Red Sox Take an Entertaining One From the Orioles, Righty Has A Lot to Say

Posted on April 25, 2015 in Game Recap

This was the first game in a while that I’ve been able to watch all the way through (with the sound on) and keep score. As a result I took a lot of notes. This is all notes and it’s way longer than any recap I’ve done so far, but it’s Saturday and you have nothing better to do, so read on:

-Bottom of the second, Porcello strikes out Jones on a disgusting hook.

-His season high before today was 6 K’s, he struck out the first 5 he faced, and 6 out of the first 7.

-I love Mookie‘s scowl. It seems like it’s just his resting face after getting a hit. I can’t find a picture of it yet, but his upper lip is drawn up just a little bit on his left side.

–What a pick by Pedroia to start a double play. I will never get tired of watching him do stuff like that.

-Don and Jerry commented that Pablo Sandoval will really swing at anything. I read an article at some point last year that said that one of the reasons he’s had so much success in the postseason is because he is willing to swing at balls out of the strike zone. If management has compiled a team of hitters with similar hitting approaches (in Moneyball terms, nine Scott Hattebergs), a pitcher painting corners will be able to shut down your entire lineup. Having someone like Sandoval who isn’t afraid to swing at pitches out of the strike zone (which is putting it lightly. He singled on a pitch literally at his eyes in the 2nd) will help you get something going against a pitcher who is mowing the rest of your lineup down.

-After facing the minimum through the first 3 1/3 innings, Porcello gave up a single to Manny Machado and a four-bagger to Jimmy Paredes on a FLAT slider that barely spun, much less broke. It’s already the 6th home run Porcello has surrendered, most in the league. Followed by a single to Adam Jones. Then Chris Davis hit a comebacker while Jones was stealing second. Porcello threw to second anyway. Brock Holt stretched like a first baseman to make sure he got the ball before Jones got to the bag, then pivoted and fired on to first to complete the double play to end the inning.

-“The Red Sox have squared some balls up but they still can’t seem to solve Gonzalez and I don’t understand why. To this point, 66% of his pitches have been fastballs around 90 MPH, and the Sox are missing some meatballs. Sure, Betts walked and Pedey singled, but it feels like we should be smacking this guy around.”

-…And as soon as I’m done writing that, Papi hits a skyscraping home run. The ball definitely clears the fence, but it looks like a kid reaches his glove above a leaping Dimitri Delmon Young (thanks to the Old Boy for pointing that out), taking the ball away from him. Somewhere Jeffrey Maier smiles. (Little known fact about Jeff: He went on to play baseball at my sister’s alma mater, Wesleyan University, and became their all-time hits leader). Sox are up 3-2.

-Two pitches later, Hanley goes back-to-back with Papi on a slider. To say it was hanging would besmirch the legacy of every brave partially-punctured chad in Florida in the 2000 presidential election. Hanley swung so hard that his helmet flew completely off, and he circled the bases with just a skull cap on his head, which must’ve been a pretty cool feeling. Like he was just messing with his buddies on a summer afternoon and took a victory lap after he parked one. It was Ramirez’s 6th dinger of the year, putting him 3rd in the league behind Mark Teixeira (who hit two last night), and Nelson Cruz. I found it very fitting that Ortiz and Ramirez went deep for the first back-to-back of the season, just like old times. 4-2 lead, and all of it came with 2 outs.

-As we’ve discussed several times over the course of the season, Hanley and Manny Ramirez are one and the same. And true to form, Hanley giveth, Hanley taketh away. After going deep in the top half of the 5th, Hanley “misplayed” a fly ball into a double (it was over his shoulder and ruled a hit, but in reality he just dropped it) in the bottom half of the frame. This ended up directly leading to a run.

-After taking the lead, it’s ideal for your starter to throw up a zero in the next frame. Porcello gave a run right back after the Sox took a lead. It wasn’t his fault, since Hanley 100% should’ve caught that ball, and Cabrera’s RBI hit came on a good pitch (sinker down and away), but it was frustrating all the same.

-In the bottom of the 6th, Paredes flew out to foul territory in left field. Hanley ran as far as he could, caught the ball against the wall, and threw out Manny Machado who had tagged up and was trying to take second. Now the similarities to Manny Ramirez are downright scary. Subpar outfielder who screws up a fairly routine ball, but later his underestimated arm nabs an unsuspecting opponent. Remember that year Manny was leading the league in outfield assists? Also, Hanley lost his hat on the play.

