Afternoon Fun In The Sun: SatanFish-Sox Gamer IX

It's a getaway game for the SatanFish today.  Daisuke Matsuzaka looks to make it a sweep of the Fish, who send Andy Sonnanstine to the mound.  Lineups follow, comment away.

Tampa Bay
A. Iwamura 3b	.283
C. Crawford lf	.314
B.J. Upton cf	.320
C. Pena 1b	.262
D. Young dh	.293
B. Harris 2b	.293
J. Gomes rf	.265
D. Navarro c	.208
B. Zobrist ss	.165
Boston
D. Pedroia 2b	.328
K. Youkilis 1b	.299
D. Ortiz dh	.313
M. Ramirez lf	.292
J.D. Drew rf	.261
M. Lowell 3b	.311
J. Varitek c	.266
C. Crisp cf	.273
J. Lugo ss	.236

Comments

[Brad]

Let's get this biyatch rolling. :)

[Brad]

Dice-K having "that" inning early today.:)

[Brad]

Okay, I know the rest of you are not that busy today....
It's Wednesday - put it off until tomorrow. ha.

[Brad]

Holy hell.

[Brad]

Is everyone to lunch, or what?

[LocklandSF]

I'm here, stuck with gameday audio, it's absolute BS that they don't wave the MLB.tv blackout for day games.

Come on Matsuzaka, let's get going.

[Brad]

He's not looking to be on Lockland.

Nice, caught stealing.

[minomni SF]

been a while since i've seen this entire line-up. hope daisuke settles down here. watching mlb.tv with no sound at work.

[Brad]

ehh, a slew of warning track fly balls up to this point. Maybe everyone is tired from the afterparty last night.
crapfest so far.

[minomni SF]

except lowell apparently, who continues hitting with a double off the wall.

[minomni SF]

tek out on strikes. yawn. lethargic feel to the game today.

[LocklandSF]

I can't see it, but it looks like they are mailing it in, this guy is an awful pitcher, how can we not be getting at least a couple hits an inning.

[LocklandSF]

Crapstick, come on Matsuzaka!

[minomni SF]

daisuke gives up a single to iwamura and a cheap infield hit down the first base line, which he had difficulty picking up and could not even manage an attempted throw to first. not an impressive outing so far, he battles though - need our offense to wake up.

[Ayuh - SF]

Sheesh, the pessimism here is atrocious.

I don't think the offense is lethargic- they've been hitting the ball, but the timing isn't there yet.

The thing that has me worried is Dice-K. He's all over the place; has no command whatsoever. He needs to settle down.

[minomni SF]

and he just battled himself into another walk :O bases are loaded with no outs. and now two of them are unloaded. 3-0 rays.

[minomni SF]

ayuh - wasn't referring to the offense as much as the atmosphere of the game and the body language of the players. though, to be fair, the offense hasn't exactly been explosive lately.

[Ayuh - SF]

That's a fair point, Minomni. The offense better wake up today, the Sox are down 5-zip now. Ouch.

[minomni SF]

another run in on a sac bunt, 5-0 rays. well, at least the bases are no longer loaded. :)

[Brad]

jeeez.
This is freaking horrible so far.

[minomni SF]

tavarez warming up, be very very afraid.

[ToddSF]

What an early mess this is...

[FenSheaParkway]

Umm, so yeah, Andy Sonnanstine: He's gotta be worth a few runs, right?

Here's to a quick and decisive response from the Sox...

[LocklandSF]

Is Snyder not on the team any more?

[minomni SF]

one would think - especially with our "real" line-up out there, which i don't think we've seen for at least a week. and as i type this lugo grounds out, two outs. wheee!

[minomni SF]

wouldn't surprise me if it was snyder, need to make room for buchholz.

[MJL in L.A. (SF)]

I wish my TiVo had a "Fast Forward to D-Rays Bullpen" button.

[minomni SF]

dunno - sort of hoping that we can get to the 6+ era starter on the mound before then. he's only thrown 41 pitches.

[minomni SF]

ortiz strikes out badly and manny promptly pops out. cy sonnanstine only at 52 pitches. meanwhile, the birds are up 3-0 with bedard doing his thing.

[Brad]

I'm sniffing a huge comebacker here....

Or, maybe it's the garlic from my lunch.

[Devine]

Shameful, this. Still, at least I wasn't watching most of it.

[LocklandSF]

Since we're busy getting our asses handed to us by a bad pitcher and bad team, I figured I would change the subject.

Is it just me, or have we not heard a peep about the supposed "Gyro" ball since spring training?

Is there a reason for that? Other than the fact that I don't think there is such a pitch.

[Devine]

I'm watching the Yankee game instead, at the moment. Go, Bedard! (He has to go two more at the least, given Baltimore's bullpen.)

[FenSheaParkway]

So in light of this ongoing masterpiece, can Yahoo go dig up a mugshot of Mr. Sonnanstine for their GameChannel already? Getting bulldozed by "NO IMAGE AVAILABLE" is a little rough on the morale.

[no sleep til brooklyn SF]

Frustrating. The Bedard game is much more fun to watch, what a great young pitcher he is!

[LocklandSF]

Run, don't walk, to this YouTube clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6drXB57d8g

[Devine]

Hey, Iwamura didn't get a hit!

Oh...it's because Matsuzaka isn't the pitcher anymore...they should just leave Tavarez in to eat all those remaining innings...even if he gives up 2 or 3 runs in each one.

