It wasn't the prettiest game, but the Red Sox beat the Phillies 7-4, to win the 2008 Sox-Phils regular season series 2-1. But come October, each team starts 0-0.
Today the bats, led by Philly favorite J.D. Drew's three-run home run, stoked young Justin Masterson to a 4-0 lead in the 1st. Mike Lowell then hit a solo shot. Boston added two more in the 3rd when Brandon Moss, pinch-hitting for Coco Crisp (we learned after the game he somehow hurt his hand grounding out in the 1st), hit a two-run single. Drew had another RBI in the 4th and finished a triple shy of the cycle.
Masterson was better and worse than his line (five innings, two runs, four hits, two walks and a strikeout). The side-arm slinger was a bit wild and gave up runs in the 1st and 5th; he had a couple 1-2-3's in between. His counterpart, Kyle Kendrick, was yanked after three.
The Phillies, meanwhile, never really seemed into it except for a two-run 7th inning rally that created a save situation for Jonathan Papelbon. Craig Hansen didn't retire any of the three batters he faced before yielding to Manny Delcarmen, who put out the threat.
Observations from the stands: Our seats were much lower and closer to the action, but we were a bit off center and had trouble judging fair-foul balls down the left field line. ... I saw an old-school Twins T-shirt with the "Win Twins" logo. ... An older couple in front of us wore complementary home and away Mike Timlin jerseys. The woman's was autographed, as was her visor. We couldn't read the names, though. ... Jeanette Bayardelle, from The Color Purple, sang the National Anthem. She was good, but I want the song done quickly. ... I didn't bring a pencil - it doesn't run like ink if it gets wet - and of course there were a few raindrops as the game started. But it wasn't much, and the weather turned out to be one of the nicest of the season for us. ... In the 2nd, the Phillies had runners on first and second, and Kyle Kendrick's bunt was snagged on a fly by Sean Casey. I pointed to second, where Greg Dobbs was way off base. Casey threw him out - score that 3-Greg-6. ... In the 4th, Geoff Jenkins couldn't hold onto his bat after a strikeout - it flew down the line.
Elbows: I got an elbow from Christine in the 5th when Masterson got Chase Utley (hitless in his last 20 ABs) to ground out, ending a threat. I got another elbow the next inning when I said, "I just said they would get to the World Series, not that they'd win it" when Christine lamented that her team stinks. I got a third for slapping my scorecard when Ryan Howard struck out, ending the Phillies best rally in the 7th.
More observations: The Citizens Bank Seven prize packs were won in our section, two rows down. Christine, who is on a quest to win some sort of prize from her team, was very disappointed. ... Howard made a couple of nice plays; Christine noted how we go crazy when he makes a routine play. "He's set the bar low," I said. ... We loved our beer guy. He had some sort of custom-made gadget to automatically unscrew the caps. It was attached to his hand by a glove and appeared to be a drill with a fitting to grab the cap. Christine kept hoping people would order more beer so we could see it in use. ... In honor of the 60th anniversary of his debut, Robin Roberts threw out the first pitch to Cole Hamels. ... I'm sure Christine is glad to see the Red Sox leave town, but we both concede that each fan base didn't embarrass themselves with any real craziness. I got only one "Red Sox sucks" the entire series. Hopefully, each side can remain civil when they battle again in October.
Today the bats, led by Philly favorite J.D. Drew's three-run home run, stoked young Justin Masterson to a 4-0 lead in the 1st. Mike Lowell then hit a solo shot. Boston added two more in the 3rd when Brandon Moss, pinch-hitting for Coco Crisp (we learned after the game he somehow hurt his hand grounding out in the 1st), hit a two-run single. Drew had another RBI in the 4th and finished a triple shy of the cycle.
Masterson was better and worse than his line (five innings, two runs, four hits, two walks and a strikeout). The side-arm slinger was a bit wild and gave up runs in the 1st and 5th; he had a couple 1-2-3's in between. His counterpart, Kyle Kendrick, was yanked after three.
The Phillies, meanwhile, never really seemed into it except for a two-run 7th inning rally that created a save situation for Jonathan Papelbon. Craig Hansen didn't retire any of the three batters he faced before yielding to Manny Delcarmen, who put out the threat.
Observations from the stands: Our seats were much lower and closer to the action, but we were a bit off center and had trouble judging fair-foul balls down the left field line. ... I saw an old-school Twins T-shirt with the "Win Twins" logo. ... An older couple in front of us wore complementary home and away Mike Timlin jerseys. The woman's was autographed, as was her visor. We couldn't read the names, though. ... Jeanette Bayardelle, from The Color Purple, sang the National Anthem. She was good, but I want the song done quickly. ... I didn't bring a pencil - it doesn't run like ink if it gets wet - and of course there were a few raindrops as the game started. But it wasn't much, and the weather turned out to be one of the nicest of the season for us. ... In the 2nd, the Phillies had runners on first and second, and Kyle Kendrick's bunt was snagged on a fly by Sean Casey. I pointed to second, where Greg Dobbs was way off base. Casey threw him out - score that 3-Greg-6. ... In the 4th, Geoff Jenkins couldn't hold onto his bat after a strikeout - it flew down the line.Elbows: I got an elbow from Christine in the 5th when Masterson got Chase Utley (hitless in his last 20 ABs) to ground out, ending a threat. I got another elbow the next inning when I said, "I just said they would get to the World Series, not that they'd win it" when Christine lamented that her team stinks. I got a third for slapping my scorecard when Ryan Howard struck out, ending the Phillies best rally in the 7th.
More observations: The Citizens Bank Seven prize packs were won in our section, two rows down. Christine, who is on a quest to win some sort of prize from her team, was very disappointed. ... Howard made a couple of nice plays; Christine noted how we go crazy when he makes a routine play. "He's set the bar low," I said. ... We loved our beer guy. He had some sort of custom-made gadget to automatically unscrew the caps. It was attached to his hand by a glove and appeared to be a drill with a fitting to grab the cap. Christine kept hoping people would order more beer so we could see it in use. ... In honor of the 60th anniversary of his debut, Robin Roberts threw out the first pitch to Cole Hamels. ... I'm sure Christine is glad to see the Red Sox leave town, but we both concede that each fan base didn't embarrass themselves with any real craziness. I got only one "Red Sox sucks" the entire series. Hopefully, each side can remain civil when they battle again in October.
No comments:
Post a Comment