Strange Sky, Strange Results (Photo Credit: Me)
Once in a while the baseball gods like to throw everyone a knuckleball to keep us on our toes. Heading into the fourth and final game of the series with the White Sox last night, the Red Sox had lost all three games by a combined score of 28-14. The White Sox offense looked like the ’27 Yankees on steroids. The finale pitted Chris Sale, one of the best pitchers on the planet, against Merloni Express Veteran knuckleballer Steven Wright. All logic would point to a dominant performance by Sale, the White Sox bats eating Wright alive, and a sweep for the south side Sox.
Sure enough, like every game so far this series, the Red Sox were down before they even got to the plate, as Wright surrendered two in the first. But those were the only two he allowed over seven innings and he stuck eight men out (White Sox joke!), while Sale surrendered seven earned runs on twelve hits and didn’t record an out in the 6th, because baseball.
Highlights from the 8-run offensive attack:
–Xander was 3 for 4 with an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. He’s now hitting .316.
–Papi was 3 for 3 with a walk and two RBIs.
–Rusney Castillo was 2 for 4, including this home run that he absolutely bundled to centerfield off of our old friend Fat Albers.
–Swihart was 2 for 4 and did a great job handling Wright behind the dish.
–Jackie Bradley Jr. was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a bases loaded RBI single. He did a great job sitting back on a slider from Sale, hitting it on the screws and taking it to just left of center.
Notes:
–Sandoval had to leave the game in the bottom of the 4th, after getting hit by a pitch that he stuck out on. Hit him right in the forearm, and the way he was holding his arm didn’t look promising. Hopefully it’s not serious.
–Wakefield was giving Wright pointers in the bullpen yesterday. Coincidence? I think not.
-Everyone’s favorite thumb-faced idiot, Daniel Nava was designated for assignment to make room for more arms on the roster. This makes me sad. Hopefully he clears waivers and we can outright him to Pawtucket like we did with Sandy Leon.
-We’ll try to keep you updated on any moves the Sox make before today’s trade deadline, but I don’t expect anything significant to go down.