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464322 Commentshttp://firebrandal.com/2009/06/30/630-smoltz-takes-the-hill-for-the-second-time-this-season.html6%2F30%3A++Smoltz+takes+the+hill+for+the+second+time+this+season.2009-06-30+21%3A47%3A58Ryne+Crabb to “6/30: Smoltz takes the hill for the second time this season.”
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Impressed with Smoltz’s first inning.
If this game gets washed out now, I’m going to be a bit peeved…
Based on the forecast, they should be able to restart this one within 90 minutes…but I’m not sure if that’ll be early enough for them to complete it.
Even if they do, this is probably it for Smoltz, so the bullpen may have to toss five innings tonight. I’m guessing the O’s are about to get a healthy dose of Justin Masterson.
Looks like we’ve decided to make this one interesting…eek
Yeah – if the Sox blow an 8-run lead, I’m going to be more than a bit peeved…
Jesus, please hold on to the lead, Takashi.
So, is this the O’s revenge for the Sox’s “Mother’s Day Miracle?”
Apparently it is.
My mistake – a 9-run lead, and they did blow it. “Best bullpen in baseball” my a$$.
What about having brought Pap in starting with Weiters? That was what I was thinking then. Then they could have had Saito start the ninth. Maybe that was just me though…
Interesting thought…hadn’t considered it, but it made some sense in retrospect.
Masterson absolutely botching the long-relief/”just get outs” job sent the whole thing into a tail-spin though.
Seems to just be an off-night for the relievers all around. Regardless, Beckett better throw an absolute gem tomorrow, because this pen is going to be gassed.
Well, I have been Sabermetrically trained to want the best *reliever* to be used in the most crucial of situations late in the game. So that was what I was thinking when it was bases loaded and Matt Weiters was up.
Makes sense. I can’t help but wonder if Papelbon was napping at some point during this game, when it went into the delay as a blowout perhaps.
Well, that wasn’t fun.
Get us back on the right track tomorrow, Beckett.
Pathetic. I hope Fire Brand doesn’t have too many of those “Monsterson” shirts in inventory, because they sure won’t be selling well.
Well…uh, at least Smoltz looked good, and, uh, our offense obviously wasn’t the problem.
But geez, what an absolutely horrible night for the normally great bullpen. Oki had nothing tonight.
I guess even the best have off nights. But DAMN. That was ridiculous.
Awful. Shock. Biggest comeback for the O’s in 50 years, and that was against the Sox too.
I agree with Joe, but would not have tried to stretch out Masterson. It seldom works with any of these relievers, and with the depth, it’s better to use the pen to nail down a win than try to save 3 or 4 arms for tomorrow .
IMO, this game can be a watershed event. If they use it to move forward with a sense of “never again”, starting with a win tomorrow behind Beckett, they will be stronger than yesterday, and quickly re-establish their dominance. But if they get frazzled, this could cause a slide long enough to allow the Yankees &/or Rays to sneak up on them while they re-group. If the latter happens, they will have lost their confidence and have given it to the competition, who will not easily give it back.
Tomorrow’s game will be telling in that regard, and it’s up to Beckett to set the tone.
A win on getaway day would be very nice, especially in the last road game before the All-Star Break, and one that precedes a 10-game homestand against the Mariners, A’s, and Royals.
Exactly, and who better to have pitch tomorrow for the Sox than Beckett, who has been absolutely filthy lately.
A 10 game homestand against sub .500 teams is also nice.
No team is perfect, we have areas where we can improve, obviously, but Smoltz showed good stuff today, our offense was obviously clicking enough to get 10 runs, it was only our ordinarily stellar bullpen that screwed the pooch. I doubt it ever happens again that badly.
I think massive collapses such as this one are easier to shrug off than close, 15 inning, one run defeats. They were obviously way off their game tonight for whatever reason. That happens. It’s not like they gave it their best and still got beat. I don’t think they’ll be too distraught over this game. They’ll probly just be happy tonight is over. So yeah I don’t see a carry over effect being a problem here. Especially since it was against the O’s, not the Yanks/Rays.
Although it’d certainly would be nice to get a gem out of Beck tommorrow.
Yikes. Beckett opened the door early, and didn’t get it closed for 5 runs. But he closed it emphatically and got his mojo back. The O’s comeback certainly did seem to carry over to yesterday’s game, until the 9th inning when they broke out of it big time. Had they lost the Yankees would have been breathing down their necks.
The Sox comeback must be a huge confidence builder, for all the reasons discussed, going into the homestand.