Thanks to a 7 run 6th inning, punctuated a 3-run bomb by Pedroia, the Sox improved their record to 12-14 (ugh) tonight with a 17-4 victory over the Angels. It got a little ugly in the top of the 9th when the Sox bullpen allowed 4 runs, but there were many positives about tonight's game. In fact, since I'm so God damn impressionable and one lopsided victory gets me thinking the whole season is turned around, I'm going to slide right down the lineup and say something sweet about every little guy on the team.
After a tough few weeks, Marco Scutaro has cleaned up his defense. He also came into tonight hitting .346 in his last 6 games.
Dustin Pedroia has been playing Gold Glove defense (and my guess is he'll win it this year now that Polanco is in the NL) and as I said earlier, he knocked in 3 runs in the big 7th inning tonight. He's also managed multiple hits in 5 of his last 8 games.
Victor Martinez has thrown out 4 straight would-be base stealers. Pretty good considering that unmentionable game as Texas. He also went 2-for-6 with a double tonight, with no RBIs because he was the only Sox starter tonight to not have an at bat with men on base. Did you get that? 17 runs and the no.3 hitter had no RBI opportunities.
It could have been a bigger night for Kevin Youkilis, but they kept taking the bat out of his hand. He hit a massive homer in the 2nd, and in his next two at bats he was hit by a pitch and intentionally walked. I predict a big month for Youk, a career .336 hitter in the month of May.
J.D. Drew had 4 hits, picking up right where he left off after a solid weekend in Baltimore in which he whacked 3 homers. Yeah, he's still hitting under .250, but he's clearly making an effort. Whatever the impetus may be, he's swinging at a lot of first pitches and it's paying off. His batting average has jumped 143 points in 12 games. At this rate he'll be batting 1.880 by season's end.
What a bitch Mike Lowell is being. Yeah, he's handling the platoon really well but he is killing me in fantasy. Like a mime being stabbed, I could do nothing as I watched Lowell go 4-for-4 tonight with 4 RBIs, all while he sat snugly between Desmond Jennings and Eric Chavez on my fantasy bench. The man can still hit.
Finally! Adrian Beltre hit his first homer as a member of the Red Sox. It was a no-doubter into the Monster seats, and it also came in that big 6th inning. Beltre had another error tonight- his sixth- but at least he continues to deliver with the bat. The only Sox regular hitting over .300, Beltre improved his average to .333 tonight after going 2-for-4.
Not to be forgotten, Bill Hall hit his first homer as a Red Sock to. He went 2-for-4 tonight and hasn't done too shabby a job as the interim left field. His .250 batting average is higher than three of the Sox regulars, which isn't really a positive.
Darnell McDonald joined 6 other Sox players tonight with a multiple hit game, going 2-for-4 in the nine hole and knocking in a run on a FC in the 7th. Darnell will probably never top that first appearance in a Sox uniform, but like Hall he's doing an adequate job as a temporary replacement.
That being said, when the hell are Cameron and Ellsbury coming back?
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