August 03, 2016

Seattle Slew



Man, it's hard to get these posts from West Coast games up in a timely manner, especially when you live in the Atlantic Time Zone like yours truly. I managed to remain awake for my first full game of the trip last night, and I was really enjoying it until the eighth inning. Now, I have lingering doubts about braving the wee hours tonight.

I'll avoid the temptation to relay some corny wordplay with Abad's name as Fernando made his first appearance after being acquired from the Twins at the deadline. Hopefully, Abad will become more noteworthy other than the fact his has one of the the punniest surnames in Red Sox history. He played a huge role in squandering another terrific outing by David Price who really has stepped up on this road trip. I must qualify his last 2 outings with the reality that the teams he has started against are teams he should be beating. Nevertheless, he has only allowed 4 earned runs in his last 15 innings, but Boston was unable to win either game.

Of course, the fault of this latest loss was dumped at the feet of John Farrell which is ludicrous. Price was sailing along for 7 innings and showed no signs of any diminished effort. Sometimes, things just come on in this game that are totally unexpected and can arrive quite quickly. Why would Farrell have someone warming up when it was conceivable that Price looked as if he could pitch into the ninth? He got the pen stirring after the fourth consecutive hit and was pushing the right buttons with Barnes and then Abad, who owned Cano in previous meetings holding him to 1 hit in 11 confrontations with the Seattle star.. 

Boston has split the six games that they have played out west but are leaving wins and quality starts on the table. Four of the games have been decided in the ninth, and Boston is 2-2 in those contests. They got a taste of their own medicine with Cano's late homer as that has been the Red Sox trademark in their last two victories. Yesterday's loss overshadowed the coming out party for Andrew Benintendi who was deemed ready for the bright lights by Dombrowski's minions. He doesn't cut an impressive figure and looks all of 16 years of age - a blend of Michael J Fox, and Joey Lawrence with big league hair. He got the call for Brentz after the Mariners' soft tossing lefty, Wade LeBlanc, left the game. He authored a ground out and was then over matched in the ninth with the tying run aboard. Seattle reliever Edwin Diaz pumped three fastballs past him that registered better than 97 mph. Boston is relying on the youngster to provide a viable platoon option for the underwhelming Bryce Brentz as Dombrowski failed to find an adequate match for a corner OF bat at the deadline.


Speaking of the trade deadline, I'm now relieved that the Sale trade talks are over. Early on, I was all in for a package of Swihart, Benintendi, Devers, and Rodriguez for the White Sox ace, but that eagerness subsided. Rodriguez's return to form could be this team's biggest addition, if you will, which is a reminder that some of the best moves are the ones you don't make. In the series opener, Rodriguez revealed an improved slider, and I feel that pitch will determine much of his success. Another one of Dombrowski's earlier moves included bringing Aaron Hill to Boston, and against this string of lefties on the trip, he has looked great. His solo blast tied the first game, paving the way for Mookie's game winning shot, and he added an RBI single last night. Incidentally, Betts has the most extra base hits than any leadoff hitter in the Majors and added to that with a double in the loss yesterday.

Coming into the game last night, Boston's pitching has been solid on the road. In the last 10 road games, which included the opener of this series, Boston's starter ERA  was 2.61. No to be outdone, the bullpen had only allowed 2 earned runs in 22 innings. The offense has been sporadic, though, and the bats have to get going more consistently.

To Twitter-Verse with notes from the past 2 games: 









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