27 July 2009

Game 98 • Athletics at Red Sox • 7 PM

OAK: Trevor Cahill, RHP (6-8, 4.50 ERA, 91 ERA+)
BOS: Josh Beckett, RHP (11-4, 3.42 ERA, 136 ERA+)

Yes, this is Oakland's second visit to Fenway this month. MLB's scheduling is weird, isn't it? We go to Chicago to play the White Sox once this year but Oakland comes to Fenway twice. We also went to Anaheim twice. I wonder if it alternates year to year the amount of games played against the central and west division. One series in Chicago, one here. One series in Kansas City, one here. And so on.

Dumb.

Anyways, it seems like yesterday when Cahill last pitched against Boston. July 8th. The Red Sox won 5-4 and Cahill went 5 1/3, giving up 4 runs and 3 walks.

With Beckett on the hill, this should be easy, right? Besides the fact that baseball is not an exercise in statistical analysis and they actually have to play the game, yes this should be easy. In fact, Beckett last pitched against the A's on July 7th. 6 2/3 innings, 2 runs, a walk and 4 K's. Red Sox won 5-2.

The last gamethread that was hosted here was Game 49. This is Game 98. I just thought that was neat.

133 comments:

tim said...

LETS DOOOOOO ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

tim said...

Tasty oatmeal tonight:

Red Sox
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
4. David Ortiz, DH
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Adam LaRoche, 1B
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Jed Lowrie, SS
-- Josh Beckett, RHP (11-4, 3.42 ERA)

tim said...

Oh, and these chumps:

1. Adam Kennedy, 3B
2. Orlando Cabrera, SS
3. Scott Hairston, LF
4. Jack Cust, DH
5. Kurt Suzuki, C
6. Ryan Sweeney, RF
7. Mark Ellis, 2B
8. Bobby Crosby, 1B
9. Eric Patterson, CF
-- Trevor Cahill, RHP (6-8, 4.50 ERA)

Rob said...

Dude, they are chumps.

Rob said...

They are green and dumb and chumpy. Let's stomp them.

9casey said...

I like the lineup more with Green in it.....

tim said...

Indeed. Let's crush these AAAs.

Yeah, Green probably would've been better but hopefully Lowrie hits his stride. He was the #1 until his injuries and stuff, so lets hope he can continue to be #1.

9casey said...

I can't believe they don't let Nomar play here....

Rob said...

BEISBOL. With Beckett throwing 97.

tim said...

Oh yeah, great start.

Rob said...

How'd that feel?

tim said...

Kennedy Space Center looked mighty foolish there.

Maybe Nomar is out because Cust is DH'ing and Crosby is playing first with buck-ninety-three HGH sitting.

Shitty luck there.

9casey said...

I wonder what the chances are that Ocab doesn't go back home with his team?

Rob said...

Beckett's got it going ON tonight! Warm up the Fuck Train!

9casey said...

He didn't throw a ball...

tim said...

Read an amusing anecdote about the Halladay to Philly negotiations, and how both Toronto and Philly are staying at the same hotel this weekend, as Toronto is in Oakland and Philly is in SF.

tim said...

I'm riding first class on this fuck train. Great stuff.

I think this is the third game in a row where our starter's had 2K in the first. I remember Lester had 2 in the first, second and third, only one in the fourth though. Smoltz also had 2 in the first and second, then, well...let's not talk about that.

tim said...

FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rob said...

Quick dinner, back shortly.

Zenslinger said...

Pedey Dong. Nice.

C'mon now, Daveeeeed.

Zenslinger said...

I'd rather see Lowrie in there now. Green's been good to have around this season, but I doubt he's anything special in the long run. Jed I want to see have his chance, like Pedroia did.

tim said...

And THATS why you pay attention at the ballpark.

Zenslinger said...

Suddenly, the trading deadline has me worked up. I kind of thought we'd stand pat, but now the talk about VMart&Lee or Adrian Gonzalez or Terry's mention of names we haven't heard in the press...it has me thinkin'.

