Now that was the kind of pitching Red Sox fans have come to expect from Josh Beckett. 94 pitches over 8 innings, scattering just 5 hits, allowing 1 run, and walking just 1. Not too shabby. It would have been nice to see him strikeout a few more hitters, he only had 1 K, but I'm not complaining one bit. His velocity did seem a bit down, but he located well so it wasn't really a problem.
The story of the game will of course be the hitting clinic the Sox put on in the bottom of the 8th. They scored 8 runs and actually batted around before making their first out. Why is this significant you might ask. Well, one of the Rays strong points is supposed to be their bullpen. In fact, their entire pitching staff was widely hailed as one of the best during Spring Training. I've never been all that impressed with David Price, though I admit there is probably some rivalry based bias there, but he did nothing today to improve my opinion of him. He struggled to get through 3 innings by throwing 83 pitches, with 3 walks, 3 K's, giving up 4 hits, and 3 runs. Not exactly what you want to see from your All-Star pitcher. Especially facing a division rival that has been struggling in the early part of the season.
The other big story to come out of the Red Sox home opener will be Jacoby Ellsbury and his shoulder. Ellsbury was hurt while trying to break up a double play at 2nd. The slide wasn't dirty, but Rays 2nd baseman Reid Brignac landed right on Ellsbury's back/shoulder. The play sounds worse than it looked, but it was quite obvious Jacoby was in a good deal of pain. He walked off the field under his own power, but was cradling his arm as if it were in a sling. So far the Red Sox have reported that he has a right shoulder injury and will need further evaluation. This could not have come at a worse time for the Sox or Ellsbury. The offense exploded today, which he was right in the middle of. He was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored before leaving the game. Just when it looks like he's about to pull himself out of this little season starting slump, he gets hurt. At best, my guess is this will be a mild shoulder sprain and he'll be out 4-5 games. At worst, he could have torn ligaments and/or a dislocation and he'll need surgery and likely miss the rest of the season. Let's all hope for the best.
I've still yet to be impressed with Mark Melancon. He came on to pitch the 9th inning, although it looked pretty certain Beckett would have been given the chance to pitch a complete game had the Sox not put 8 more runs on the board. He gave up a solo home run to Ben Zobrist and struck out 1. While 15 pitches is very efficient, I just don't see "it" yet. Hopefully that will change. Also of note, Kelly Shoppach had himself a hell of a day. 3-4 with 3 runs scored and 3 RBI, plus his first career stolen base. Although it must be mentioned his slide was less than graceful, to say the least. It will be on Not Top 10, guaranteed.
Final Box Score- Rays 2 runs, 6 hits, 1 error. Red Sox 12 runs, 16 hits, 0 errors.
Tomorrow the Sox send Buccholz to the mound to square off against reigning AL Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson. Hopefully Buccholz does like Beckett did today and rebounds after that ugly first start in Detroit. Would be nice if the offense kept firing on all cylinders too.
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