Shields v. Beckett (Game 32)

After a series of nine games that largely featured goose eggs on the Sox-line of the box score, this was a fun game to watch.

Beckett didn't have as good of a game as he did last Sunday in St. Pete. It was a perfectly acceptable outing, just not as dominating as he can be. He did work very efficiently; he threw one hundred pitches over eight innings. He gave up seven hits (including two home runs) and allowed four runs. He walked only one batter and struck out only five. The closest he got himself to being in real trouble was in the fourth inning. Eric Hinske started off the inning by doubling to deep left center. Carlos Pena *tilde implied* hit a single to right and moved Hinske to third. With no one yet out, Longoria got a single and Hinske scored. The Rays had runners on first and second, when the next batter (Navarro) lined out to left for the first out. Beckett walked the next batter (Gross) to load the bases. Thankfully, the next batter (Haynes) lined out to Manny; who, with a very good throw, got the ball back to Varitek in time to get Pena *tilde implied* out at the plate for the double play. The other three Rays runs came as a result of the home runs that Beckett allowed; the first of which was a two-run shot in the second inning and the second was a solo in the eighth.

Aardsma came in to pitch the ninth inning and he didn't have the easiest time of it. He did his job (the score was the same at the end of the inning to what it was at the beginning) but he throws a lot of balls. You've (or at least, I've) got to wonder what gets said in those conferences on the mound. I imagine it goes something like: John Farrell trots out there, intimately places his hand on the pitcher's lower back, leans in, and whispers "Throw strikes."

The first batter Aardsma faced fouled out to Youkilis on a two and two count. The second batter got a base hit on a two and two count. The third batter walked. After seeing three balls and two strikes, the fourth batter grounded into a fielder's choice for the force out at second. And the last batter grounded out to the short stop on a two and two count.

The Red Sox got four hits and three runs in the bottom half of the first inning. Ellsbury singled. Pedroia singled. Ortiz doubled (Ellsbury scored.) And Manny singled (both Pedroia and Ortiz scored.)

They got two hits and one run in the second inning. Ellsbury walked with one out. Pedroia singled and Ellsbury came around to score. Ortiz also hit a single.

They got two hits and one run in the third inning. With one out, Drew singled. After Varitek struck out, Lugo hit a double to deep center and Drew scored.

They had two hits and two runs in the fourth inning. Pedroia started it off with a double. Ortiz followed him with a double of his own, on which Pedroia came around to score. Manny grounded out but moved Ortiz over to third. Lowell struck out but Youkilis walked. With runners on first and third, Drew drew a walk to load the bases. Varitek got hit in the knee with a pitch and knocked in Ortiz.

They didn't score in the fifth inning but they came back in the sixth to get two more hits and two more runs. Manny walked to start things off. Lowell doubled. Youkilis singled and Manny scored. Drew reached on a fielder's choice and Lowell scored.

They didn't score in the seventh inning but did in the eighth. In the eighth inning they had three runs on two hits. Manny again started it off by walking. Lowell lined out before Youkilis drew another walk. Drew got a double and Manny scored. Varitek singled and both Youkilis and Drew scored. Varitek then got himself out at second trying to stretch his single into a double.