-There’s a running joke in our group of friends that Lefty is a jinx when it comes to sports. Well yesterday, Lefty commented that the Sox were 12 for 12 in stolen base attempts so far this season. Well lo and behold, Pedey got caught stealing second last night. Farrell challenged the call. Remy started breaking down the replay, but then said “I should just shut up” because he’s in the midst of a “challenge slump.” Lefty is confirmed as a jinx.

-Once again, a Red Sox starter looks dominant at times, but doesn’t pitch deep into the game and ends up with a pedestrian line:

Boston IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Porcello 6.0+ 6 4 4 2 7 1 6.48

–Alexi Ogando came in in a big spot in the bottom of the 7th, and while preparing to face his first batter, he went to his mouth while on the rubber, resulting in an automatic ball.

Farrell came out to get out an explanation from Dana DeMuth (who had a horseshit zone all day, by the way). Once DeMuth said his piece, it looked like Farrell responded with an emphatic “Oh for fuck’s sake!” before returning to the dugout. Ogando got into some trouble, but got Manny Machado to strike out on a full count in a HUGE spot.

-After two quick outs in the top of the 8th, Panda drew a walk in a long at-bat while batting righty. Allen Craig then pulled a grounder that Machado olé’d, giving the Gold Glover his second surprising error in as many series against the Red Sox. That brought up Brock Holt! who hit a quadruple on a 2-2 pitch up and in, giving the Sox the lead for good. THE BROCK STAR NEEDS REGULAR AT BATS. Again, all of this came with two outs. The Sox were 2-5 with RISP for the game.

-Koji came in and threw 21 splitters and 2 fastballs to ease the door shut (he gave up two singles, so he didn’t quite slam it).  

Rays Walk Off, Celtics Break My Heart, and I Dropped My Bagel on the Stairs This Morning

Posted on April 24, 2015 in Game Recap

I watched the Celtics again, but I’m only going to devote a few lines to it before getting to the Sox. Too many turnovers from sloppy ballhandling. Too many missed threes (I’m looking at you, Avery Bradley). Too many threes by the Cavs (especially Kevin Love). Too much LeBron to handle. Too many frustrating offensive rebounds for the Cavs (especially Tristan Thompson). None of this is particularly groundbreaking, but maybe worst of all, Isaiah didn’t play well enough, and he wasn’t on the floor in crunch time. Jonas Jerebko played more minutes than either Thomas or Marcus Smart. Evan Turner and Jae Crowder were our best players on the floor last night, and each of them had four turnovers. Oh well. Time to make history…

Meanwhile, in Red Sox land (actually, probably not an inaccurate name for Tampa), Boston dropped the last game of a three-game series to the Rays to lose its first series of the year. The good news is that the pitching staff has only given up 10 runs over its last 37 innings pitched. The bad news is that the Red Sox’ bats have been anemic so far in 2015. Brock Holt’s .414 average in 29 at-bats looks great, but there’s not much else to applaud. Xander Bogaerts is hitting .302, yeah, but he’s been almost exclusively a slap-hitter so far. Pablo Sandoval is hitting a respectable .263 but has the same problem: he’s only hitting singles. In fact, the only players on the team who can claim an OPS over .750 are Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez (and Holt, but he’s only played in 9 of 16 games).

Three everyday players (Betts, Ortiz, and Napoli) are batting below the Mendoza Line. The platoon outfielders (Victorino, Nava, and Craig) are batting a combined .167. The catchers’ combined batting average is .208.

Thankfully, the Sox are still doing the little things right. They’re tied for the league lead in walks, and they’re 12 for 12 in stolen base attempts. And so, despite bottom-half of the league performance in hitting, they’re sixth in the league in runs. I guess what I’m saying is it’s not time to panic yet, because runs are still crossing the plate. Well, not a ton recently, but you know what I mean. And if the bats were suddenly to come alive…well, we’d really be cooking with gas.

For now, though, we’re cooking with a couple damp sticks we’re trying to rub together after a heavy rain. And in this game, those sticks generated a whopping one run, in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Nava to shallow center following Pablo Sandoval’s second (!) extra-base hit of the year, a leadoff double. Nava’s sacrifice looked like a popup off his bat – he must be hitting the gym.

