Thoughts, lists and other compulsive bits about baseball from comedian filmmaker television producer/Red Sox fan Paul Francis Sullivan....
feel free to call him “Sully.”
It would be irresponsible for Joe Girardi to start Raul Ibanez in Game 4 of the Division Series or any future playoff game for that matter.
And I am not saying this as a Yankee hater who posted the following Tweet last night.
No, if you are rooting for the Yankees, you need to have Ibanez on the bench.
Why? Because he has shown he is valuable coming off the bench as a threat. Lingering, waiting and having the ability to enter the game, tie it and win it.
He did it against the A's on September 22. Game off the bench, homered twice including the 13th inning game tying shot.
He did it against the Red Sox on October 2. He pinch hit in the 9th and homered to tie the game. Then in the 12th he won the game with a single.
Last night he came off the bench, homered to tie the game and then homered to win it.
This is what he does. He's like Dave Roberts with the 2004 Red Sox. Roberts was the looming threat of a stolen base when then needed it.
The Yankees can turn to the bench for a game tying homer.
You know he will do it when he pinch hits today.
Girardi might not be sure when he needs that homer.
Will he need to pinch hit for Chavez? Nunez?
Thinking he can do it for the whole game might be a fallacy.
But you know when Ibanez walks into the on deck circle, the crowd would go berzerk.
Come on Red Sox fans.
Admit it. You thought today was a lost game.
And Salty comes through with a walk off homer and the Red Sox are at .500 again.
Hey, I still don't think the Red Sox are going anywhere this season. But hey. Walk offs against the Rays are always cool.
I'd love to partake in the "All You Can Eat Crow Buffet" regarding the Sox and their playoff chances. But if today was just a fun win, then that isn't so bad, it it?
I am not sure how. I am not sure why. But there is someone who has calculated that Joey Votto actually HURT the team today.
There is some formula out there that has a 4-5, 6 RBI, 4 run scored day with three home runs including a walk off, 2 out, 2 strike, one pitch from losing the game walk off Grand Slam and puts it in the "Negative" column.
Someone is checking his Base/Out/Contact/Fielded/Produced/Reduced/Replacement/Potential Average and realize that today's game actually brought it down.
And we all know the true value comes from a player's BOCFPRRPA is the best unit to measure their productivity.
Unless you use ADJUSTED Base/Out/Contact/Fielded/Produced/Reduced/Replacement/Potential Average which takes into account whether or not it rained that day.
The A's and Jays played in front of evidently friends and family in Oakland tonight. And like the game played in front of virtually nobody in Pittsburgh, it was a back and forth game ending on a walk off homer.
The Blue Jays took the lead with 2 outs in the top of the 9th. The A's tied it and won on Brandon Inge's grand slam.
It was damn good baseball.
And it was damn pretty baseball.
After years of wearing ugly or dull or totally unmemorable uniforms, the A's and the Blue Jays finally LOOK like the A's and the Blue Jays again!
The Blue Jays have the bird with the maple leaf back, looking more like George Bell or Joe Carter than they have for a decade and a half. And check out the yellow unis that read "A's" instead of "Athletics."
It's starting to feel like all is right with the world again.
Now break out the dark green jerseys and I will be one happy Sully!
In my latest series of entries, I want to record how each and every post season series ended. I am doing a blog post for each and every team, listing which pitchers clinched the final out.
And I did a post on some of the more unusual endings, such as a series being clinched with a wild pitch or a runner caught stealing.
I felt it was necessary to list all of the series winning hits. Sure every baseball fan has thought about how cool it would be to get the hit to win the World Series or close out a playoff series. These 24 are the only ones who can claim to have done it.
To be fair, only 23 are walk off hits. One was a sacrifice fly, but I included that as well. There are a few massive home runs and one bunt.
So here they are. I list the batter, the game, the pitcher, who scored and what the final score was.
Every Post Season series that ended with a walk off hit
Most of the players listed are solid big leaguers but not superstars. Only Bill Mazeroski and Goose Goslin were Hall of Famers (and Mazeroski's inclusion in Cooperstown is one of the most controversial votes ever.)
Rickey Henderson crossed the plate twice on a series ending hit, but never as a member of the A's. Surely when you think of Rickey, you think of him as a Toronto Blue Jay or a Seattle Mariner.
