So Coco Crisp didn't start tonight because he jammed a finger last night sliding into a base. Adam Stern, a.k.a. Mr. Canada, started in his spot. It worked out rather nicely.
Wakefield rebounded from an atrocious start and had a really solid outing. He went 6 innings allowing only 1 run that was somewhat of a strange run. In the bottom of the 1st, Newhan reached on an error by Mark Loretta. Newhan advanced to 2nd via the stolen base. He moved to third when he tagged up then scored on a Tejada single. That would be it for the Baltimore run scoring.
Wake struggled at the outset of the 6th inning but he settled down big time, striking out the side with runners on the corners and no outs. A key for Wakefield was that he threw strikes. Of the 93 pitches he threw, 63 were strikes.
Josh Bard also had a good game behind the plate and at the plate. No passed balls and a 1 for 4, scoring a pair of runs.
Stern was the big offensive hero, going 2 for 5 with a pair of RBI singles, one in the 5th and one in the 6th. He also had a good day in the field.
The Red Sox scraped their runs together in the 5th very nicely. Last season, we were all about the big inning and the long ball. It was nice to see that we can eke out runs as well.
J.T. Snow led off the inning with a long single off the wall in right. Snow had a good day going 2 for 3 and walking. He also recorded the final out with a snow cone catch of a foul pop. Josh Bard hit a single behind Snow. With runners on 1st and 2nd, and the Sox down by 1, Alex Gonzalez sacrifice bunted moving both runners into scoring position. Stern then knocked in Snow. Loretta scorched a liner right at the second baseman Chris Gomez. Stern was caught off the bag but Gomez threw the ball away allowing Bard to score and the inning to continue.
The Red Sox never hit anything other than a single, but it was enough.
Timlin didn't look all that sharp in the 8th, allowing a single, throwing a wild pitch, and then walking Millar, but he was able to get out of it by inducing Ramon Hernandez to ground out.
Foulke came into the game to pitch the 8th. This was the first time he has been used in a really meaningful situation. He did very well, retiring the side in order with 12 pitches, 9 for strikes. He got the first two betters with strikeouts, then Newhan lined out to Snow to end the inning. He looked real sharp.
Papelbon did not look as sharp as he has looked. Perhaps it was adjusting to a different catcher, and perhaps it was pitching two days in a row. He was only a closer very sparingly in the minors with Pawtucket. He fell behind hitters, allowed a leadoff double, a long fly out to center, then hit Tejada with a pitch. He was able to get out of the inning with a pair of pop outs and the game was over with the Red Sox on top 4-1.
The Sox improve to 5-1 going into the home opener on Tuesday. Josh Towers will go against Josh Beckett.
The Man of the Game is Keith Foulke. He looked better than anyone else out there on the mound or at the plate. I know it was only a Hold, and it was against the 8, 9, and 1 hitters, but he looked spectacular, getting guys out with the fastball and the changeup.
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