Game 100 Recap • Athletics 8, Red Sox 6

WIN: Brett Anderson (6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, 102/61) 6-8
LOSS: Brad Penny (5 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 100/58) 7-5
SAVE: Andrew Bailey (13)

Before Brett Anderson threw a pitch last night and before any of the Red Sox offense could do anything, Oakland had stormed out to a five run lead. Let's just say Penny got off to a rough start. How rough?

The very first pitch of the game was hit into the monster seats by Adam Kennedy. The very next pitch was a single by Orlando Cabrera. Third pitch was a strike to Kurt Suzuki, but then the fourth pitch was whacked into CF for a base hit.

Four pitches into Brad Penny's outing, there were runners at first and second and a run in. After that, Penny had trouble finding the strike zone. He walked Jack Cust on five pitches to load the bases with 0 out. Ryan Sweeney reached on a fielder's choice which scored O-Cab. Tommy Everidge walked on seven pitches to load the bases once again. Mark Ellis hit a pop fly about ten feet behind home plate for the second out and by that point there's light at the end of the top-of-the-first tunnel. Just get the light-hitting Rajai Davis out and you're out of the inning and you've only given up two runs.

Did that happen? No. Davis hit a fly ball deep to left that bounced off the monster and cleared the bases. A three-run double and it's 5-0 Oakland. Mercifully the next batter, Eric Patterson, struck out to end the inning.

Jacoby Ellsbury started off the bottom of the first by walking. Pedroia struck out, then Youk walked. Lyndon stole third and Jason Bay struck out for the second out. Mike Lowell then hit a three-run dong over the monster seats, out of Fenway Park and suddenly the Red Sox were back in the game.

Suddenly it looked like it would be a slugfest. But this is baseball. It's rare when what you expect to happen in a game, happens. There would be no more scoring until the 5th when Kurt Suzuki hit a solo dong into the monster seats.

Penny was lifted after giving up a ground-rule double to Mark Ellis in the 6th, replaced by Justin Masterson. The Big Donkey was not very effective either. Davis reached on an E4, then Eric Patterson hit a double to deep left-center, scoring Ellis and Davis. 8-3 Oakland.

The Red Sox would chip away at the lead. Ellsbury hit a one-out triple in the 7th and was sent home on Pedroia's ground-out to third. In the 8th, Jason Bay made it all the way to third on an E9 (Sweeney and Davis collided trying to catch his fly ball at the warning track. Ball dropped, Bay to third) and scored on Lowell's sac fly. 8-5 Oakland.

The Sox tried to get some more offense going in the 8th. Drew PHed for Baldelli and singled to center. LaRoche beat out a double-play ball, Varitek walked which set the stage for Big Papi to PH for Jed Lowrie and try to tie this thing up. Instead he popped out to third.

Just like in the JoS1 game, the bottom of the final inning did not go by with a wimper. Ellsbury singled to left, Pedroia singled to third, but then Andrew Bailey struck out Youk and Bay. Lowell singled to center, scoring Ellsbury and putting the tying run at first base for Drew, who grounded out to first to end the game.

Sparkling clean water.

***

Yankees beat the Rays 6-2 so we're 3.5 GB. Detroit beat Texas 13-5 so we stay 1.5 GA in the wildcard standings.