So why did I do this list? Well in case anyone out there in the vast internet land happens to wonder out loud "I wonder who got a walk off hit to end a post season series" they would land on this post from your pal Sully.
And I will update it the next time there is a walk off hit to end a post season series.
As of now, Nyjer Morgan's hit against the Diamondbacks is the last one.
The Orioles scored 10 runs in Yankee Stadium and Freddy Garcia couldn't get out of the 3rd inning. The Red Sox pitching staff held the Blue Jays scoreless for 10 2/3 innings.
And NOTHING right happened! The Blue Jays, who lay like a dog to the Yankees, suddenly because the 1995 Braves on the mound. The Yankees scored 11 runs...
AND JOSH BECKETT IS F***ING HURT!
Perfect! You want your ace pitcher hurt in September. You want to make sure that your rotation is as weak as possible for the post season!
Call me fatalistic, but if Beckett isn't at full strength then I wouldn't be too happy about a rotation of Lester - Bedard - Lackey - Wakefield.
Ugh.
Updating the tally.
DODGED BULLET GAMES - 43
April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.) April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.) April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.) April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.) April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.) May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.) May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)
May 9 - 2-1 win against the Twins. (A bullpen breakdown cost Beckett the decision but Cark Crawford ended the game with an 11th inning walk off hit.) May 13 - 5-4 win in the Bronx. (Youkilis homers off of Joba and Bard and Papelbon make it more interesting than it needed to be.) May 15 - 7-5 win in the Bronx. (Sox fall behind 4-1 but come back as Youk, Papi and Salty all homer.) May 16 - 8-7 win against the Orioles. (Down 6-0 after 6 innings, the Sox rally and win it with a 2 run walk off double by Adrian Gonzalez) May 18 - 1-0 win against Detroit. (With 2 outs in the 8th, Salty doubles home Crawford from first for the only run. Papelbon gets himself in and out of 9th inning trouble.) May 19 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Bard blows Beckett's lead but Carl Crawford wins it with a walk off hit.) May 24 - 4-2 win in Cleveland. (Varitek throws two runners out and homers as the Red Sox win their first game against the Indians.) May 29 - 4-3 win in Detroit. (The Red Sox blow an early 3-0 lead but David Ortiz wins the game with a pinch 9th inning homer.) June 3 - 8-6 win against Oakland. (Buchholz lets up 4 runs in the first but the Sox come back thanks to Carl Crawford's 2 run single.) June 4 - 9-8 win against Oakland. (Red Sox blow a 4 run 9th inning lead and trail in the 11th before Ellsbury ties it and Drew wins it in 14.) June 7 - 6-4 win in the Bronx. (Papelbon strikes out A-Rod to end the game with a runner on base.) June 9 - 8-3 win in the Bronx. (Down 2-0 to Sabathia in the 7th, the Sox score 7 runs as Papi exacts revenge after getting plunked. A 3+ hour rain delay pushed the game past 1:30 AM)
June 15 - 3-0 win in Tampa Bay. (Youkilis homers in the 7th for the only runs in Beckett's 1 hit masterpiece.) June 16 - 4-2 win in Tampa Bay. (Papelbon wiggles out of a 2 on, nobody out jam in the 9th thanks to Youk's diving catch.) June 26 - 4-2 win in Pittsburgh. (The Pirates make 4 errors and the Red Sox score 2 in the 7th to avoid a sweep by the Bucs. June 30 - 5-2 win in Philadelphia.(An injury to Cole Hamels leads to the Red Sox bats waking up.) July 1 - 7-5 win in Houston. (The Sox score 6 in the 7th inning to come back and win.) July 3 - 2-1 win in Houston. (The Red Sox score a run in the top of the 9th on a walk to break a tie.) July 5 - 3-2 win against Toronto. (Lester gets hurt but Darnel McDonald throws out the tying run at the plate to end the game.) July 6 - 6-4 win against Toronto. (The Sox score 4 in the 4th to take the lead and Wakefield and company hang on for dear life.) July 10 - 8-6 win against Baltimore. (The Orioles score 6 runs off of rookie Kyle Weiland in the second, but the Red Sox hit three homers in the bottom of the second to tie the game and hold for dear life.) July 16 - 9-5 win in Tampa. