Coming off a near no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox (41-23), Curt Schilling was nothing close to un-hittable in a 12-2 loss against the Colorado Rockies (32-33).
Schilling struggled with his control the whole outing and when he let runners on base he let them come in way too often than not adding a loss to his record now 6-3.
Schilling’s line was 5 innings pitched, giving up nine hits, six runs, five earned, one walk, five strikeouts, and one homerun.
The Rockies scored one in the first on an RBI double by Garrett Atkins and added two more in the second on a Kaz Matsui RBI single and Matt Holliday reached on an infield single that eventually scored Matsui.
Mike Lowell hit a homerun into the Monster seats making it 3-1 and giving the Fenway Faithful some promise in the game where Schilling’s pitch count was climing rapidly inning by inning.
Down 3-1 going into the third inning Schilling battled back despite the high pitch count throwing a 1-2-3 inning in the third. Manny Ramirez rewarded Schilling for his efforts with an RBI single that pushed the score closer to 3-2.
Schilling threw another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, but the fifth was the demise of the Red Sox ace.
Matsui singled to start off the inning, then Holliday followed with a single of his own giving the Rockies a runner in scoring position and a chance to bust the game open. Schilling got the next two hitters out, but Brad Hawpe took advantage of the runners on base.
Hawpe jacked a first pitch fastball off of Schilling deep into right field on a ball that was clearly gone as it came off the bat. Ryan Spilborghs ended the inning striking out, but the fifth inning was the end of the night for Schilling who had thrown 98 pitches through five.
The Rockies strung together nine more runs in the game scoring three in the fifth, sixth, and eighth.
Josh Fogg (2-5) picked up the win for the Rockies going 5 innings pitched, on seven hits, two earned runs, one walk, four strikeouts, and one homerun given up.
On a positive note for the Red Sox Mike Timlin looked impressive in his one inning pitched in the top of the ninth inning allowing the first hitter in Hawpe to get on and then closing the inning on a fielder’s choice, fly out to right, and ending his outing by striking out Sean Barker.