The pitching match-up of Chien-Ming Wang vs. Clay Buchholz didn't favor the Sox, but the two actually dueled evenly for 6 innings before Mike Timlin allowed 2 runs in the 7th. Wang was nearly unhittable, as the 2 hits allowed demonstrates. But he wasn't his usually Wangy self. He lives by the sinker, which typically means lots of groundouts. But he had 14 fly-outs compared to 10 groundouts, and only 3 strikeouts. I'm not saying he got lucky, but it was one of those freak days when the balls were hit right at the fielder.
Pedroia reached base on what was originally scored a single, but later changed to an error, which could have caused controversy had Wang not allowed a hit after that. But Pedroia was eliminated on a double play. JD Drew got the second first hit of the game for the Sox with his 3rd homer of the year. Bobby Abreau could have caught it if he didn't take a chubby Little Leaguer's jump. Crisp got the Sox' 2nd hit of the night with a bunt single in the 9th.
The good news is that Buchholz looked good against an imposing Yankee lineup. The bad news is that Timlin didn't look good, which perhaps means the Red Sox still have middle relief problems.
I'll set the record straight here: Wang and the Yankees didn't dominate us. Wang allowed A LOT of contact, the balls just fell wrong for the Sox. The Yankees, on the other hand, got a few more bounces (and a few more walks), and went on to win. It was a much closer game than the boxscore would suggest.
Beckett against Mussina tomorrow afternoon.
Source:
ESPN.com
Photo Credits:
Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images