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 3-0 first inning hole, but 3 Sox homers bring them back for the win.) July 17 - 1-0 win in Tampa. (Beckett throws a masterpiece and the bullpen throws 8 amazing innings. But the Sox bats go dead, leaving 17 men on base before Pedroia drove in a run with 2 outs in the 16th inning.) July 18 - 15-10 win in Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 6-2 lead but score 8 runs in the 8th to take the game.) July 22 - 7-4 win against Seattle. (John Lackey beat Felix Hernandez and Mike Carp's error helped the Red Sox score 5 in the 7th to give them some breathing room.) July 23 - 3-1 win against Seattle. (Ellsbury gets Beckett off the hook in a tight pitchers duel when he got a 2 out, 2 strike 2 run go ahead single in the 8th.) July 26 - 13-9 win against the Royals. (The Sox trailed in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th before the bats exploded in the 5th. August 2 - 3-2 win against Cleveland. (Youk tied the game with a 6th inning homer and Salty dove home for the winning run in the 9th.) August 3 - 4-3 win against Cleveland. (Ellsbury hits a walk off shot in the 9th.) August 7 - 3-2 win against the Yankees (The Sox rally off of Rivera in the 9th and win on Josh Reddick's 10th inning single) August 8 - 8-6 win in Minnesota. (Down 5-1, the Red Sox rally back, then score twice in the 9th to give the Sox the win.) August 9 - 4-3 win in Minnesota. (Darnell McDonald's homer ties the game and Ortiz singles home the game winner as Bard worked out of trouble in the 7th.) August 12 - 6-4 win in Seattle. (Reddick and Ortiz homered to bail out Lackey.)
August 16 - 3-1 win against Tampa Bay. (Pedroia makes a diving catch in the 9th to help preserve the win.) August 18 - 4-3 win at Kansas City. (Sox hold on despite having three base runners thrown out by the outfielders.) August 31 - 9-5 win against the Yankees. (Beckett blows a 4-1 lead but homers by Ellsbury and Varitek put the Sox on top.)
TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 38
April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.) April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.) April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.) April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro. April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picked off, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.) April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.) April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.) April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.) April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.) May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th) May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.) May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.) May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.) May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.) June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)
June 14 - 4-0 loss in Tampa Bay. (Wakefield's solid outing is spoiled. Longoria scores on a passed ball.) June 18 - 4-2 loss to Milwaukee. (The Brewers hit three homers early off of Lester and hang on.) June 21 - 5-4 loss to San Diego. (Ortiz hits a double play in the 9th to stifle a potential winning rally.)
June 24 - 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox strand 7 runners in scoring position.) June 25 - 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox fall out of first as Pedroia's error leads to a Pirates run.) June 29 - 2-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Vance Worley duels John Lackey and slumping Raul Ibanez drives in both runs.) July 4 - 9-7 loss to Toronto. (John Lackey's miserable start puts the Sox in too big a hole to climb out of.) July 19 - 6-2 loss in Baltimore. (Scutaro gets thrown out stealing and the Orioles tack on 3 big runs late.)
July 25 - 3-1 loss to the Royals. (Scutaro botches a potential game winning squeeze play in the 12th as the Red Sox lose in 14.)
July 28 - 4-3 loss to the Royals. (Crawford's bid for a walk off homer falls just short.) July 29 - 3-1 loss to the White Sox. (Sox blow a late 1-0 lead and spoil a solid Wakefield start.)
August 1 - 9-6 loss to Cleveland. (Asdrubal Cabrera's second home run was an 8th inning tie breaking shot off of Daniel Bard.)
August 4 - 7-3 loss to Cleveland. (Carlos Santana's homer broke a 3-3 tie.) August 5 - 3-2 loss to the Yankees. (The Sox leave the bases loaded in the 5th and the Yankees score 3 in the 6th to take the lead.) August 10 - 5-2 in Minnesota. (The Twins score 3 in the 8th, spoiling Ortiz's game tying homer.) August 13 - 5-4 loss in Seattle. (Mariners score 5 in the first and the Red Sox come back falls short.) August 14 - 5-3 loss in Seattle. (The Red Sox comeback falls short as Wakefield loses a complete game).
August 16 - 6-2 loss against Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox pull a triple play but a late rally by the Rays puts the game out of reach.)
