Red Sox 2008 Game 92 Recap

Final

Press Pass ✠ Box Score ✠ Play - by - Play ✠ Game Recap

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Minnesota	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	6	0
Boston	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	x		1	7	0

W: H. Okajima (2-2) L: B. Bass (3-3) S: J. Papelbon (26)

✫ 1st star - D. Matsuzaka - 7 1/3 innings, 3 walks, 5 k's and oh yeah only 6 hits.
✫✫ 2nd star - H. Okajima - 2 men on with 1 out in the 8th and first batter walks. Meltdown in the making? Nope, a foul out and a fielders choice later and it was still 0-0.
✫✫✫ 3rd star - M. Ramirez - a clutch single with 1 out in the 8th scored the only run.
⋔ Pitchfork - none, nada, both teams played well

Game thoughts!

What can you say about tonights game? A pitchers duel, helped by some terrible batting by both teams at key times but was overall a very good game. I will take 1-0 wins every day and twice on Sunday, especially after seeing the Sox lose like six straight 1 run games on the road.

Matsuzaka was dealing tonight. 71 pitches for strikes and he was challenging the hitters with his fast ball all night. More importantly, he went deep in the game, which is what this team needs. With Beckett, Lester, Wakefield and Matsuzaka as the starters, the strength of this teams pitching is the starters. They need to get 7+ innings. If they do that, then the bullpen will be just fine.

Pedroia continued his hot hitting tonight by leading off the eighth with a wall ball double. The man is smoking right now and his double came at a very good time. Drew moved him to third on a ball he pulled but it took a diving stop by the second base to get the out on a very close play. For once the Sox actually got the runner home from third on Manny's single. As I said at the time at Joy of Sox "This game was over".

Now lets do the same thing tomorrow night!!!

♊ - Then don't strain your brain trying. Might break something.