Jays outpitch Sox to take series opener 6-3.
First off, I don’t like the Jays retro baby blue uniforms; never did, never will. Now that that fashion comment is out of the way, onto the game.
This was quite a pitching duel through 6 innings before each team managed to push 3 runs across the plate in the next two half innings – the Jays in the bottom of the sixth and the Sox in the top of the sixth. Really, though the story was (1) Shaun Marcum and (2) the Toronto bullpen vs. the Boston pitching of Aardsma, Lopez and Delcarmen.
Marcum was fantastic. He doesn’t have the lights out fastball, but he does have control, a good mix of pitches, and the ability to change speeds. He was on last night and seems to have picked up where he left off last year. It was really something to watch, the way he used both sides of the plate and kept batters off kilter the whole night by changing speed and mixing up his pitches. He was good.
The Sox pen did not get the job done. In the top of the 7th JD Drew tied the game with a three run blast off Marcum. Marcum had fooled JD all night long until he left a 85 MPH fastball just a bit over the plate and JD smacked it into the right field stands. Aardsma then came on to start the 7th and walked Eckstein after an 11 pitch struggle. Eckstein fouled off 4 straight 95 MPH fastballs until Aardsma missed high.
Lopez was brought in to face Stairs but the Jays countered with Shannon Stewart who drilled a line drive past Pedroia into center. This brought on Delcarmen. This makes one think that Tito messed up. If Lopez left after Stewart because Rios was up, why even use Lopez but replace him with Delcarmen for Stewart. Call me crazy, but I just don’t like Lopez against righties. But then I looked at the numbers and was a bit surprised. Here is Lopez’s platoon split for 2007:
- vs. Righties – .176/.296/.265
- vs. Lefties – .293/.366/.439
Why do we think Lopez is a lefty killer? Perhaps it is because 2007 may have been an aberration. Here are th stats for 2004-2006:
2004
- vs. Righties .350/.441/.475
- vs. Lefties .221/.351/.273
2005
- vs. Righties .410/.500/.692
- vs. Lefties .286/.366./.457
2006
- vs. Righties .208/.333/.417
- vs. Lefties .250/.385/.281
This is really puzzling. Lopez used to get killed by righties but in the last two years it is lefties who have hit him better. I wonder what deeper analysis the Red Sox have done on this – Bill James must have something interesting to say about this. Anyway, I take back my comment about Tito, maybe he did know what he was doing keeping Lopez in against Stewart. Stewart had never faced Lopez before and Stairs was 1 for 2 with a double. Maybe Tito thought Lopez’s sidewinder deliver would throw Stewart. Whatever the thinking, it didn’t work – Stewart laced the 4th pitch for a single.
Delcarmen came on and got Rios and Wells to pop up. Things were looking good until big old Frank Thomas smoked what looked like a change up that Manny left over the middle of the plate for a 2 run double. And, that was really the game. Toronto’s pen allowed only 1 single over the next two innings. A nice ball game, but one that went the wrong way.
Toronto’s offense is not that scary, but the Jays pitching is going to be tough if Marcum continues to pitch like this and Burnett can stay healthy.
Minor League Update
AAA Pawtucket – rained out
AA Portland – rained out
A Adv Lancaster – 1B Prospect Lars Anderson is 2-9 to start the season with 1 walk and 1 strikeout; last year he finished up the last 10 games in Lancaster at .344/.489/.486 with 1 HR and 2 2Bs in 35 at bats.
A Greenville – rained out
Interesting stat of the day
Youkilis broke the 1B errorless mark on Wednesday; he is at 195 now. Youk’s streak started after an error in Tampa Bay on July 4, 2006. Since then he has handled 1640 chances – 60 shy of the MLB 1B errorless chance record set by Stuffy McInnis from 1921-1922. Go Youk!
Next game – 4.5.08
Buchholz v. Litsch