[FenSheaParkway]

There was a couple who lived next door to me as a kid who enjoyed playing Ball Buster. They didn't seem to need the table set-up to play though and the wife always won. Huh.

[Devine]

"Then try to bust your opponent's balls." HA! Thanks, Lockland.

It's certainly appropriate for today...too bad we're the bustee and not the buster.

[Devine]

Redman, you no-good bastard...drops a Matsui pop-up to left extending the inning, all but assuring it's Bedard's last.

[TJ]

Tek homers 6-2

[Devine]

Bedard wriggles out with runners at the corners, striking out Posada...6 shutout innings for Bedard. His ERA is 3.00 on the year.

Varitek homers! 6-2 Rays.

[LocklandSF]

TEK!!!!!

[Devine]

Lugo doubles! Crisp scores! 6-3.

[Devine]

That's it for the 7th as Pedroia flies to center.

[Devine]

If it's possible for you, you really need to look at Edwar Ramirez's picture on Gameday. He's pitching for the Yankees (or will be momentarily).

[Mike G]

Fucking Tavarez. Throw some friggin' strikes. At least his ERA isn't equivalent to his height, yet.

[Mike G]

Any takers on a 1-2-3 bottom 9?

[Devine]

Mike Timlin is apparently the new "go-to with guys on base" guy.

[Mike G]

He's been "on" as of late.

[Devine]

Bedard gets through the 7th on 8 pitches. ERA = 2.98.

[MrBlackthorne]

It used to be fairly predictable that Timlin would let those inherited runners score. Let's hope the "new-improved" Timlin helps us out. :)

[Mike G]

Yankee Farm Boy's up.

[attackgerbil]

> you really need to look at Edwar Ramirez's picture

If that's not _THE_ worst picture ever, it's close.

[Mike G]

See you later farm boy!

[Devine]

Yeah, Timlin! C'mon, Sox. Just a teency little 3-run rally.

Isn't it, though, gerb? Looks like it's in the middle of a pitch 'cause his skin is really taut and he's so focused he's bug-eyed.

[Mike G]

Ortiz needs to SNAP OUT OF IT!!

[Devine]

Baserunners, people, come on. Any way they can be gotten. (I think they're gonna lose 'cause the odds say so and all, but some fight at least would be nice.)

[Devine]

Manny doubles deeeeep to center and it's a 2-run game after Ortiz walks. (You can tell how deep it was because Ortiz made it without a throw to the catcher...Manny missed a homer by about two feet.)

[Mike G]

Drew's up. Game over.

[minomni SF]

need to get manny in here with only one out.

[Mike G]

Holy at bat.

[Devine]

Drew lines it hard, but right to the first baseman.

[Mike G]

I can see the headlines now. Lowell to the rescue again.

[Mike G]

come on Wheeler, hang one.

[minomni SF]

lowell walks. i'm not convinced that this is a positive development.

[no sleep til brooklyn SF]

That Drew hit being snagged was lousy. Lowell gets the walk... can we get some lovin' from Tek's bat again?

[Devine]

Groundout to end the 8th. Dang.

[minomni SF]

and tek grounds out on the first pitch. wheee!

[no sleep til brooklyn SF]

Boogers.

[Devine]

Yankees have 3 outs to score 3 runs.

[Mike G]

I can see the headlines now...late inning theatrics not enough

[Devine]

Yanks have their first two runners on in the 9th.

[Devine]

Annoying to think that if Matsuzaka's start had been any good, we're at worst tied.

[Devine]

Timlin through the 9th with a flyout, walk, and double play involved.

[Hudson]

One down, 1st and 2nd, in Baltimore...

[Devine]

Coco bunts himself on as Iwamura fails to make the barehanded grab.

[Devine]

2 down for the Yanks, now 2 RISP.

[Hudson]

Coco reaches!

[Mike G]

OMG--Francona is playing small ball!! Crisp Bunts his ass on.

[no sleep til brooklyn SF]

dammit, i have to leave for a meeting at 4:30 and both these games are at heart attack mode.

Shoot and now Duncan tied the game. Poor Bedard.

[Devine]

Homer Yanks. Tied.

[Mike G]

Look at Lugo protect the plate!

[minomni SF]

lugo putting up quite a battle at the plate.

[Devine]

Lugo double. 1-run game! Nobody out.

[Mike G]

LUGO!!!

[minomni SF]

coco scores on a lugo double. trying with great difficulty to contain my excitement at my desk. :O

[Devine]

If you can't bunt...don't.

[Mike G]

Don't give up Dustin. Bunt again.

[minomni SF]

three chances here to get lugo home with the top of the order. no excuses.

[Hudson]

Lugo with a double on the 11th pitch of the at-bat! Heckuva job by JLug. 6-5...

[Devine]

K Pedroia.

[Mike G]

OMG! Rookie, no!!

[LocklandSF]

People in my office think I'm nuts!

[minomni SF]

wouldn't complain if youk homered here, but i'm looking forward to the ortiz at-bat.

[Hudson]

Pedroia Ks, terrible... He HAS to move the runner one way or another there.

[Mike G]

If Youk ties it, I;m going to have to finish the game from the unemployment line.

[minomni SF]

anyone have reyes pitch count this inning? 3-0 to youk.

[Hudson]

Top five Sox hitters are 1-for-20 today. Does that mean they are due?

[Hudson]

21 pitches for Reyes.