5/23/11: Indians 3, Red Sox 2
Bard Sings a Sad, Sad Song
With both Tampa Bay and New York losing last night, the Sox were 2 innings away from claiming sole possession of first place. In late May, a the benefit of a .5 game lead in the division would be purely symbolic. After the hideous start to the season and this historically awful weather, it would have felt pretty good, that’s all. They’ll have another crack at it tonight.
Daniel Bard‘s been a little inconsistent this year, and his lapse tonight was particularly untimely.
Top 5 Goats
| Player | WPA | Notes |
| D Bard | -51.6% | Blew the game in the 8th |
| C Crawford | -20.8% | GIDP to end game with tying run on 3rd |
| D Ortiz | -13.5% | 1 for 4, GIDP |
| K Youkilis | -10.3% | 0 for 4, GIDP (see a trend here?) |
| Saltalamacchia | -6.4% | 0 for 3, K |
One of the biggest reasons for the success of guys like Justin Masterson and Fausto Carmona (the pitcher facing the Sox tonight) is their ability to induce double plays with their sinker. This particular tool really came in handy for the Tribe last night.
Silver Lining
Clay Buchholz pitched a masterful game tonight, and you really have to question the decision to pull him after only 94 pitches. While Tito was concerned about overusing bard this weekend against the Cubs, the decision to use him after he pitched an inning in the previous game is a bit odd, in my view. Of course, it wouldn’t be on any of our radar screens had Bard successfully held the lead.
Also, Carl Crawford hit very well against Masterson, as I thought he might. If only he could face a side-winding righty in all of his plate appearances.
Quote of the Day
“Who would’ve thought that you could get a double play out of Carl Crawford?”
- Indians manager Manny Acta
Prospect Watch
- AAA – Starter Kyle Weiland went 7 innings for the victory, giving up only 1 run on 5 hits. He now has 49 Ks in 47 innings, and his ERA is down to 3.45. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but if Daisuke Matsuzaka requires surgery and goes on the 60-day DL, I imagine that this is the guy they’ll add.
- AA – Third baseman Will Middlebrooks went deep for the Sea Dogs, his sixth of the year. He’s now hitting .295/.327/.500.
Other Notes
- Francona emphatically denies that Matsuzaka will require surgery on the torn ligament in his elbow. Matsuzaka is headed back to Japan, and will seek a second opinion with Dr. Lewis Yocum when he returns.
- Dustin Pedroia is OK after experiencing a “stinger” on the basepaths last night. He has a scheduled day off tonight.
And we just got another win last night! Where does that put us now in the rankings?
Today’s game was nice to see. Once I update the rankings, the Sox will certainly be a bit higher than they were previously.
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