September 14th @ Toronto

[yankeessuck013]

Game Info

Date: Wednesday, September 14th, 2005

First Pitch: 7:07 pm ET

TV: NESN

Starting Pitchers:

 

http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/players/6712.jpghttp://bellsouthpwp.net/c/h/chinigor/TALKSOX/VS.GIFhttp://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/baseball/mlb/players/4057.jpg

 

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/mlb/images/team_logos/50x50/tor.gif #7 Josh towers (11-10, 3.88)

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/mlb/images/team_logos/50x50/bos.gif #16 David Wels (12-7, 4.37)

 

Boomer tries to befuddle Blue Jays

 

Boston (84-60) at Toronto (72-72), 7:07 p.m. ET

 

Boston's struggles against Toronto this season continued on Tuesday. The Blue Jays used an early five-run inning to beat the Red Sox, 9-3, in the second game of the three-game series at the Rogers Centre.

 

The Red Sox fell to 4-9 against the Jays this year and saw their lead in the American League East shrink to 2 1/2 games over the Yankees.

 

David Wells will take the mound for Boston in the series finale. Wells, who spent eight years with Toronto, has allowed 11 runs on 16 hits in 12 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays this season. The left-hander is 3-1 in his last four starts, but he lost his last outing to the Yankees. In that start, Wells yielded five runs on nine hits across 5 2/3 innings.

 

Josh Towers will start for Toronto. Towers hasn't faced the Red Sox this season, but he is 3-1 in his last six starts and has turned in 10 quality starts in a row. In his last outing, the right-hander picked up a win against the Devil Rays after allowing two runs in six innings.

 

Pitching matchup

BOS: LHP David Wells

• 12-7, 4.37 ERA in 2005

• 0-1, 6.98 ERA vs. TOR in 2005

 

TOR: RHP Josh Towers

• 11-10, 3.88 ERA in 2005

• 0-1, 12.27 ERA vs. BOS in 2004

 

Player to watch

Trot Nixon will look to get back on track against Towers. Nixon is hitting .167 (6-for-36) in September, but he has a .533 (8-for-15) average with two doubles and two homers in his career against the Toronto right-hander.

 

Quotable

"We lost tonight. So we're going to have to shower, get ready for tomorrow and try to get the series. We were flat, we were dead and we didn't play a very good baseball game." -- Boston's Kevin Millar

 

Quick hits

David Ortiz has three home runs in his last two games and 10 dingers in his last 18 games. Ortiz has 37 home runs this season while serving as Boston's designated hitter. That equals the Major Leaguer record for a DH, set in 2000 by Seattle's Edgar Martinez. ... With a double in the fifth inning on Tuesday, Millar extended his hitting streak to 12 games. ... The Red Sox are ahead in the AL East by 2 1/2 games for the first time since Aug. 31. ... Boston has lost six of its last seven games at the Rogers Centre.

 

On deck

• Thursday: vs. Oakland, 7:05 p.m. ET

• Friday: vs. Oakland, 7:05 p.m. ET

• Saturday: vs. Oakland, 7:05 p.m. ET

[riverside sluggers]

pitcher vs batter matchups

 

David Wells vs: (career against Blue Jays in 18 games a 4-9 record with a 5.60 ERA, career at Rogers Centre in 7 games a 4-1 record with a 3.28 ERA)

Frank Catalanotto, 2 for 3 (.667 avg) 2 Doubles, K

Aaron Hill, 2 for 6 (.333 avg) Double, Triple, 2 RBIs

Shea Hillenbrand, 15 for 37 (.405 avg) 5 Doubles, HR, 2 RBIs, 4 Ks, SB

Eric Hinske, 2 for 12 (.167 avg) 2 Doubles, 3 RBIs, 3 Ks, SB

*Orlando Hudson, 3 for 17 (.176 avg) Double, Triple, 4 RBIs, 3 Ks

Reed Johnson, 5 for 16 (.313 avg) Double, 2 RBIs

Corey Koskie, 4 for 15 (.267 avg) HR, RBI, 2 Ks

Frank Menechino, 5 for 22 (.227 avg) Double, HR, 3 RBIs, Walk, 2 Ks

Alex Rios, 4 for 13 (.308 avg) 2 Doubles, 4 Ks

Vernon Wells, 11 for 24 (.458 avg) 4 Doubles, HR, 3 RBIs, Walk, 2 Ks

Gregg Zaun, 6 for 15 (.400 avg) Double, HR, 4 RBIs, K, SB

 

Josh Towers vs: (career against Red Sox in 7 games a 3-2 record with a 7.56 ERA, career at Rogers Centre in 35 games a 12-13 record with a 5.08 ERA)

Bill Mueller, 1 for 3 (.333 avg)

