All-American Rejects

Game 84 - Red Sox

Red Sox 15, Devil Rays 4
Record: 53-31

I love winning. It's like, better than losing. And winning by ridiculous margins is particularly refreshing, as were the Green Flash West Coast IPAs I enjoyed during last night's "contest".

When I'm talking about the beverage choice more than the game, it's safe to assume that my concentration lapsed early and often. After Coco Crisp delivered a first-inning grand slam to give the Sox a 6-0 lead and then Mike Lowell backed it up with a second-inning blast to extend the lead to 9-0, the NESN telecast became pleasant background noise. I even made eye contact with my wife while we talked during the game.

Coco batted with the bases loaded an absurd 4 times in this one, driving in 5 runs. Lowell rapped 5 hits and also drove in 5. J.D. Drew was so tired from batting 4 times in the game's first 3 innings that he was lifted for Wily Mo Pena in the 5th. All told, the Sox had 31 (!) baserunners on 21 hits and 10 walks, good for a .596 OBP. Even Julio Lugo got on base twice.

In All-Star news, Hideki Okajima predictably won the final AL roster spot - c'mon, with the twin forces of lunatic Red Sox fans and even crazier Japanese voters behind him, was it really even in doubt? As noted briefly in the comments below, I'm more than a little ambivalent about 6 Sox heading across the country to participate in the game, especially since 3 of them are pitchers who could use the rest provided by the All-Star break. And, hell, now that I think about it, Manny, Lowell, and Papi are all banged-up to some degree and could also use the time to recuperate. Okay, now I'm totally ambivalent, bordering on hostile to the idea.

Three tough ones in Detroit before the break - be nice to head into the three-day respite with a series win against a very tough opponent, but the pitching matchups don't favor the good guys.