Zenslinger said...

Christ, Posada doubles Matsui in from first base. That ball must have found some little corner of the TB OF to bounce around in to give Matsui the time to make it all the way 'round.

tim said...

Rollin, rollin, rollin, rollin, rollin - fuck train...

tim said...

zen, i agree - i read that earlier, and MLBtraderumors has been my addiction as of late.

i want them to make a blockbuster but don't want to give up the farm. i don't mind seeing buch go, but it appears halladay is going to require them to give it all away. something i'm not cool with.

Rob said...

Holy shit Beckett is pissed. How could he not be?

Rob said...

There've been reports on who the Jays are demanding from the Yankees, Angels, Phillies, etc., but I haven't heard who they want. Only that they have made a "multi-prospect proposal"

Rob said...

LaDouble!

tim said...

Good stuff, lets see those 2nd half numbers we were promised!

tim said...

JP also said that if he was going to send Doc to MFY or Boston, they better be prepared to give up an additional prospect "premium" for dealing within the division.

They wanted A LOT from Philly, that PLUS ONE from the sox would rape and pillage pawtucket. Not worth it.

HH for Martinez I could see doing.

Rob said...

Cliff Lee would be pretty good too. He's more of a gamble over Halladay, though.

I'm just curious as to whether JP gets a little desperate as the deadline nears. 3:30 or so he might drop a prospect.

Rob said...

I'm guessing Peter Abraham of the LoHud Yankees blog is joking on Twitter...

"Breaking news: Brian Cashman is talking trade with Adam Rubin. Johan Santana for Alan Horn, Kei Igawa, Cody Ransom and a PTBNL."

Rob said...

Shotty camera work, NESN.

Rob said...

Geren is like, you fucked up man. I can't come bail you out there.

tim said...

Did beckett try to stomp on that?

OMG mini heart-attack, forgot LaRoche was 23 - thought Lugo was playing first.

What the hell just happened? I'm watching without sound.

Zenslinger said...

I'm not waiting for Halladay-to-Boston. Seems too unlikely.

Lee AND Martinez or AGon, that's interesting. The farm's deep. You could argue we should give up a couple of pieces, given that they are blocked in many cases.

JD Drew...since hitting an HR on July 8, his OPS has gone down every single game. I'm a Drew supporter, but that man is a'slumpin'.

Rob said...

I think HH, Bowden and Tazawa for Halladay would be "overpaying" and should do the drink. Who's Casey Kelly? Maybe him instead of Tazawa. HH is MLB ready which is what they want.

Edes says, "the Red Sox could potentially offer the Jays Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard plus minor leaguers such as Michael Bowden, Junichi Tazawa and Casey Kelly. However, Edes' source says the Red Sox aren't going to "give up the farm" in any trade."


Don't fucking trade Bard.

Rob said...

Tim the runner came back round second to tag up but never touched second base. !!!

OW Farrell!

Rob said...

Easy triple for Laura's boy!

tim said...

Triplbj!

tim said...

Yeah, Lee is a bigger gamble with a lower reward as well...

JP could get desperate but he could also hold Halladay until July 31, 2010 and get another season out of him then deal him and get something next year...the only question is if he's worth more or less next year, given his amazing year this year putting his value currently high. Chances are he does the same next year, and JP can deal him as a rent-a-player to a team for the stretch run and probably get a lot from the trader's farm system as well.

tim said...

I saw that comment from Edes earlier today, no effing way Bard is going anywhere. He's the Papelbon of the future.

tim said...

So that was farrell that got smoked by that Ellsbury foul?

tim said...

BecKKKKKKett!

tim said...

YES ECK! YES! HE CAN DO IT BY HIMSELF!!!!

Best idea ever.

tim said...

Fuckin' love this guy!

Gamethread of one, i see.

Unknown said...

Multi-run inning! And no outs yet!

tim said...

Someone else! Hey!

Love how eck is just ripping apart Cahill.

Unknown said...

Damn, double play.

tim said...

Jesus, Ellis. Enough with the bat whipping!