David Ortiz, 1 for 2 (.500 avg) HR, RBI

Manny Ramirez, 5 for 17 (.294 avg) 3 HRs, 6 RBIs, K

Trot Nixon, 8 for 15 (.533 avg) 2 Doubles, 2 HRs, 2 RBIs, K

Jason Varitek, 0 for 7, Walk, K

John Olerud, 1 for 11 (.091 avg) RBI, 2 Walks

Alex Cora, 0 for 1

Gabe Kapler, 1 for 7 (.143 avg) RBI, SB

Kevin Millar, 1 for 2 (.500 avg) Double, RBI

Edgar Renterria, 0 for 2, RBI

Doug Mirabelli, 4 for 6 (.667 avg) HR, 2 RBIs, K

*Johnny Damon, 7 for 20 (.350 avg) Double, HR, 2 RBIs, Walk, 3 Ks, SB

[riverside sluggers]

todays lineup sees still the absence of Johnny Damon, Gabe is back in center field. Edgahh gets the day off with Cora getting the short stop position, with that Mueller will bat the #2 spot. Millar gets the day off with Olerud back at 1st base

 

Boston

1) Tony Graffanino 2b

2) Bill Mueller 3b

3) David Ortiz dh

4) Manny Ramirez lf

5) Trot Nixon rf

6) Jason Varitek c

7) John Olerud 1b

8) Alex Cora ss

9) Gabe Kapler cf

 

Toronto

1) Reed Johnson lf

2) Alex Rios rf

3) Vernon Wells cf

4) Corey Koskie 3b

5) Shea Hillenbrand 1b

6) Aaron Hill ss

7) Gregg Zaun c

8) Frank Menechino 2b

9) Guillermo Quiroz dh

[Sox Fan on Cape]

Thanks Riverside, good job as usual.

[riverside sluggers]

thanks, sure thing

[yankeessuck013]

Tony G!!!

 

leadoff double

[eZ_d0eS_iT]

can someone please tell me how are we 4-9 against toronto? how is it they keep owning us? its not as bad as ny gettin pwned by tb, but c'mon!!

[yankeessuck013]

rbi ortiz...1-0 sox

[ORS]

Some smallish ball to get one in. Manny fouls out. I wonder if anyone in the FO saw what having an outfielder with range can do for your pitchers.

[riverside sluggers]

towers just had to throw 14 pitches but all in all sox offense helped each other out. Tony G (resign him please Theo) stretched out a single into a double, Billy hit a good enough flyball to get Tony to 3rd, then Ortiz's groundout got him home. cmon you boys need this win

[riverside sluggers]

keep it up Wells, 9 pitch 1-2-3 inning

[yankeessuck013]

8 pitch 1-2-3 innnig for wells

[yankeessuck013]

slump continues for tek

[riverside sluggers]

damn, kapler whiffs

[ORS]

Kappy looks like he picks a spot where he thinks the ball will be when it leaves the pitchers hand, and then swings there instead of actually following it in all the way with his eyes.

[riverside sluggers]

Kappy looks like he picks a spot where he thinks the ball will be when it leaves the pitchers hand, and then swings there instead of actually following it in all the way with his eyes.

 

basically what bellhorn's swing was this season

[riverside sluggers]

troubles with Blue Jays commence!!!

[ORS]

What are the umps looking at on those types of plays? That was beyond obvious.

[ACL BoSox]

We play our worst baseball with the Blue Jays... for some reason we don't make pitchers, there's a lot of errors, we let a lot of players steal bases... it just doesn't make sense to me.

[yankeessuck013]

2-1 jays...ughhhhh

[ACL BoSox]

whew! Nice were losing already! 2-1 Jays and we're still not out of the inning!

[ACL BoSox]

Hopefully that's all the blood that will be shed tonight... the Red Sox need to pile on the runs now!

[ACL BoSox]

wow, this place is dead tonight... Ortiz grounds into a DP, 2-1 Jays Mid 3

[ORS]

Boomer's cruising through 1-3 in their lineup, now if he could figure 4-9 out.

[ACL BoSox]

Towers is owning us since the first!

[ACL BoSox]

>

[riverside sluggers]

i was calling Tony G's homerun!! , but damn kapler gets hurt during the victory lap, i hope hes ok

[riverside sluggers]

what a game Tony has had today, 3 for 3 with a Double, HR, 2 RBIs

[ksushi]

Kappy looks like he picks a spot where he thinks the ball will be when it leaves the pitchers hand, and then swings there instead of actually following it in all the way with his eyes.

 

That is how you hit in the major league. Guess hitting, following a 95 mph fastball with your eyes without any idea of where its going is a talent most major leaguers don't have.

[ORS]

That is how you hit in the major league. Guess hitting, following a 95 mph fastball with your eyes without any idea of where its going is a talent most major leaguers don't have.

Derek Lee, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, Papi, ARod, Vlad, the list can go on forever....they all have their head down, eye on the ball when they hit. Kappy was looking at CF when he missed the slider in his first AB.

 

EDIT: He missed the pitch so badly (by 8 inches or more) because it broke and he didn't move with it, something you see all good hitters do.

 

EDIT II: I'm well aware that you use your reactions to hit a FB, but you still keep your eye on the ball.