it was great to see the Sox bounce back with a game like tonight in the triple-digit heat of Texas. Lester may not have racked up the K's, but he threw 8 innings of shutout ball, getting the outs he needed to in key situations with 6 hits and a Beltre throwing error worth of baserunners. Through the 8th inning, the Sox led by a single run on a JD Drew RBI single in the 5th, plating Kalish, who had singled and took second on a passed ball. The Sox added two insurance runs in the ninth on a Bill Hall single and a "sac fly" by Scoots. The sac fly is in quotes because Rangers centerfielder Julio Borbon dropped the ball and Scoots reached on an error, but was credited with an RBI because if Borbon had made the play cleanly, it would have been a sac fly.
Those runs would end up being the difference in the game. With Bard and Pap unavailable, Scott Atchison came in to try to get the save. The always dangerous Josh Hamilton took him yard and then Vladi dove into first for an infield single. Out came Atchison and in came Felix Doubront. The tying run was coming to the plate in the person of rookie Mitch Moreland, who hit his first career dinger the night before. With Moreland batting, Vladi took off for second. V-Mart nailed him with a throw that arrived well before Vladi did and there was one less out for Doubront to get, not to mention empty bases. Felix got Moreland looking to end the game and preserve a 3-1 lead as Red Sox Nation collectively exhaled.
Lester came up big when the team desperately needed him to, having exhausted the 'pen that 10-9 travesty of a series opener that saw the Sox punt an 8-2 lead. The Sox lost Ellsbury again, probably for the rest of the season. He apparently re-injured his ribs and was put on the DL today. It looks like he'll need a lot more time to let the injury completely heal. Baseball isn't typically considered to be a contact sport, but that's not to say the body doesn't take a beating making diving plays, sliding into bases, or colliding with a certain hard-charging third baseman chasing a foul pop-up.
It's really a shame that this ended up being a lost season for Ells, as he had a very good 2009, batting around .300 and stealing 70 bases. The Red Sox offense is much better with the Ells-Pedey combo at the top of the lineup than without them. Ells on base distracts the pitcher, who might be more likely to give Pedey a pitch to hit. If, for some reason he can't contribute in 2011, the Sox should seriously consider going after Carl Crawford, who hits free agency after this season. The Yanks will go hard after him too, though, and because their financial resources are seemingly limitless, it won't be easy for the Sox to win a bidding war.
Tomorrow, Dice-K is up for the Sox in the oven that will be the Rangers' ballpark during the day. Taking 2 of 3 against this first-place Texas team will be a tall order and it will take some clutch hitting and pitching to make it happen.
LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!
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