In the bottom of the same inning, though, Clay Buchholz gave the run right back (the only run he’d give up in a reasonably dominant performance over 6 innings). Like Sandoval, Longoria led off with a double on an absolute meatball down the heart of the plate. After, like Sandoval, getting moved over to third base on a groundout, he was knocked in on a base hit to center by Logan Forsythe. It could’ve been worse: as Righty pointed out, Buchholz’s pitch tailed off to the inside juuuust enough to avoid being pummelled, instead forcing Forsythe to slap it to center for an easy single. With men on first and second and one out, though, Clay struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.

The only thing of note to happen in the 3rd inning was a great stolen base by Mookie Betts after a walk. This would be the first of three two-out, man on 2nd opportunities that the Sox would fail to capitalize on, as Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning.

In the top of the 5th, Bogaerts slapped a single through the right side with two outs, and León walked to move him to second. Mookie was up next but, well, it didn’t work out:

Obviously a great catch by Kiermaier, but clearly Mookie thought he was out on contact, looking frustrated coming out of the box. He might not have reckoned for Kiermaier playing as deep in center field as he was.

In the top of the 7th, Allen Craig (!) hit a two-out single, followed by a Bogaerts walk moving him to second base. But Hanley Ramirez, pinch-hitting for León, struck out looking on a slider that maybe grazed the inside corner (Hanley certainly couldn’t believe it).

Untitled

After solid one-inning outings from Ogando and Tazawa, we really could’ve used a less gradual recovery process from Koji Uehara, who was assumedly unavailable after closing Tuesday’s game. Instead, Farrell called for Anthony Varvaro, who came into the game with a 1.17 ERA but, perhaps more tellingly, a less impressive 1.30 WHIP in 7.2 innings.

It all happened pretty quickly. Leadoff single by the guy who is confusingly not related to Lenny Dykstra. Pinch runner. Fly out. Kiermaier single. Then this:

On a curve that didn’t get down far enough and stayed inside on a 1-2 count, by the Rays’ catcher who’s 7-52 on the year. That’s just how it goes sometimes I guess. But we still could’ve used Koji out there.

Anyway, at least the pitching is (relatively) solid at the moment – Buchholz had 10 strikeouts! – and we’re still getting on base. Now we just gotta get those slugging percentages up. Oh, and win 4 games in a row against the best basketball player in the world. I’m all mixed up right now.

P.S. I still ate my bagel. YOLO.

Sox Blow a Lead, Plus Bonus Coverage of John Henry’s Speech Last Night

Posted on April 23, 2015 in Game Recap, Random Stuff
Papi goes deep (Photo Credit: O'MEARA/AP)

Papi goes deep (Photo Credit: O’MEARA/AP)

I heard about this one in fits and starts. I missed the first few innings because I was at an event where the speakers were John Henry and Jack Welch (more on this later). I missed the bottom of the 6th through the 8th because I was playing in a basketball game. What a difference a few hours makes. When I turned on the radio on the way from the event to my game, the Sox were up 5-1 and Castiglione said that Joe Kelly had been dominant. Good stuff. I turned off the radio and went to my game.

By the time I got back to my car, I had suffered a brutal defeat (we blew a 6 point lead with less than 2 minutes to play, and had a shot go just long as time expired), could barely walk due to the physical nature of a game where only one referee shows up, and Kelly and the Sox had managed to blow that 5-1 lead and now trailed 7-5.

Pumpsie cruised through the first five innings, striking out 7, walking no one, and allowing only one run on a big fly by Steven Souza. Then in the 6th he went belly up, giving up four consecutive singles, then walking in a run before getting the hook. He was relieved by Craig Breslow, who promptly gave up another single that scored two more runs, tying the game at five a side.

After such a great start, Kelly wouldn’t record an out in the sixth, giving him a line that looked like this:

Boston IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Kelly, J 5.0+ 8 5 5 1 7 1 4.08

In the top of the 7th, Rays’ manager Kevin Cash decided to go with his closer, Brad Boxberger (what a name), to face Ortiz, Ramirez, and Napoli, which worked perfectly. Boxberger struck out the side, and the Rays scored two on Mujica in the bottom of the frame. They would go on to win by that 7-5 score.

Offensive highlights:

Big Papi went very yard, and had that classic high follow through and beautiful little bat toss. Behold:

The homer was number 469 on his career, passing Chipper Jones for 32nd on the all-time list. The RBI was number 1,538, passing Joe DiMaggio for 46th all-time. That’s pretty good for a late-bloomer.