Unknown said...

53 pitches, only 9 balls so far.

Dice-K, I hope you're paying attention.

tim said...

Yup.

10 balls, 47 strikes now. Josh is DEALING!

tim said...

7:27pm: Joe McDonald and Paul Kenyon of The Providence Journal say that Ricciardi wanted pitchers Clay Buchholz, Casey Kelly, and another top prospect from the Red Sox in exchange for Halladay.

I could live with that if the additional prospect isn't Bard, Tazawa or Bowden. How about Lars?

Patrick said...

I'm usually not down with big trades and I'm not now, but Beckett, Lester, Halliday is pretty over powering.

A Conformer said...

Needed a place to talk about how well this game is going. Beckkkkkkkett's looking good, eh?

A Conformer said...

And, offense! Laroche! Yeah, baby!

9casey said...

Casey Kelly, is the pitcher slash ss who throws well but also plays a great short, he is playing short now since he reached his pitch limit

Patrick said...

I love this team, when we can score at least 5 runs a game.

tim said...

Hey gang. Hoping for double digits tonight!

9casey said...

If the Red sox get Martinez imagine him Ortiz and Lowell in the lineup ........slow real slow...

tim said...

Canuck Ribeye!

Patrick said...

What is this May? A Bay RBI?

tim said...

WOW, Oakland manager is letting him fucking fry. Just like before.

A Conformer said...

Double digit runs is just what the doctor ordered, yeah. And I don't mean the gimpy doctor who seems to be losing playing time by the minute...

tim said...

Yup. Just like before.

tim said...

This game should be in double digits right now.

Fucking DP balls are killing us.

A Conformer said...

Fucking DP balls are killing us.

Killing is a relative term: it looks like with the way Beckett pitching tonight, 0.1 runs would be enough to win.

tim said...

Shit, JB - get it together.

tim said...

Washburn, that'd be a decent addition. Wonder if that's one of the names not on the radio that Tito mentioned.

2nd best WHIP (next to Halladay), Lee has the most IP in the league, and Washburns ERA+ is 157 compared to Lee's 143.

A Conformer said...

A walk?!? Shit, I must have really jinxed Beckett. Let's get out of the inning with the shutout, regardless, eh?

tim said...

Fuck. Fuck train temporarily derailed.

tim said...

Well, Ofer - I hope we learned our lesson today.

Your comments on some random website duly impact the results of the game.

A Conformer said...

Well, Ofer - I hope we learned our lesson today.

Your comments on some random website duly impact the results of the game.


The only problem is that you can only know how it will affect them after they happen. Sometimes what I say happens, sometimes the opposite, sometimes neither... funny how that works...

tim said...

Now THAT'S how ya lead off!

A Conformer said...

Leadoff Batter Jacoby!

A Conformer said...

If only the FKR would keep up their end of the bargain... Oh, well, I guess as long as the series goes 2-1 for either team, it's a good thing.

tim said...

I'd rather see it go 0-3 for MFY.

A Conformer said...

I'd rather see it go 0-3 for MFY.

I agree. I was giving up on the game tonight, and mostly just hoping for a non-sweep.

A Conformer said...

For the first time since the 2nd inning I'm thinking the bullpen will get some work tonight.

tim said...

Yeah, tonight is a lost cause unless they pull some of that Toronto magic out.

Hopefully they can bash sabathia and JtC the next two nights.

tim said...

Yeah, I was thinking if JB keeps it to 10-12 per inning he could go the distance. Could still happen this inning, but highly unlikely.

On the plus side, for the first time in as long as I can remember there really isn't anyone in the bullpen that makes me groan when I see them warming.

tim said...

If he gets out of this and has a really efficient 8th, we could see him in the 9th...but if they keep smashing em like they did there, I doubt it.

A Conformer said...

On the plus side, for the first time in as long as I can remember there really isn't anyone in the bullpen that makes me groan when I see them warming.

True. Now that you mention it, when's the last time Saito's pitched?

