427 feet (at friggen least):
That was nice to see. That was a beautiful swing.

Gumball, on the play at the plate:
All right, I'm going. [Jason Kubel] made a great throw. [Redmond] gave me the whole plate, so it wasn't going to be one of those situations where I need to have a collision or anything like that. I could just sense the ball bearing down on me a little bit, so I decided to just stay on the outside and try to get my hand in there. That turned out to be the best thing."
***
What happened to the Rays? Injuries. Percival has shoulder tendinitis, Kazmir has a right quad strain, Iwamura is out for the season with a knee injury, Shouse has an elbow strain, and Bartlett has a strained left ankle. All of these players are currently on the DL.

67 comments:

allan said...

Win.

Jere said...

That 427 number is so bullshit. I went to hittracker just to see what they thought--sure enough, they have it as 454. That was easily a 450-ft dong.

Rob said...

Yeah see, I always thought 427 was very conservative. That was the top of the upper tank there! Every time I saw that home run I kept thinking how in the world is that only 427?

Amy said...

Ish, I didn't even know you were still keeping your blog.

I won't be around tonight or at least not for most of the game.

GO SOX!

Zenslinger said...

How "deep to center" was Ortiz's FO?

And how many bases-loaded situations has he faced? Ugh.

Rob said...

Zen, Castig said "399 and a half feet" so it was 6 inches from the wall.

Rob said...

Did Wake throw a knuckleball to FY?

Rob said...

So each side loads the bases and nobody scores.

Rob said...

We get a loud umpire tonight.

Rob said...

Lyndon loves his ribeye!

Rob said...

Millar looks so ridiculous in that uniform. I feel like more than the other players!

Rob said...

6 hits already.

andy said...

Checkin to the ishblog.

Rob said...

Hey, Andy. Looks like it's sparsely populated tonight. Friday night, alternative site, etc.

Rob said...

Lowell beat the ball. Not the call!

Rob said...

Good Canadian wood!

johngoldfine said...

"Looks like it's sparsely populated tonight. Friday night, alternative site, etc."

But you never know--might be lurkers....

Zenslinger said...

I won't be around too much. But thanks for hosting the thread. RS at the game?

LBJ = RBI

Machine

Rob said...

I think Allan's working tonight but mlb.tv is blacked out since they're in Toronto so all they got is the radio, or something. I don't know what the deal is but here we are.

Yup. Might be lurkers.

Meanwhile Lyndon came back for a second helping of ribeye.

Rob said...

Well aside from baseball, tonight I went to a BBQ restaurant and pigged out on beef brisket, pulled pork and texas beef ribs. Mmmmm. I just wish it wasn't all SMOTHERED with barbeque sauce.

Rob said...

Wow. 5th K for Wake!

Rob said...

5th inning and we're already going third time through the lineup.

Rob said...

Tie game again.

Rob said...

Bah. Wakefield's shatting the bed.

Rob said...

Bard warming.

Rob said...

And that happened.

Rob said...

You just saw everything Rod Barajas had in him.

Rob said...

Wake's done. Bard coming in.

Rob said...

There's some contrast for ya. 66mph knuckleball to 97mph fastball.

9casey said...

Everybody keeps cock blockin the sox with there alt. Friday Night blue jerseys.....

9casey said...

And Ish as far as condiments go BBQ sauce isn't all that bad for ya...

Rob said...

They're wearing the hanging sox hat tonight. If I'm not mistaken they only wore their alternate road unis once this season. Their first road game, in Anaheim.

9casey said...

Ish said...
They're wearing the hanging sox hat tonight. If I'm not mistaken they only wore their alternate road unis once this season. Their first road game, in Anaheim.




I don't remember seeing them

Rob said...

Bunt base hit for the Secret Weapon!


No you're right 9C. I was just hoping to actually taste the meat at least a little bit.

9casey said...

Ish, I asked you this before, but I don't think you answered, you family in Caribou and Aroostook county right, do you know any Shaw's or Johnston's?

9casey said...

Ish said...
Bunt base hit for the Secret Weapon!


No you're right 9C. I was just hoping to actually taste the meat at least a little bit.



I myself like a dry rub and sauce on the side

Rob said...

I have family up in Aroostook County but I don't know any Shaws or Johnstons.

Rob said...

That's what I kept thinking about tonight at the smokehouse. How much better it would be with dry rubs and some sauce on the side.

s1c said...

Walk in to work and Sox are ahead 2-1, get computer and work organized and Sox trail 6-2, not the way I wanted this game to go.

Rob said...

That's the knuckleball for ya. It's like you're always teetering on a cliff. Tonight you fall off.

Rob said...

The was Janseen's been throwing all is not lost.

Hits: Sox 10, Jays 9

Rob said...

FY, Drew, Yook

Rob said...

Fiery dong!!

Rob said...

Solo shot, deep to center on a fastball down the middle. 1 out in the 7th... Comeback definitely is doable.

Rob said...

Brandon League is warming.

s1c said...

Janssen has been lucky all night.

Rob said...

He has been. As I type this Janssen strikes out his FIRST batter of the night.

s1c said...

starting to get poed at my internet connection, slow, slow, sloooooowwww

Rob said...

Mine's not much better. JUST WORK!!!

Rob said...

Wakefield couldn't get the Fuck Train started, but Bard has!

s1c said...

I am really starting to like this Bard guy!!!

Rob said...

Bard is PITCHING too. It's not just fastball after fastball after fastball. He's mixing in his other pitches.

Rob said...

FIVE IN A ROW!!!

Rob said...

Devastating splitter.

s1c said...

fragging kidding me, but then I was worried about this game, most teams just do not lose 10 games in a row.

Rob said...

Wake had 'em until his knuckler went away. Started to stay up and they jumped all over it. Funny how Wake starts their losing streak and he ends it.

Rob said...

2 1/3 IP for Bard, 0 hits and 5 straight K's. Wow.

Rob said...

The ol' 1-5-3 ground out off of Saito's leg. Hope he's ok.

Rob said...

Hit him on the heel of his left foot which looks like an excellent place to get hit.

Rob said...

Secret Weapon, LBJ, and FY for the 9th.

Rob said...

Casey Fossum, 8/27/02 against the Yankees... Last time a rookie has struck out five in a row.

What I loved was how he got them out. Three K's were fastballs and two were breaking balls.

Rob said...

Last licks on this one.

s1c said...

Time for some mf heroics

Rob said...

Or not. :(

The water is clean.

s1c said...

not with a bang, but with a whimper, oh well, drink the clean water and get them tomorrow boys.

allan said...

we were at an afternoon/evening rally to "welcome" war criminals bush and clinton to toronto. (wmtc)

Rob said...

So the Jays weren't the only ones rolling out welcome mats last night.