Pedey also left the building, giving him 4 taters already this season. He had 7 all of last year. More evidence that his wrist is fully healed, and his trash talk during the spring was more than just hot air. Sort of unrelated, but I don’t know why MLB is cutting off the homer highlights virtually the second the player touches the plate. No replay of the swing, pitch location, player reaction, etc. #Annoying

Mookie drove in a run on a really tough two-strike pitch, down and out of the zone.

Nap was 2 for 3 with a double and a RBI.

Highlights from John Henry at the event I attended:

-It wasn’t really a speech, more of an extended Q&A, but Henry had a couple of interesting tidbits. A lot of the questions were about business, but I was surprised by some of the (relatively) hard-hitting baseball questions and the candid answers he gave, especially since the event was moderated by the editor of the Globe (which John Henry owns).

-On not having an ace: Henry said that he thinks that depth is crucial for a baseball team, and that often the difference between a good season and a bad season is depth. Plus, the 2012 team arguably had 5 aces and they finished last. (I think these things are true, but you also need an ace to win the World Series). He then commented on Lester specifically saying that he “was” an ace, essentially saying they didn’t want to pay for past performance (which also subtly justified their thinking for the Porcello deal even though that wasn’t brought up. Savvy move).

-At this point the yips got brought up and he said something to effect of “he [Lester] has the yippiest yips I’ve ever seen” when throwing to first base (more positive Sox spin from the owner). Then he seemed to remember that this was being recorded and will air on NESN because he said he’s probably going to get in trouble for this, and nothing he said “meant anything.”

-Henry said they didn’t believe in the value of team chemistry until after 2012. It’s no secret that Henry is a big fan of Sabermetrics – he hired Bill James right after he bought the team – but it was surprising to hear that they completely discounted chemistry, assumedly because it couldn’t be accurately quantified.

-He wants a pitch clock added to the Major League game. I took this as John Henry the team owner/businessman voicing an opinion, rather than the baseball fan, since faster games would appeal to more people (especially kids these days with their XStations and MyFace. Am I Right?).

-He wants everyone to be able to watch every game on their laptop, tablet, or cellphone, regardless of local broadcasts and the existing blackout rules. Said he’s been fighting with MLB on that one for almost ten years.

Notes:

-You know when something seemingly unexpected happens and then you look back and realize that you probably should’ve seen it coming? When the Sox were up 5-1, Castiglione and O’Brien were saying that it felt like the Red Sox should be up more. Leaving 8 guys on base and going 1-7 with RISP will usually come back to haunt you.

–Victorino had to leave the game due to tightness in his hamstring. Hopefully this is just an isolated issue and has nothing to do with his back injury or the hamstring injury that hampered him last year.

Celtics Lose! Sox Win! I Watched the Celtics

Posted on April 22, 2015 in Random Stuff

7:32 – I sit down with a frozen pizza to watch the Celtics (recorded on DVR) and check on the Red Sox.

7:33 – The sound isn’t working.

7:34 – [Frustrated grappling with wires and remotes]

7:37 – Success! Kevin Love hits a wide open three. Greeeeat start.

7:41 – Lebron hits a three to take the lead. He’s such a douche. We provide very insightful analysis here.

7:42 – Scanning the Red Sox play-by-play…Ramirez stole his first base of the year…Holt starting at shortstop…okay, I didn’t miss anything.

7:44 – Kevin Love exits with two fouls less than five minutes in. He is very sweaty and whiny.

7:45 – Lebron really thought he was gonna get away with that backcourt violation. I can’t promise that I will not continue to talk about how much of an ass he is.

7:46 – A real iffy call on a loose ball by Bennett Salvatore takes Avery Bradley out of the game with two fouls.

7:47 – Marcus Smart with a dagger three from the corner off of an offensive rebound. THEEEE DAGGERRR.

7:47 – [Fastforwardfastforwardfastforward]

7:49 – The Sox appear to have a runner in scoring in position after an infield single by Ryan Hanigan (???) and a walk by Betts. I dunno man, I’m just following the Gamecast. You gotta make choices sometimes.

7:50 – Cavs just completed a run to tie the game. C’mon Isaiah…

7:50 – Tyler Zeller came to play. Great offensive board, the hook/floater thing is working tonight.

7:51 – The Celts have gotta be careful with all these ill-advised outlet passes. I think Kevin Love might be having a bad influence on the Celtics’ bigs.

7:53 – Sully hits a three!

