It was as if they were tying
to make up for giving him the least run
support in the majors this season, all in one inning.
Trot Nixon singled to center. Mike Lowell walked. Coco Crisp fouled
out to third. Doug Mirabelli doubled
to deep left, Nixon scored. Alex Cora singled to center, Lowell scored. Kevin Youkilis walked. Mark Loretta singled to center, Mirabelli and Cora scored.
David Ortiz popped out to second.
Manny Ramirez singled to center,
Youkilis scored. Trot Nixon doubled
to center, Loretta scored. Mike Lowell walked. Coco Crisp struck out.
Six
runs on six hits. Compare that to six
runs in his previous eight losses. Wow.
Livan
Hernandez hit the showers.
And
they weren’t done yet. One more each in the third and fourth, then three in the
seventh off Coco’s first Fenway homer and RBIs from Loretta and Gabe Kapler.
(And let’s not overlook the monster night of super-sub
Alex Cora.)
Wake
returned
the favor in the sixth. After getting himself into a nail-biting
bases-loaded jam thanks to a single, double, hit by pitch, and an RBI walk, he
pulled a Houdini with two swinging Ks and a harmless fly-out to left. That was
that.
The
only blemish, really, was Craig Hansen’s laborious ninth, when he gave up two
runs on a hit-by-pitch, two singles, and a double. But his eighth was so clean,
you really can’t complain.
He’s
a major leaguer now. For keeps. So are Manny and Lester. Heartwarming.
Don’t
fuck it up boys.
Meanwhile,
getting this
guy and this
guy back soon sure would be nice. (Don't hold your breath.)
And finally, on a completely unrelated note: Frank
Robinson may be a great man, and a stern but fair disciplinarian who shamed
Curt Schilling into getting rid of his earring and blue mohawk, thus turning him into the consummate professional he is today.
But he should
let his catcher know that he looks very silly. Brian Schneider has the most
ridiculous get-up in the majors. Is he auditioning for the remake of Tron?
