– The bench contributed to much of the Red Sox offensive success today against Baltimore, with Adam Stern subbing in for Coco Crisp and driving in two runs to go along with two hits. J.T. Snow (2 hits, 1 run) and Josh Bard (1 hit, 2 runs) also helped the cause. More importantly, Bard looked much more comfortable behind the plate, accumulating zero past balls in six innings catching Wakefield. Red Sox fans, and even Theo Epstein, can breath a sigh of relief. Some quotes on the subject:
“He spent all week working and working, and he was very good,” said manager Terry Francona. “We weren’t going to let a couple of innings sway our judgment. Red Sox Nation might have been in a little bit of an uproar, but he’s too conscientious, and he’s too good defensively.”
“He’s the guy that deserves the credit,” said Bard of Wakefield. “Hopefully, this thing will turn into me being like a good umpire — you’ll never even recognize me.”
– Keith Foulke pitched a perfect eighth inning, the closest he?s looked to 2004 form since that remarkable postseason run. Foulke retired Brian Roberts and Corey Patterson with strikeouts, mixing up an 89 MPH fastball and nasty off-speed pitches. The location was also tremendous for Foulke. With Jonathan Papelbon looking like he might not be able to carry the load of a close-to-everyday pitcher, the Sox will need Foulke. What an asset he will be in the bullpen if he?s effective.
– Tim Wakefield improved drastically from his start in Texas on Tuesday, working six innings and not allowing an earned run. The biggest moment came in the game when Baltimore had runners on third and first with nobody out and the Red Sox claiming a 4-1 lead. The trend of leaving runners in scoring position continued for the O?s when Wakefield struck out the side, finishing off a great day for himself and Josh Bard behind the plate.
– Francona used Alex Gonzalez for a sacrifice bunt in the fifth inning today, moving Snow and Bard to second and third. A throwing error and RBI single helped build the Red Sox lead before the trio of Timlin-Foulke-Papelbon closed the door. Bring out the brooms as the Red Sox sweep the Orioles and improve to 5-1, their best start since 1999. The future looks bright ahead, too, as the Sox return to Fenway for 10 games, beginning with the Toronto Blue Jays. The pitching matchups look like this:
Tuesday: Beckett (1-0, 1.29) v. Towers (0-1, 7.71)
Wednesday: Wells (0-0, 0.00) v. Chacin (1-0, 4.05)
Thursday: Clement (1-0, 5.14) v. Downs (0-0, 5.40)
Stunning we won?t see Roy Halladay, who has pitched against the Red Sox 421 times over the last three years. #2 starter A.J. Burnett remains on the DL for Toronto. Also, in the four-game Seattle series following, it looks like the Red Sox will avoid Felix Hernandez.
Quotes courtesy Redsox.com