7:54 – How are the Sox doing…(I am clearly not a great multi-tasker)…hey, we got a run off another error! Hanigan came around after a fielder’s choice on a throwing error by the Rays’ second baseman Ryan Brett. Oh, I get it, they must’ve biffed it trying to turn two. Aren’t you glad you’re coming here for your reliable Red Sox recaps?

7:55 – Sullinger tries to answer a Kyrie Irving highlight three-pointer with one of his own. You can guess how that went…but then he draws a charge on the other end! Maybe stick to more of that sort of action, Sully.

7:58 – [Fastforwardfastforwardfastforward]

7:59 – Celtics with a 26-25 lead at the end of the first quarter.

7:59 – Red Sox are still up 1-0 in actual real time in the bottom of the third.

8:05 – I finished my pizza. Yes, the whole thing. No, I’m not ashamed.

8:07 – Ramirez is now 2-2 after an infield single off of Chris Archer.

8:08 – Nothing gives me greater pleasure than when Lebron tries to do something fancy that only he can pull off and it doesn’t work. Ball just got kicked out of bounds on a pass out to the corner from the lane.

8:10 – Kelly Olynyk just absolutely runs over Kevin Love on a three-pointer. He is such a loveable oaf. As Righty says, “Like a puppy who can’t control his limbs.” Love probably isn’t even mad.

8:11 – Ball don’t lie. Love makes 2 of 3.

8:12 – I want Evan Turner’s mid-range game.

8:13 – Ramirez gets stranded at second after Nava and Victorino both strike out to end the inning.

8:14 – J.R. Smith gets a steal and a breakaway, but doesn’t do anything too fancy, probably because he was worried that a trailing Kelly Olynyk would trip and run into him and send him to the hospital.

8:16 – “Brad Stevens received 2 first-place votes…DOUBLE the amount that third-place finisher Jason Kidd got!” Hard-hitting analysis, Abby.

8:17 – Marcus Smart just got shook by J.R. Smith. Not great.

8:18 – And Brandon Bass says NO to Kevin Love.

8:18 – Sully with another three! Celts up 4.

8:20 – Some Cleveland courtside douchebag dad is standing and wearing a sweater and gesturing to the crowd behind him. He is terrible.

8:22 – Lebron gets Isaiah to switch onto him and Isaiah has to give the foul. Lebron hits his shots and the Cavs take the lead.

8:23 – Jared Sullinger in iso is not the answer.

8:24 – Halftime! Cavs 51, Celtics 50. Come on defense…

8:24 – [Fastforwardfastforwardfastforward]

8:25 – We caught up! We finally get to see some live baseball. Hanigan is 2-2, gets a single with 1 out. Betts up next.

8:26 – Betts with a single on the ground through the left side. Moooooookiiiiieeeee.

8:27 – I need to shave. There’s no time for this kind of contemplation with basketball. In baseball, there’s much more time to think.

8:29 – Pedey looks very upset in the dugout.  We were checking the Celtics, what happened…he struck out on three pitches. Yeeeeeshhhh.

8:31 – Absolute horseradish call on Marcus Smart fouling Kyrie Irving on a three.

8:32 – Has Lebron ever not acted like his nose is falling off when he gets hit in the face? What an unbelievable pansy. I pure, straight hate him. I think I would spit at his feet if I ever met him. Very classy way to express disdain.

8:33 – Ortiz strikes out to strand Hanigan.

8:36 – Goddammit. James outlet alley to Love for the oop.

8:37 – Betts with a hop to catch a liner to center. I’m sorry, look, it’s not exactly a highlight but I’m working with whatever game action I’m catching here.

8:38 – Pedroia has a little trouble getting the ball out of his glove but manages to get it to Holt to turn two anyway.

8:38 – Brock Holt is the ultimate utility player. I am not biased.

8:40 – We have got to hit some freakin’ shots.

8:40 – Just realized we haven’t seen any Jonas Jerebko tonight. Sully misses a three. Ugh. We’re down 10. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

8:42 – Down 12.

8:42 – Alley-oop from Irving to James in transition. Down 14.

8:43 – Kelly misses a three.

8:44 – I do not feel good about this game right now. Can you tell?

8:44 – Sully gets two on a good offensive board.

8:46 – Turner working real hard on the offensive boards on his own shot. He has such a punchable face, but I’m beginning to love him a little bit. Whoa, it just all came out there.

8:47 – I spoke too soon! A Jonas Jerebko sighting!

