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October 23, 2004

Game One

OK, I'll be liveblogging the game in the hopes it will help me run off some of my nervous energy. After one batter, it looks like Wake's knuckler is working for him. We'll see if he can keep it up.

Top of the first: Wakefield looked pretty darn good, but give credit to Walker for his double, hanging in on some tough pitches. One big advantage the Red Sox have in Wakefield: he isn't going to get nervous in tough situations. A lot of pitchers might never have come back from his loss in Game Seven last year, but Wakefield is far too tough for that.

Bottom of the first: Great at-bat by Damon, ten pitches punctuated by a double. The Sox are going to have to get into the Cardinals' bullpen, which means they need to make Williams throw a lot of pitches. I don't know what they're thinking trying to bunt Damon over, though. They can score runs; with a leadoff double, the Sox should be trying to get a big inning in the books. Very ugly pitch hits Cabrera, but there's no way Williams intentionally hit Cabrera with Manny and Ortiz coming up. Nice play by Walker to go get Manny's drive. Manny is going to have to start hitting if the Red Sox are to have a chance in this Series. Now Ortiz is in his element. What can you say about Ortiz? The guy is beyond awesome, and he may be trying to strap the Sox on his back and physically drag them to a World Championship. Millar follows Ortiz' blast with a wallball double, keeping the pressure on Williams. They're not making him throw many pitches, but if they keep driving runs in, that won't matter. Nixon continues to flail in the postseason; he's another bat the Sox need to see wake up. Mueller picks up Nixon with a sharp single down the line, bringing Millar home. Mirabelli whiffs on three pitches, but by my count that brought Williams' pitch count to 25 already. A good start for the Sox; now they need a quick inning from Wake.

Top second: Edmonds takes the freebie, not a bad idea leading off an inning already down four runs. Mirabelli makes a nice stop on ball three, but it won't matter if Wake can't get the out. I'm a little surprised St. Louis isn't being a little more aggressive on the basepaths against the knuckler. This is exactly what the Sox didn't need; Edmonds' single was smart, and Sanders' walk is some good hitting. Wakefield needs to get it together fast, or the Sox will squander those early runs. Good bunt by Womack, St. Louis has a great scoring opportunity here, and the Sox need a strikeout or popup. Wakefield can't get the job done despite a 1-2 count, so the Sox now have to hope he can get out without any further damage. Wake comes up and in to Taguchi, reminding the Cardinals that Williams picked the right night to plunk someone. Good at bat by Taguchi, but Wake gets him with a curve(?).

Bottom second: Bellhorn gets almost an excuse me hit to lead off the second; if he gets the barrel of the bat on that, it might have hung up enough for Taguchi to grab it. (Of course, he might also have knocked it off or over the Wall...) Damon hits the ball on the nose, but can't elevate it. I'll say this for Cabrera: he rarely gets robbed during a swing. Unfortunately, he also hits it on the nose, but right at someone. Williams had better be careful with those up and in pitches, because while Wakefield can't really retaliate, Schilling could really ruin someone's day tomorrow. Manny appears to be pressing; I wonder if his lack of production is getting to him. Apparently it's not too bad, as he smokes a single to left. Williams is getting some people out, but other than the Mirabelli strikeout, he hasn't fooled anyone. If the Sox keep hitting ball on the nose as they have, it could be a long night for St. Louis. Whoops, and St. Louis already has a man up in their bullpen. And Ortiz walks to load the bases, giving Kevin Millar a chance to knock Williams out early. And he gave it his best shot on his first swing, nearly coming out of his shoes, but missing. Millar hits an easy grounder to third to end the inning, so the Sox threaten but can't get the job done.

Top third: For all the talk about St. Louis' defense (and it is well-deserved), the Red Sox aren't exactly throwing stonegloves out there, either, as Bill Mueller robs Renteria with a beautiful diving stop. Larry Walker appears to have little trouble with Wakefield, as he smokes a line shot past the Pesky Pole reminding the Red Sox that they can't afford to miss opportunities like they did last inning. Both home runs tonight are probably foul balls anywhere but Fenway. Wakefield then plunks Pujols with what would have been ball four anyhow. Like Williams, Wakefield is simply not controlling his pitches; neither of them are trying to hit batters in these situations. Wake gets ahead 0-2 to Rolen and starts to nibble, a very bad habit of Sox pitchers. But he pulls off the double play ball instead, a great job after the home run and the hit by pitch.

