Wednesday, April 11, 2007

ONE HIT?? THAT'S ALL WE GOT WAS ONE LOUSY HIT?


Can you see why they call Felix Hernandez "King"?

This loss was just the Sox running into the wrong pitcher on the wrong night. Just tip the cap to Hernandez, thank JD Drew for breaking up an embarrassing no-hitter, and move on to tomorrow's game, which will probably be snowed out.

Daisuke looked solid against a good hitting team. He wasn't great, but unless he also pitched a one-hitter, he would have been outpitched by Hernandez anyway.

The Sox pen didn't allow a run. HOORAY!

Has anybody else seen a middle infielder as bad at relaying the ball as Julio Lugo? He takes forever to get rid of it, and the throws are always off. Someone in the ESPN booth made a great point, bad throws from an infielder aren't an arm problem, they're a foot problem. Lugo has horrible foot placement on quick throws. But we should get used to it, I guess.

Varitek looks simply outmatched at the plate. I know everyone did against Hernandez, but Tek should really be hitting 9th, not 7th. Crisp is also a candidate for the 9 hole. I think a case can be made for Pedroia to move up in the lineup. I can tell you this much, though, regarding Crisp and Varitek: The Red Sox brass will be watching Kotteras and Ellsbury very carefully this season.

The only Sox starter over .300 right now is Drew. Next highest is Julio Lugo at .276. That's got to change. Youk is 3rd at .258. Everyone of the other starting 9 are below .250.

I know I'll be bitching a lot about the bottom of the order this season, but Manny and Ortiz need to start hitting SOON. I don't doubt they will, but we are not going to have any offense unless they're hitting. Manny's been hitting line drives and hasn't had much hitter's luck, but Ortiz seems to be trying to hit the ball to the 2nd baseman in the overshift, like it was an infield hitting drill or something.

Man of the Game is, um, maybe Felix Hernandez. 9 inning complete game shutout, 1 hit, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts, 17 groundouts, totally PWN3D us.

Bitch-Goat:
Matsuzaka: 0.2 - 3 ER
Lugo: 0.3 - 0 for 3, 1 LOB, Error, two horrible relays
Ortiz: 0.1 - 0 for 3
Ramirez: 0.1 - 0 for 3, K
Lowell: 0.1 - 0 for 3
Varitek: 0.1 - 0 for 3, K, 1 LOB
Crisp: 0.1 - 0 for 3, 2 K

Honorable Mentions:
Kenjo Johjima: 2/3, 2 2B, BB

Snow in the forecast tomorrow. If a game gets in, Wakefield vs. Washburn. Which W will get the W? Good Lord, I'm corny.

MORE ON DONNELLY VS. GUILLEN

More on. Haha.

So this whole business started in 2004 when Jose Guillen criticized Mike Scioscia after he was pinch ran for. Guillen threw the Angels' pitchers into the criticisms as well, accusing them of not hitting opposing batters to protect the Angels' hitters. Of course, Guillen and Donnelly were teammates at the time.

Guillen was suspended by Scioscia for the rest of the season. At the end of the year, he was traded to Washington. Since then, he's had a vendetta against the Angels.

When Washington played the Angels, Guillen tipped off his manager that Donnelly had pine tar on his glove. The umpires inspected Brendan's glove, found a foreign substance, and ejected him. Donnelly was suspended by the league for 8 games.

So yesterday afternoon, Donnelly struck out Guillen in the 8th inning of a blowout game. Guillen said something, Donnelly said something. The benches cleared.

Just a sidenote, I wish baseball fights were more like hockey fights, one player against one player, settle it between yourselves. But no, baseball fights involve the entire teams. Once one person steps out of the dugout during a potential fight, everyone on the other bench will come out, and everyone from the first bench, and everyone from the bullpens. You'd think if it were a real fight, the bullpens would just stay in the outfield and fight there, instead of running into battle.

Anyway, after things settled down, Donnelly hit Johjihima with a pitch, and was promptly ejected. Guillen had been ejected during the fracas.

Guillen's comments after the game were funny.

"It started when I was with the Angels and I got traded, you know. Caught him cheating once, and unfortunately he keeps running his mouth like he's gonna hit me. He's got to be man enough to hit me and not hit our catcher. So if you're gonna hit somebody, go ahead and do it.

When I was walking to the dugout, I saw him staring at me and I just don't like that. I know he was saying something. He was staring at me. I don't like whatever he's saying."

Guillen is mad that Donnelly hit Johjihima, and not himself. But Guillen flipped out BEFORE Donnelly hit Johjihima. And then this crap about "staring at me" reminds me of Gerald "Ice" Williams attacking Pedro Martinez for spitting on the ground in his general direction. Then again, Williams was actually hit by a pitch, he didn't strike out before he threw his nutty.

Here's the thing, Jose Guillen is a loud mouth talker. He talks too much. He got pissed because some guy he hates struck him out. His team was down 14-1, he was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts, and he took his anger out on Donnelly. He concocted a story about staring and used it as an excuse to get pissed at Donnelly, which incited an entire team vs. team bench clearing grab ass session.

Guillen is just an immature little baby, and a bad teammate. Just ask anyone who was on the Angels in 2004.