8:49 –Isaiah makes the most ridiculous shots. I love him pretty unequivocally. This is getting very romantic.

8:50 – My dad calls. We’re talking about the Patriots schedule. There’s a game on my mom’s birthday this year!

8:56 – My mom is telling me about how people got arrested at her work. Crazy stuff!

8:57 – This story is actually pretty weird. I’m engaged.

8:57 –There’s no way that Pablo got this guy at second. He’s for sure safe.

9:04 – Isaiah is the freaking man.

9:05 – Wade’s been doing great so far but he’s in trouble. Bases loaded, two outs.

9:08 – Scal is such a tremendous dork.

9:09 – Isaiah nutmegged Love! Mmmm, smells like Christmas.

9:11 – Mozgov hits Turner pretty hard going up. Turner only makes 1 of 2 though.

9:12 – Ball don’t lie.

9:12 – Ogando came in to get the Sox out of the jam, so the Rays are still scoreless.

9:15 – Ugh, Cavs’ lead back to seven.

9:16 – Pedroia grounds out to third to end the inning. He’s 0-4 tonight. Probably wearing his angry hat.

9:19 – Offensive foul on Love being a clumsy fella.

9:20 – Isaiah with the reverse layup on the baseline drive. I am nervous and upset.

9:22 – Four point game. 3:20 left.

9:22 – Bradley fouls Irving on a baseline fadeaway with no time left on the shot clock. It was a brick, obviously. Makes both. Down 6.

9:23 – Isaiah gives it to Turner. Turner bricks it off the backboard.

9:23 – Lebron in the post…too easy. Down 8. Two-thirty left.

9:24 – Isaiah’s going to the line after a hard drive. We’re almost in desperation mode. Arrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.

9:26 – We need like three stops and to score every time. COME ON YOU DEVIL LOG.

9:26 – Smith, Thompson, James, Shumpert, Irving. Bradley, Thomas, Crowder, Zeller, Smart.

9:28 – 3 seconds on the Cavs. 1 stop.

9:28 – Zeller stripped on a good feed from Thomas. James with the block.

9:29 – Lebron with a brick, Thompson with the offensive rebound. 1:22 left.

9:29 – James all the way to the basket. Thomas up the floor as fast as he can, dribbles it out of bounds. Down 8. 1 minute left. This feels like slow death. Smart gives the desperation foul.

9:31 – It’s over. Watching the Sox is helping me cope. Ortiz flies out to left.

9:32 – Nava fouls out to Longoria, nice play, made the catch in the stands.

9:33 – They’re just dribbling it out. This stiiiiiiinks.

9:33 – Traveling on Kyrie! DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK.

9:34 – Down 8 with 8 seconds left!

9:34 – Game over. Celts lose, Celts lose.

9:35 – Take me away, Don. Tell me about Hewlett-Packard’s products and how I can get them at unbelievable rates from W.B. Mason. Help me to forget.

9:36 – Tazawa in. Two pitches, two outs.

9:44 – Just realized I have to go out to the Pour House to meet somebody. I’m still in my gym clothes. And I want to go to bed. Ughhhhhhh. Going to get changed. By the way, there’s a runner on third with one out.

9:46 – Hanigan strikes out.

9:49 – Mookie flies out to left, going to the bottom of the ninth. I’m now wearing jeans.

9:51 – Hey Comcast commercial – why would the lifeguard be sitting out in the rain under her umbrella? She’d probably be inside. Get a clue.

9:52 – Are we getting Koji? We’re getting Koji.

9:52 – First pitch is a hard-hit single to left off an easily handled fastball.

9:53 – Longoria’s up now.

9:54 – I don’t think I’ve ever noticed the “Koji” written in cursive on his glove.

9:54 – Righty: “Is Rocco Baldelli their first base coach?” Yes he is. What a bummer.

9:55 – Good splitter gets Longoria to ground into the double play, Sandoval to Pedroia to Nava.

9:56 – 2 outs now. Desmond Jennings is up. First pitch is up and in. Splitter low for ball two.

9:57 – Jennings grounds the third pitch foul to the left. The Rays decide to play Blitzkrieg Bop in the background. Next pitch, ground ball to third base, tough play for Sandoval, throw’s not his best, but Nava makes a tremendous scoop to end the game. Okay, now I have to go out on a Tuesday night. Here’s hoping I’m back by midnight.

P.S. I’m just gonna leave this highlight reel of Brock Holt plays from last night here.