Former Red Sox draft pick Jose Alvarez took the mound for the Tigers. He was traded before the 2010 season for Jeremy Hermida....who was traded during the season. In the top of the first, Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino flied out and Dustin Pedroia struck out. John Lackey got the ball for tonight's game and struck out 2 of the first 3 batters he faced in the bottom of the first.
Mike Napoli worked a 1 out single in the top of the first but Jonny Gomes bounced into a double play to end the inning. In the bottom of the second, Prince Fielder flied out, Victor Martinez grounded out and Jhonny Peralta also grounded out to end the frame.
The Sox threatened in the top of the third when Jose Iglesias and Ellsbury worked 2 out walks and Victorino was hit by a pitch. With a chance to break open the game.....Pedroia flied out.
Omar Infante doubled with one out but was stranded when Lackey got Brayan Pena and Austin Jackson to ground out to escape the jam. The Sox struck in the top of the 4th when David Ortiz led off with his 15th bomb of the season. Napoli grounded out and Gomes struck out but Ryan Lavarnway doubled. Will Middlebrooks grounded out to end the inning but the Sox were on the board. League MVP Miguel Cabrera doubled with one out and advanced to third 2 batters later on a wild pitch. With 2 outs and a man on third, Lackey got Victor Martinez to ground out to end the inning.
The Sox struck again in the top of the 5th when Iglesias and Ellsbury hit back to back triples. What turned out to be a key failure was both Victorino and Pedroia didn't hit the ball far enough on their flyouts, stranding Ellsbury at third when Ortiz flied out as well. What should have been 3-0 was only 2-0. Right on cue, the Tigers struck in the bottom of the 5th. Peralta struck out but Andy Dirks walked. Infante popped up meaning Lackey needed one more out to preserve the shut out. Unfortunately for him, Pena and Jackson hit back to back singles to load the bases. Tori Hunter singled home Dirks and Pena to tie the game. How big was failing to get Ellsbury home now? Cabrera struck out to end the inning.
Luke Putkonen relieved Alvarez in the top of the 6th. He got all 3 batters in order as Lackey returned for the bottom of the 6th. Prince Fielder singled to lead off the bottom of the 6th but the equally slow Victor Martinez banged into a double play. Peralta grounded out to end the inning. Putkonen got the first 2 batters in the top of the 7th and Tigers manager Jim Leyland pulled him for lefty Phil Coke. Coke struck out Ellsbury to end the inning. Lackey finished strong in the bottom of the 7th. Dirks singled but Lackey got the next 3 batters to end his night. 7 innings 2 runs allowed, another strong start.
Patience paid off in the top of the 8th. Victorino and Pedroia walked to lead off and David Ortiz singled home Victorino. The Sox had a chance to blow open the game but then ultimately blew the game. Drew Smyly relieved Coke and struck out Napoli. Gomes popped up but Lavarnway was hit by a pitch. With a chance to bust the game open, Middlebrooks flied out to right.
Koji Uehara of the Orient Express took over for Lackey in the bottom of the 8th and retired all 3 batters he faced. Victorino worked a 2 out double in the top of the 9th and stole third but Pedroia left him there by striking out. The Sox left 7 men on base including the bases loaded twice. Yes they were leading 3-2 but it could have been a lot better.
Andrew Bailey took the mound for the bottom of the 9th, he had been shaky lately but this could be his chance to keep his job. A walk to Martinez brought up Peralta who....well....look:
Ugh....Tigers win 4-3
THE GOOD:
What should have been hero of the night turns into just another good performance in a loss. John Lackey tossed 7 innings and allowed just 2 runs on 7 hits and a walk with 5 punch-outs, lowering his ERA to 3.03. Jacoby Ellsbury was 1 for 4 with a walk including an rbi triple. Shane Victorino was 1 for 3 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base. David Ortiz was 2 for 4 including his 15th homer of the year and another rbi single. Ryan Lavarnway was 1 for 3 and got hit with a pitch. Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8 innings.
THE BAD:
As bad as Dustin Pedroia played tonight, tonight's jackass is still Andrew Bailey. Blowing yet another save and costing the Sox what should have been a hard fought win.
Dustin Pedroia missed out because the Sox happened to take the lead in spite of his best "efforts". Dustin was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and 4 men left on base, negating a walk. Jonny Gomes was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. Will Middlebrooks was 0 for 4 as well.
THE UGLY:
One name on this list. Mike Napoli was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Final Thoughts:
Well that sucked. What should have been a great win on the road over arguably the AL's best team turned into yet another loss to a team over .500. Ironically the Sox are leading the league in triples and steals. If the Sox didn't leave the bases loaded twice, maybe they could have added a few more runs which would have negated the save situation. Still, if the loss is good for anything, now its crystal clear Bailey can no longer close. He was lights out in a set up role earlier in the year and maybe he could return to form back in that role. That would mean one of the other arms would be made closer, but who would be successful in that role? All this because Sox brASS didn't want to pay Jon Papelbon. The loss dropped the Sox to 44-31, 1 1/2 game behind the idle Orioles. Tomorrow the Sox send struggling Jon Lester to the mound against Doug Fister. Can he finally turn it around? Who will be the closer? Can they start scoring more runs? Find out tomorrow.
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