Bottom third: Nixon once again goes down easily, although this time I though the home plate ump squeezed him a little. Nice at bat by Mueller, though, drawing a walk after being down 1-2. Mirabelli continues the two strike hitting with a laser off the Wall, sending Mueller to third. The Sox need to score here. Bellhorn's a good hitter, but he has to really watch the strikeouts now. Bellhorn damn near gets the double, but now he's a strikeout threat again. Instead he draws the walk (something else he's good at) to load the bases again for the Sox. Williams is not going to last much longer without some serious luck. Damon needs to avoid the double play and get the runner on third home. Damon tries to get his second grand slam in as many games, but he's out in front of the pitch. Damon does his job with a single, keeping the bases loaded for Cabrera. Time for a crooked number. The Sox knock Williams out early. Cabrera greets Haren with a sharp single, and the Red Sox appear poised to feast on St. Louis' middle relief. Manny is really pressing; that swing was incredibly ugly, and he's a double play threat. He nearly does so, but manages to get it far enough into the hole that the Sox score another run, and Ortiz will bat with runners in scoring position for the third time in as many innings. As I watch Ortiz take his eighth straight ball since hitting his home run, I'm reminded of what one of my battalion's NCOs used to say: If you're scared, say you're scared. Can Millar pick him up? Nope, another groundout. Stay tuned. St. Louis is down, but they have an impressive offense as well.

Top fourth: Wakefield doesn't seem to understand the concept of a five-run lead, as he walks the leadoff hitter, functionally giving the Cardinals a run back. Not good. It may be time to get Arroyo up, as Wakefield has lost the strike zone. Back-to-back walks to start the inning; Francona had better get someone up fast, or the Sox are going to be watching a big inning unfold. Good, Arroyo is now up in the 'pen. He's probably going to be coming into a bases-loaded situation, as Wakefield has completely lost it. Sometimes it comes back, but they can't afford to wait very long. This is now officially ugly; Wake was a hero after the ALCS, but he's about to give that status away in a hurry. Once again, the nibbling hurts him, as he gets Matheny down 1-2, and is now back at 3-2. And the Red Sox defense is back, as the Sox give away a freebie when Millar throws the ball into the St. Louis dugout. It's sad to say, but seven runs isn't going to be enough to win this. Taguchi brings home the fifth (second unearned) run with a high bouncer to third. If Wakefield doesn't get Renteria, it should be his last batter, as Walker owns him. Wakefield issues his fourth walk of the inning, and the ALCS hero is now officially the WS goat early.

Top fourth, continued: no help from Arroyo, as Walker stays hot with a sharp single to right. Millar has killed the Sox early, failing to drive in a single run in two bases-loaded situations and throwing away the sacrifice fly in this inning. Arroyo ends the pain by getting Pujols to ground to short. The Sox need another big inning.

Bottom fourth: (Conversely, if the Cardinals can shut the Sox down this inning, they're in great shape.) Nice at bat by Nixon, as the Sox look to wear down yet another Cardinals pitcher. Ten pitches and a leadoff walk. Will the Red Sox execute one of their postseason specialties, the strikeout/throwout double play? No, Mueller draws another walk in front of Mirabelli. But Doug can't get the good part of the bat on the ball, so what could have been an RBI double is instead a soft liner to left. Bellhorn is needed again. The Cardinals almost give him a break, but no joy, and the Sox may squander yet another scoring opportunity. I don't know why the Sox were so eager to swing early after two walks, but they may be asking themselves that if they blow this. Which they do. Arroyo had better be on his game.

Top fifth: Good start by Arroyo, getting Rolen on two pitches. Edmonds argues ball and strikes early, an interesting strategy. Arroyo gets him on three pitches, and the third strike may have been helped along by Edmonds' bitching about the first pitch. Almost a six-pitch inning for Arroyo, but there's a very stiff breeze in Boston tonight. Instead Arroyo strikes him out with a nasty curve. Nice.

Bottom fifth: Cabrera looks pretty bad against Haren. Is this the moment when Manny finally breaks out? No, just another single, although that could be enough for Ortiz. If they'll pitch to him. First pitch strike, so it looks like Haren will go after him, a wise decision. Ortiz makes it look wiser with an ugly swing at ball one. Ortiz lays off two more low balls, but Haren jams him to retire him for the first time tonight. Once again, it comes down to Millar. Once again, he can't get the job done, although he smokes a drive down the line. The Sox need another two scoreless innings from Arroyo.

Top sixth: Womack gets hold of one, but Nixon is (barely) able to track it down. Good recovery from Arroyo after throwing two balls, and good job by Nixon sticking with the ball. I love Arroyo's leg kick. He overmatches Matheny, still making it look easy. He needs to get Taguchi, because next inning will be tough enough. Instead, he makes a stupid decision on a swinging bunt, giving St. Louis yet another break. Now Arroyo is really in trouble, as he really doesn't want to face Walker with runners on base. But he will as Renteria smokes one to left, scoring Taguchi. The Sox are in trouble, as the heart of the Cardinals order is now coming to the plate. Walker continues the pain with a double down the line, scoring Renteria. It's a new ballgame, and all the momentum is with the Cardinals. On the plus side, Arroyo's error turns out to have been completely meaningless. On the minus side, Boston has blown a great job by its hitters. Arroyo at least keeps it tied, but Boston hasn't been able to score in two innings; they need to pick it up quick.

