Deep breath everyone, we're out of the hole. Well the
winless hole at least. It took a 9th inning rally and Alfredo Aceves, but the Red Sox beat
the Blue Jays Monday
night by a score of 4-2.
The Good-Pedroia hit his first home run, Aceves got his
first save, Doubront was effective although shaky at times, and Scott Atchison came up huge. I don't know why, but when Dustin is
hitting the ball on the screws, I feel like the rest of the team can't be far
behind. Maybe it's because they figure they better not be outhit by such a
small dude, or he just lights the fire under their asses, but I feel like his
swing has a big effect on the team. Aceves looked great, but I'm still nowhere
near ready to call him a legit option as a closer. I was actually encouraged by
Doubront's outing. While his 102 pitches over 5 innings isn't going to work, he
was under a good amount of pressure. Obviously he knows the team has lost their
last 3 games, he's facing a divisional opponent who has the AL home run leader
from both of the previous seaons, and it's their home opener. So I think his
outing was quite successful given the circumstances, and I think it's something
he is going to build on. For me though, the star of the game was Atchison. His
3 scoreless innings allowed the Red Sox the opportunity to come back in the
9th. He only allowed 1 hit, he didn't walk anyone, and he struck out three, not
bad for the oldest guy on the team.
The Bad-What the hell is going on with Kevin Youkilis? He doesn't have a hit or a walk yet, and has struck out in
5 of his 12 at bats. Anyone else remember when he was widely regarded as one of
the most patient hitters with one of the best eyes in the game? He's swinging
at pitches out of the zone and looks like he's pressing harder than Crawford
was at the beginning of last season. Someone needs to tell Youk to take a deep
breath and relax. Otherwise we're going to have to find him one hell of a
slumpbuster. The only other thing I didn't like was David Ortiz and
his ill-fated stolen base attempt. I'm all for taking risks on the base path,
especially when you're only down a couple of runs. But come on Papi. If you're
going to make the decision to run, you have to commit. He could have taken at
least 1 more, probably 2 more steps on his lead off and then he's there no
problem. This is not to take away from the throw Arencibia made though. If it
was exactly where it was, we'd all be laughing about Papi's first stolen base
of the season. It was a good idea, just poor execution, which I felt was
disappointing from a veteran player.
So yes, we can all breath and back away from the ledge. But
it's no time to relax. Daniel Bard is
making his first start tomorrow, and outside of Ortiz, Gonzo, Sweeney, and
Punto, no one is hitting above .300 right now. I fully expect Ellsbury and
Pedroia to cross that mark by Friday though. All in all, this game should serve
as a big boost in confidence for the bullpen, which is exactly what the doctor
ordered.
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