August 21 - 9-4 loss at Kansas City. (The Royals' 8 run 6th spoils a 4-1 Sox lead and Wakefield's bid to win 200 games.) August 30 - 5-2 loss to the Yankees. (Sabathia finally beats the Sox and Cervelli's homer sparks bean balls.) September 1 - 4-2 loss to the Yankees. (Russell Martin's 2 run double in the 7th put the Yankees on top for good. Rivera struck out Gonzalez with the bases loaded to end the game.)
September 5 - 1-0 loss in Toronto. (Beckett sprains his ankle and Brett Lawrie homered in the 11th to win.)
Down to +5.
I know the Red Sox are going to make the playoffs... I wouldn't mind seeing them WIN a few series and clinch it sooner rather than later.
I had a whole blog post written in my head for when the Astros beat the Diamondbacks tonight.
It was about the final 44 games and how the Giants and Diamondbacks are basically playing an abbreviated season.
You will forgive me for almost jumping the gun. I mean the lowly Astros had a 5-1 lead going into the 8th inning. I mean even HOUSTON could hold onto a 4 run lead over 2 innings.
They even had a 2 run lead with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the bottom of the 9th.
So forgive me for thinking the Astros had a shot to win.
I didn't expect a 2 out game tying homer from Paul Goldschmidt who was in AA about an hour ago,
And I didn't think slumping Chris Young would get a walk off shot.
Sorry that the idea of the Diamondbacks getting 7 unanswered runs in the last 3 innings hadn't crossed my mind.
So the minor league franchise in Houston is on pace for 110 losses. The franchise has never had a 100 loss team. This one is all but assured that.
The Astros would have to go 25-19 the rest of the way to avoid a 100 loss season.
If tonight is any indication, that is an impossibility.
But the worst crime they committed? They prevented me from using a blog post that I all but wrote in my head.
Another day, another walk off hit by Jacoby Ellsbury! I love those walk off homers and the celebrations and this one is sweet, especially with the Yankees pounding the White Sox.
It would have been nice to have a win for Wakes, but I can't be greedy. KEEP WINNING BOYS!
Time to update the tally.
DODGED BULLET GAMES - 36
April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.) April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.) April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.) April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.) April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.) May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.) May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)
May 9 - 2-1 win against the Twins. (A bullpen breakdown cost Beckett the decision but Cark Crawford ended the game with an 11th inning walk off hit.) May 13 - 5-4 win in the Bronx. (Youkilis homers off of Joba and Bard and Papelbon make it more interesting than it needed to be.) May 15 - 7-5 win in the Bronx. (Sox fall behind 4-1 but come back as Youk, Papi and Salty all homer.) May 16 - 8-7 win against the Orioles. (Down 6-0 after 6 innings, the Sox rally and win it with a 2 run walk off double by Adrian Gonzalez) May 18 - 1-0 win against Detroit. (With 2 outs in the 8th, Salty doubles home Crawford from first for the only run. Papelbon gets himself in and out of 9th inning trouble.) May 19 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Bard blows Beckett's lead but Carl Crawford wins it with a walk off hit.) May 24 - 4-2 win in Cleveland. (Varitek throws two runners out and homers as the Red Sox win their first game against the Indians.) May 29 - 4-3 win in Detroit. (The Red Sox blow an early 3-0 lead but David Ortiz wins the game with a pinch 9th inning homer.) June 3 - 8-6 win against Oakland. (Buchholz lets up 4 runs in the first but the Sox come back thanks to Carl Crawford's 2 run single.) June 4 - 9-8 win against Oakland. (Red Sox blow a 4 run 9th inning lead and trail in the 11th before Ellsbury ties it and Drew wins it in 14.) June 7 - 6-4 win in the Bronx. (Papelbon strikes out A-Rod to end the game with a runner on base.) June 9 - 8-3 win in the Bronx. (Down 2-0 to Sabathia in the 7th, the Sox score 7 runs as Papi exacts revenge after getting plunked. A 3+ hour rain delay pushed the game past 1:30 AM)