Bottom sixth: The Red Sox may want to consider replacing Nixon with Kapler, much as I hate to say it. Nixon has shown little ability to drive the ball, and he's killing the Sox in a game where they're going to need all the runs they can find. If the Cardinals come all the way back, give Haren all the credit, as he's done a marvelous job of shutting down the Red Sox. I thought the Cards' middle relief was suspect? Mueller flies out to center, and Varitek is pinch-hitting, an admission of desperation by the Sox. Tek whiffs, and here comes the Cards' best chance to take the lead.

Top seventh: Timlin makes it look easy in the seventh, getting Rolen and Edmonds to hit easy fly balls before eking a grounder from Sanders. Timlin challenges Millar with a low throw, but Millar digs it out. The Sox don't have to face the heart of St. Louis' order again if they can score in the next three innings.

Bottom seventh: Actually, the Sox will have to face at least Pujols once more, and probably more unless they can get Walker out. Bellhorn leads off the seventh, giving the Sox two big OBP guys at the top of the inning. Bellhorn draws the leadoff walk on a close 3-2 pitch. But the Sox have been squandering these opportunities all night, so we'll see what Damon can do. I don't like the bunt with the top of the order coming in. Damon isn't bunting, but he's quickly in a hole, 0-2. He ends up with a functional bunt; the broken bat was a big break, as otherwise that could have been a double play or at least a force. Now Cabrera's bat is needed. Cabrera works the walk to bring up Manny, and Manny finally comes through with a shot to left-center. Will the pitcher's failure to cover first cost the Cardinals? Ortiz follows that up by trying to kill Tony Womack; normally, the pitcher retaliates for a hit batsman, but it looked like Ortiz is going to do it all tonight. Hopefully Womack will be OK for tomorrow's game. Awesome at-bat by Millar, although this late in the game it still does little good if he doesn't bring Manny home. And he fails again, popping up to catcher. Now the overmanaging beings, as the pinch-hitters and relievers come in and out in a blur. If Kapler can come up with a hit here, Manny's baserunning blunder and early celebration won't cost the Sox. But Kapler is caught looking, so the Sox now must turn back to their bullpen.

Top eighth: The Sox start to turn to their all-defense team, putting Mientkewich at first and Kapler staying in right. Timlin retires Anderson on one pitch, but Matheny reaches on a single to center. LaRussa brings out Cedeno to pinch-hit. That will do it for Timlin, who gets four of five, doing his job. Out comes Embree to bridge the game to Foulke. Embree has a little trouble finding the strike zone, which is a big problem with the top of the Cards' order coming in. A bloop to right puts the go-ahead run at the plate. So Embree drops the ball, and the Red Sox turn to the man they got in the off-season just for this moment.

Top eighth (continued): The third error of the night and an iffy call at the plate make it a one-run game. Manny needs to take some additional fielding practice, as that's not the first time that's happened this postseason. The Sox are back in deep trouble. Foulke has trouble getting a strike to Walker, but he has little choice with Pujols on deck. Walker does Foulke a favor on ball three, making it 2-2. Manny then makes his second error of the inning as his foot gets caught in the turf. This is getting pathetic. Now the Sox will load the bases to pitch to Rolen, and they may be lucky to get out of this inning tied or even only down one. Foulke gets Rolen to pop up, but Edmonds is no easy out either. Strike two to Edmonds looks inside to me, and strike three is even further inside; I wonder if his earlier quibbling is hurting him now.

Bottom eighth: Tavarez comes in to try and hold the Red Sox down. Neither team has much to brag about in this game, but the Cards get credit for continuing to come back. Mueller grounds to second, and the Sox are running out of time. I didn't like the decision to bring in Varitek for Mirabelli; Tek has to be tired after so many postseason innings. A complete day off might have helped. On the other hand, Tek reaches on a tough play to short. On a less windy night, Bellhorn might have given the Sox the lead again with a shot to right, but instead it's a loud foul ball. But Bellhorn keeps at it, and his second attempt gives the Sox the lead again. But is eleven runs enough? Damon pops up, so it's up to Cabrera to try and extend the lead. Wonder if Tavarez will break another bone tonight? Cabrera makes an easy grounder to short, and it's up to Foulke.

Top ninth: Reese in for Bellhorn, and the Sox are all about defense now. Although Manny is still in left... Foulke strikes out Sanders swinging. With a two-run lead, Foulke just needs to throw strikes until the Cardinals go down or get a baserunner. He's ahead of Anderson 2-2. Now 3-2, and Foulke needs to come after Anderson here. He does, but Anderson strikes back with a double. Now it gets interesting. Molina nearly ties it with an opposite-field job, but Foulke is ahead of him 0-2 now. Pop-up, so Foulke is one out away. Of course, the Cards are one swing away from tying the game. Now one strike away. Cedeno strikes out swinging on a ball diving out of the zone, and the Sox take Game One.