6/14/11: Rays 4, Red Sox 0
Surging Sox Stopped in Tampa
In the words of Pat Summerall: “And we’re back!”.
Top 5 Goats
| Player | WPA | Notes |
| K Youkilis | -25.1% | 0 for 4, grounded into 2 DPs |
| D Pedroia | -13.9% | 0 for 4, 3 left on base |
| C Crawford | -11.1% | 0 for 3, 3 left on base |
| J Saltalamacchia | -4.7% | 0 for 3, 2 Ks |
| T Hottovy | -4.4% | faced 2 batters, both scored |
Silver Lining
Tim Wakefield again had a decent start, with a line that could only be described as “Wakefieldesque”: 7 innings, 5 walks, 2 Ks, 1 earned run. The story of the night: the Sox ran into a very good pitcher; Jamie Shields is now 4th in the American League in ERA.
Quote of the Day
“You know, it was cool. There were a few cheers, a few boos, I guess it was mixed emotions out there.”
- Carl Crawford, on his first return to Tropicana Field
What kind of Rays fan would boo a guy who (arguably) is the best player in the history of their franchise? It’s at least reassuring to know that the idiot gene is not isolated to Boston.
Prospect Watch
- AAA – The big story on the farm is Andrew Miller, who struck out 10 hitters with only 1 walk in 5.1 innings. Opposing batters are hitting only .181 against him this year, and he likely will be called up to join the rotation in Boston for his next start. There are contractual reasons that factor into the decision. More on that later.
- Low A – First baseman Miles Head went 4 for 5 with a double, and is now hitting .338/.407/.596.
Other Notes
- On Andrew Miller: he has a clause in his contract that allows him to become a free agent if he if not promoted today. Obviously, with his stellar AAA numbers, there would be lots of teams interested in adding him to their major league roster if Boston were to let him go. While nothing is decided yet, it looks like he’ll be in the Red Sox rotation next week.
- Given the above news, it appears that Tim Wakefield will find himself back in the bullpen for the time being (assuming Terry Francona actually follows through with this plan).
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Looks like you were right about Miller!
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2011/06/16/miller_to_stay_join_red_sox_rotation_next_week/?p1=Well_Sports_links