June 15 - 3-0 win in Tampa Bay. (Youkilis homers in the 7th for the only runs in Beckett's 1 hit masterpiece.) June 16 - 4-2 win in Tampa Bay. (Papelbon wiggles out of a 2 on, nobody out jam in the 9th thanks to Youk's diving catch.) June 26 - 4-2 win in Pittsburgh. (The Pirates make 4 errors and the Red Sox score 2 in the 7th to avoid a sweep by the Bucs. June 30 - 5-2 win in Philadelphia.(An injury to Cole Hamels leads to the Red Sox bats waking up.) July 1 - 7-5 win in Houston. (The Sox score 6 in the 7th inning to come back and win.) July 3 - 2-1 win in Houston. (The Red Sox score a run in the top of the 9th on a walk to break a tie.) July 5 - 3-2 win against Toronto. (Lester gets hurt but Darnel McDonald throws out the tying run at the plate to end the game.) July 6 - 6-4 win against Toronto. (The Sox score 4 in the 4th to take the lead and Wakefield and company hang on for dear life.) July 10 - 8-6 win against Baltimore. (The Orioles score 6 runs off of rookie Kyle Weiland in the second, but the Red Sox hit three homers in the bottom of the second to tie the game and hold for dear life.) July 16 - 9-5 win in Tampa. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 3-0 first inning hole, but 3 Sox homers bring them back for the win.) July 17 - 1-0 win in Tampa. (Beckett throws a masterpiece and the bullpen throws 8 amazing innings. But the Sox bats go dead, leaving 17 men on base before Pedroia drove in a run with 2 outs in the 16th inning.) July 18 - 15-10 win in Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 6-2 lead but score 8 runs in the 8th to take the game.) July 22 - 7-4 win against Seattle. (John Lackey beat Felix Hernandez and Mike Carp's error helped the Red Sox score 5 in the 7th to give them some breathing room.) July 23 - 3-1 win against Seattle. (Ellsbury gets Beckett off the hook in a tight pitchers duel when he got a 2 out, 2 strike 2 run go ahead single in the 8th.) July 26 - 13-9 win against the Royals. (The Sox trailed in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th before the bats exploded in the 5th. August 2 - 3-2 win against Cleveland. (Youk tied the game with a 6th inning homer and Salty dove home for the winning run in the 9th.) August 3 - 4-3 win against Cleveland. (Ellsbury hits a walk off shot in the 9th.)
TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 28
April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.) April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.) April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.) April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro. April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picked off, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.) April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.) April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.) April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.) April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.) May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th) May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.) May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.) May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.) May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.) June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)
June 14 - 4-0 loss in Tampa Bay. (Wakefield's solid outing is spoiled. Longoria scores on a passed ball.) June 18 - 4-2 loss to Milwaukee. (The Brewers hit three homers early off of Lester and hang on.) June 21 - 5-4 loss to San Diego. (Ortiz hits a double play in the 9th to stifle a potential winning rally.)
June 24 - 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox strand 7 runners in scoring position.) June 25 - 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox fall out of first as Pedroia's error leads to a Pirates run.) June 29 - 2-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Vance Worley duels John Lackey and slumping Raul Ibanez drives in both runs.) July 4 - 9-7 loss to Toronto. (John Lackey's miserable start puts the Sox in too big a hole to climb out of.) July 19 - 6-2 loss in Baltimore. (Scutaro gets thrown out stealing and the Orioles tack on 3 big runs late.)
July 25 - 3-1 loss to the Royals. (Scutaro botches a potential game winning squeeze play in the 12th as the Red Sox lose in 14.)
July 28 - 4-3 loss to the Royals. (Crawford's bid for a walk off homer falls just short.) July 29 - 3-1 loss to the White Sox. (Sox blow a late 1-0 lead and spoil a solid Wakefield start.)
August 1 - 9-6 loss to Cleveland. (Asdrubal Cabrera's second home run was an 8th inning tie breaking shot off of Daniel Bard.)
All the way to +8.
Is Ellsbury an MVP candidate? It's worth thinking about.
OF COURSE they got two homers from Nate Schierholtz!
How else are the Giants expected to win? Normally?
Seriously, I am worried about Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper. They are losing their voice after virtually EVERY game.
With all of the crazy wins this team has, the new Showtime show will have more heart stopping finishes than Hoosiers!
Meanwhile, how awesome was Pablo Sandoval's 8th and 9th innings?
Not only does he get the game tying double, but he saves at least one run with a dazzling 2 out diving stop to end a potential go ahead rally against Brian Wilson.
Speaking of Wilson... I really was hoping he'd get the win.
He has 6. That's tied with Tim Lincecum. When your CLOSER has as many wins as your ace, you would have to assume your team is dreadful, not in first place approaching the All Star break.
It's been a weird year for the Giants.
It could be the oddest World Championship defense ever. But hey! It is working.
