Monday, April 16, 2007 |
Ervin Santana Wants To Leave Now: Red Sox 7, Angels 2
The other problem seems to be Vlad's first inning plunk on the wrist by Red Sox starter Josh Beckett. (X-rays came back negative, thank God, but I can only assume he'll miss 2-5 games, an awful lot considering he leads the team in RBIs.) Quite frankly I couldn't even turn on the radio without thinking how much I wanted Beckett to take a line drive to the noggin after that, or for Santana to plunk Ortiz in retaliation — except that he couldn't, thanks to baseball's wonderful rules on hit-by-pitch that actually encourage a free-pass first hit.
Of course, Santana did manage to quiet down as the innings progressed; had he been ejected after a hypothetical inside pitch at Big Papi, it's likely Dustin Moseley would have gotten the call in relief. Moseley pitched two scoreless innings, quite an accomplishment for that lineup. But Scot Shields really caught my attention by striking out the side in the eighth, a nice rebound from his last bad outing. K-Rod also pitched an excellent ninth.
Howie Kendrick contributed, though if it weren't for his a solo homer in the top of the ninth, he might be a candidate for the doghouse. There are times when he still seems awfully raw, like many of his 0-fer days, or today. He got a single in the top of the sixth and got thrown out at second trying to stretch it out into a double; he seems to have trouble overestimating where his legs can take him. Also, he committed a three-base error in the first that allowed Manny Ramirez to score, extending the inning by one and possibly two outs. Nevertheless, his 2-4 day brought his average — his most important stat, all things considered — up to .340. The season's early yet. It'll move around some.
Labels: angels, recaps, red sox
Whether it's time to remove him from the rotation or not, I can't say yet. He looks plenty sharp at home, so it's a tough call. Obnoxious mystery...it overstays its welcome like a fourth season of Lost.
: 4/16/2007 07:22:00 PMSend down Q on the basis of 4 games and 12 ABs? Now there you go and try to prove me the wallflower when I just avowed that I've never met a man as quick to snap as Rob. McMillin, your reign is over!
: 4/16/2007 07:28:00 PM : 4/16/2007 07:50:00 PM : 4/17/2007 11:10:00 AMNewer› ‹Older
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