Checked it. It was yesterday. Hahaha, so much for that...

tim said...

Shit, TB had runners on the corners, 0 out. Scored a run but was on a GIDP.

Burnett should be done after this inning (6) anyway.

A Conformer said...

I think no matter what happens here, he won't be out for the 8th. His 6th and 7th were kinda ugly, with some loud outs.

tim said...

Yeah, he's done after this.

A Conformer said...

Double digit Ks, can't complain about that.

tim said...

Nope. Good game. Was better earlier on but still a very quality start.

Now lets see some triple-digit fastballs and a solid win.

A Conformer said...

This is the time of the night in which Papi shows everybody his dong.

tim said...

Will it be a big dong or a short dong? A pull dong or an opposite dong?

Shattered wood instead.

Rob said...

Well. That was a big fat fail. Had a thunderstorm coming so I headed out to try to catch some lightning with my camera but the storm fizzled. FAIL.

tim said...

Loaded for Lowrie.

tim said...

Ahh, was wondering where ya were.

tim said...

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Jedi!

Unknown said...

Everyone in the lineup now has at least one hit.

tim said...

LBJ lookin to impress.

Rob said...

Yeah I darted out of here before I could type anything. Got a few good sky pictures, though!

I love this score. This is a proper Red Sox/A's game.

tim said...

Balls.

A Conformer said...

I guess this isn't terribly important, but I don't think JB should be out there.

tim said...

He won't finish this inning if he isn't incredibly lights out.

tim said...

Sooooo, Bard?

Eh?

Eh?

Thank you Tito.

Rob said...

Terry being a little Gumpy there. Just a tiny bit.

Unknown said...

"He won't finish this inning if he isn't incredibly lights out."

Something tells me a leadoff triple doesn't count as "incredibly lights out"

tim said...

If you're Cahill and the oakland manager, it might.

A Conformer said...

Bard is gonna go all racist motherfuckers in sheets on these fuckers.

Unknown said...

"If you're Cahill and the oakland manager, it might."

Ha

tim said...

Eck is fucking ridiculous.

A Conformer said...

That's one. Why does Bard have no picture on ESPN gamecast? They've had enough time to realise he's up, no?

Rob said...

That reminds me of Buchholz's no-hitter. He had no picture on ESPN.com

Daniel Bard. Respect his gas.

tim said...

"tardy on the cut"

DRINK!

Rob said...

I love when he hits 100 and the crowd notices and gives him a hand.

tim said...

YEOW! I jumped in my seat.

Rob said...

Annoyed at that base hit. Yes he throws 99-100 but Varitek, have him throw a hook.

tim said...

LOL - love the chirp from a fan that the NESN mic picked up for Ellis, "hey superglue!"

tim said...

Giants just got Garko.

Rob said...

Ask you shall receive.

Rob said...

Haha I was hearing that too! The superglue thing.

A Conformer said...

Giants just got Garko.

I wonder what that means for VMat...

tim said...

Now David, about that dong we mentioned earlier...

Rob said...

Well on MLBTR the going rumor is the Red Sox, meaning sources, I guess, are telling people they are going to pull off something huge.

Hm.

tim said...

baaaaahahahahahahahahahahaha

this must've been a humiliating phone call:

8:58pm: Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune says the Twins asked about Halladay, but were told they weren't on the list of teams he would approve a trade to.

tim said...

MDC!
MDC!
2 outs to go until we taste the dirty dirty water.

A Conformer said...

I'll believe the hugeness when I see it.

A Conformer said...

I love how popups look on gamecast.

Rob said...

Ofer me too. The hugeness.

Rob said...

Hot, steamy dirty water.

Unknown said...

WATER

A Conformer said...

Good, wholesome dirty water.

tim said...

Dirty.

Back to studying, enjoy the game tomorrow everyone that's going!

Rob said...

I'll be going tomorrow so there won't be a gamethread here unless someone would like to host it. Any takers? Shoot me an email. ishwrong@gmail.com

tim said...

Maybe I'll threadlessly watch that one.