Solo homerun by Ortiz, 2 run shot by Cora, and a 2 run bomb from Manny. Couple that with a nice start by Tavarez, a few extra RBI sprinkled in by Cora and Lugo, a 2 inning Okajima hold, and a Papelbon save, and you've got yourself a win. You've also got yourself a 16-8 April, with a 4 game lead in the division.
One thing I really like about the Sox this season is the internationality of this team. Just look at today's big contributors. Julio Lugo, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Julian Tavarez, all Dominicans, all contribute. Alex Cora, from Puerto Rico has a big 3 RBI game. Hideki Okajima, from Japan, has a 4 strikeout performance, and Papelbon, an American, finishes it off.
Anyway, this start was very nice to see from Tavarez. His only major mistake was to Mientkiewicz, who hit the 3 rub homer. Julian only allowed 3 hits. I still think he's headed for the bullpen when Lester returns, but I also still think he's a good pitcher that can contribute a great deal to this team.
Huge news story: Papelbon gave up his second hit of the season.
I think it might be time to make second base a full platoon situation, at least for now. Cora is hitting right handed pitchers really well, and Pedroia is doing terribly against them.
Speaking of Cora, he was the Man of the Game with a 2 for 4 outing. He hit a 2 run homer and a triple. He knocked in 3 and scored twice. All three of his RBI came with 2 outs.
Honorable Mentions:
Hideki Okajima: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
David Ortiz: 2/4, HR
Manny Ramirez: 2/4, HR
Red Sox end April with an off day tomorrow, then return to Fenway to play Oakland twice, and Seattle once in a makeup game.
Manny's bomb was a sign of things to come...he seems to have these April slumps every year now. When his head is on a pitch like that and he takes it to the opposite field, you know he's just getting started. Okajima is something special at this stage.
ReplyDeleteIf he's this effective after the league has had the time to scout him and approach with a gameplan, we could be sporting the best bullpen in the AL this year!