And Chris Davis was the winning pitcher (Red Sox series)
It was only a few years back. But it’s such a nutty game it’s worth visiting again. It’s a Sunday in early May and the Birds are in Fenway Park. Get this, the starting pitcher is Tommy Hunter. Yes, the same pitcher who closed off the Red Sox in a scary game on Monday.
It’s a game in which JJ Hardy cracks a pair of homers. He will have a 5-hit game. The Orioles take a 5-0 lead in the early innings (just like the last series). And the Red Sox come back at us. Darn game is knotted at 5-5 in the fifth. We will use the likes of Luis Ayala, Darren O’Day, Troy Patton, Petro Strop (Strop it down), Kevin Gregg (good riddens), Matt Lindstrom (White Sox), Jim Johnson (A’s) and finally fireballing first baseman, Chris Davis. Huh?
Darn game went 17 innings. And since Davis went 0 for 8 hitting, the O’s volunteered him to pitch. And for Davis’ troubles, he went home a winner. Naturally Hardy was right in the middle of the game-winning rally in the 17th. He doubled and scored on Adam Jones’ two-run homer.
To earn his only win in the Majors (we hope), Davis actually fanned Jarod Saltalamacchia (longest name in baseball history). He retired Will Middlebrooks routinely and was betrayed by Wilson Betemit who booted one. So he allowed a double and the potential winning run was tossed out at the plate. Nutty game but that’s the great game of American baseball.
Now back to the present. We split a four-game series in Fenway this past weekend. Nothing to complain about it. Except for the fact, we should have won 3 of 4.
The series began on Friday night. Chris Tillman was on the mound and our offense gave him 4 runs to work with by with the third inning. It was 6-1 by the fifth inning in a seemingly easy win. And it was as we let O’Day close out the 8-4 win.
In game two, we didn’t give Bud Norris much offense. And he pitched very well. It was a close game the whole way until we surrendered at the end. We also got bit by our old reliever, Koji Uehara. So the series was evened up.
The next two games were enough to drive a man to drink. Sunday’s game was infuriating. We opened with a 3-0 lead in the first frame. Nellie Cruz homered in the first and we were up. It’s 5-0 Birds in the sixth and it’s time for the wrap-up show. Even Johnny Gomes homer can’t bother us. And then we start throwing the ball around like young children. It’s a loss. An impossible loss.
So we have to come back on Monday and salvage the season. And Clay Buchholz is on the mound for the Sox. And seemingly out of the blue, we score 6 times in the third inning. Six runs with all singles and one double from Steve Lombarzozzi. Well that’s got to hold out doesn’t it?
So anyway it’s 7-5 heading to the ninth. All we need is three outs. Dustin Pedroia almost beats us with a drive to the wall. The bases are loaded and all Boston needs is a hit. Hunter gets the last two outs and we get the split.
