| 19 August 2009
Okay, so Francona wasn't didn't keep Ortiz out of the lineup because he stinks... he simply sat him against a southpaw. But when Tek checked in with a stiff neck, it was the Big Papi of old that got penciled into the lineup.
Ortiz doubled in two runs in the second, hit a rocketship to center in the fourth and scored the go ahead run in the eighth, starting a 3-run inning that would prove to be the difference in the game.
"It's nice to see," Francona said about the last-minute lineup change. "It shows you what I know. I didn't even have [Ortiz] in there to begin with."
I was nice to see... but Ortiz has a ways to go before I can allow myself to get excited when he steps to the plate. Big Papi is 5 for his last 11 with three ding dongs, two doubles, six RBI and seven runs scored, but he's still hitting just .182 on the month. He seems to be enjoying the 7th spot in the lineup right (.667 BA) so maybe that's a good place for him going forward...
As for the rest of the team... I thank you (and so does Josh Beckett) for your support.
I wasn't a big fan of the Gonzo signing, but if he is going to mess with defenses with the bunt like he did last night, I could be his become his biggest fan. Alex had three great at-bats last night, grounding out to score Lowell early, bunting hi way on and moving Green to third in the 4th and causing a ruckus in the 8th with another bunt that scored Ortiz and put two men in scoring position on an error.
Maybe Gonzo and Ellsbury can wreak some havok together down the stretch... you know?
Bottom Line: Beckett's struggles against Toronto were documented here yesterday, but after solid back-to-back performances on the road, I thought he would get the Canadian monkey off his back last night. Instead, he proved that he is only human, allowing seven runs through 5 1/3 innings.
But we earned the W and it was a big one with Halladay on the mound tonight, the Rangers losing to the Twins (we're now tied in the WC race) and the Rays on a roll (3 games back in the WC hunt).
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
