Controversy Erupts as Sox Relinquish First (7/29/13)

I did not see this game as I was at work, however what I did hear about was this:

The Sox were trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 8th. Ryan Lavarnway doubled and Daniel Nava pinch ran for him. PU Drew doubled to tie the game right? WRONG! Apparently Nava felt the need to retreat to second thinking the ball would be caught only it wasn't caught and Nava had to run to third. Then Brandon Snyder lofted a ball that Sam Fuld called for, Nava tagged up and went home and throw came in.....OUT! Not so fast, the replays showed home plate umpire Jerry Meals was screened by catcher Jose Molina and Nava was really safe. Sox manager John Farrell sprinted out of the dugout to protest and was tossed from the game. The Sox did manage to put the tying and go-ahead runs on in the 9th but failed to score as the Rays put themselves back in first.

                                                Bedlam at home plate


THE GOOD:

David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with a walk. Ryan Lavarnway was also 1 for 3. PU Drew was 1 for 3 including what should have been a game tying double in the 8th inning. Brandon Snyder was 1 for 3 with his second home run of the season. Jose De La Torre, Drake Britton and Koji Uehara combined to throw 4 innings of scoreless relief.


THE BAD:

Jackass of the Night goes to Mike Napoli...NOT Daniel Nava. Yes Nava didn't score on the double by Drew but was actually safe at home, umpire just missed the call. The true jackass was Mike Napoli going 0 for 4, striking out in the bottom of the 7th representing the tying run and striking out in the 9th with the tying run at third, winning run at second.

                                                       Jackass of the night

Shane Victorino and Dustin Pedroia combined to go 0 for 8. Jonny Gomes was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts. Daniel Nava is spared from Jackass but not from the bad list because he should of scored on the Drew double.


THE UGLY:

Felix Doubront was the hard luck loser but the OLD Doubront pitched tonight. He was his usual nibbling self, allowing 2 runs while throwing 104 pitches in just 5 innings, allowing 8 hits and 3 walks....dropping to 7-5 on the season with a 3.77 ERA. Jacoby Ellsbury went just 1 for 4 but made it count, swiping his 39th base of the season.


Final Thoughts:

Once again the Tampa Bay Rays are back in first due to a lucky call. This combined with the catwalk game are types of breaks teams going places get. You don't see the Yankees winning games like this these days like they used to time and time again. The Sox should have tied the game in the 8th and since they have 9 walkoffs this season, its safe to assume that a 10th would have been in the books. Unfortunately they lost, dropping to 63-44 and a half game behind the Rays.
  The trade deadline is in 2 days and the Sox have yet to make a move. Sox general manager Ben Cherrington has said the asking price for Cliff Lee is too high and for once I can't blame him. The Sox have several prospects in their system that have had outstanding season such as Single A phenom Henry Owens, Double A phenom Anthony Raunado along with Jackie Bradley Jr, Bryce Brentz, Garin Checchini, Xander Bogaerts, Jeremy Hazelbaker and a few guys in Lowell (Jamie Callahan in particular) that are kicking ass. In order to get Lee, the Sox would have to give up Bogaerts for sure and maybe one of their stud pitchers. Cherrington is under a lot of pressure because he has to make a choice.
  Before the season started, this year's team wasn't meant to contend but to lose with dignity and bring the fans back. That's why they signed all these character guys like Napoli, Gomes, Ryan Dempster, Victorino, David Ross and Koji Uehara to 1-2 year deals, basically stopgaps until their prospects mature for next season. The problem was the true talent of the team showed, especially when Clay Buchholz was healthy and the team has been good enough to contend for first place in the AL East all season. So now Cherrington has to make a choice, keep the prospects and stick to the script of playing for next year or make some major moves in order to try to win the World Series this season. My opinion personally is to hold their ground and stick to the script. They just may win the AL East (unless Tampa pulls off a killer trade) anyway so don't sacrifice the future to win now. That's how Dan Duquette lost his job by sacrificing major league talent such as David Eckstein, Will Ledezma, Chris Reitsma and Dennis Tankersley to try to win then and now, but it didn't work.
  They have 2 days to make a move so lets see what happens.