August 10, 2007
...
With Oriole Park at Camden Yards filled to overflowing with Red Sox
fans, who show up in numbers that have gone from impressive to
stupefying, the Orioles seemingly were staggered by a five-run Boston
rally in the top of the eighth inning that obliterated the pitchers'
duel between Orioles lefthander Erik Bedard and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Instead, the
Orioles responded in kind, tying the score in the bottom of the inning with four
runs charged to Sox newcomer Eric Gagne, then pinning a 6-5 loss on Hideki
Okajima, his first of the season, when Brian Roberts opened the ninth with a
double, was bunted to third by Corey Patterson, and scored on a sacrifice fly by
Nick Markakis.
The Sox' AL
East lead over the Yankees was sliced again to five games, New York having won
in Cleveland. And the wall of sound that had washed over Wily Mo Pena's
game-tying single, Julio Lugo's go-ahead, two-out bunt single, and run-scoring
hits by David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez during one of the team's few late-inning
uprisings this season gave way to the sight of Gagne spending minutes staring
into his locker.
Kind of
makes you understand why on the Orioles telecast, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim
Palmer was saying that he hasn't been impressed by Gagne this season, even
before last night's implosion. And it raises the question of whether Sox manager
Terry Francona will have to rethink how he deploys his bullpen down the stretch,
if Gagne doesn't settle in soon. Tonight, in the span of five batters, Gagne
went double, single, walk, comebacker, and Aubrey Huff's two-run double, one
that right fielder J.D. Drew kicked away to put the tying run in scoring
position.
The night
kept spinning out of control from there. Okajima said he didn't expect to
receive a summons in the eighth. Instead, he warmed up, in a time frame
compressed from his usual routine, and surrendered a tying single to Melvin
Mora. Coco Crisp singled with two outs in the ninth, Drew walked, and Crisp
stole third, but Lugo flied out to end the inning.
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BRIAN ROBERTS |
Roberts
opened the home ninth with a drive into the right-center gap, and two batters
later, Okajima was walking off the mound a loser. This was only the third time
this season the Sox had lost a game in which they led by as many as four runs.
This was the first time they'd lost a big lead so late, and they wasted the big
hit by Pena and terrific bunt by Lugo, who pushed it past the mound to score
Crisp. But just when the carpetbaggers' bloodlust was at its height, the fans
howling their approval, the Orioles bounced back.
Matsuzaka
had held the Orioles to a first-inning run on a walk, stolen base, and Miguel
Tejada's single, then hung zeroes for the next six innings. Matsuzaka, who has
won three of his last four decisions and has allowed just five earned runs in
his last 27 1/3 innings, struck out seven. With 159 K's, he set a Sox rookie
record for strikeouts in a season, surpassing the mark of 155 set by Ken Brett
in 1970.
David Ortiz,
who was administered a cortisone shot in his inflamed left shoulder Wednesday,
was back in the starting lineup tonight against tough Orioles lefthander Erik
Bedard. Ortiz said it was the second cortisone shot he's had. The first was in
his right shoulder, which he injured in 2004. He hurt both shoulders making
headfirst slides.
Mike Lowell
came into the game batting .100 higher at home (.362) than on the road but has
had an excellent trip, hitting .370 (10 for 27) despite going 0 for 3 last
night. Lowell had four hits, including three doubles, in Wednesday's 9-6 win
over the Angels. Catcher Jason Varitek was hitless in his 15 at-bats before
singling in the eighth. He is 3 for 24 on the trip.
