Déjà Drew For K-Rod by Jared Carrabis
Bay Hits Clutch Homer, Again - JD Drew Goes Yard To Win It In Ninth

77 strikeouts in 68.1 innings pitched. A 2.24 ERA and only four long balls given up all season long. Oh yeah, did I mention the Major League record 62 saves? You may be impressed by the numbers put up by Francisco Rodriguez during the 2008 regular season, but JD Drew was definitely not impressed in the least bit. Reminiscent to a year ago, the same exact series, the same exact game in that series, just a different setting and a new villain for K-Rod. Tie game, ninth inning, the Red Sox up to bat with the pivotal game in the series hanging in the balance, the exact same situation of a year ago only this time JD Drew was at the plate.

Of course to get to that tie game scenario in the ninth inning, there would have to be some serious pitching, defense and clutch hitting for both sides to set up a 5-5 tie ballgame with the match up of K-Rod against ALCS Game 6 hero, JD Drew. In a game that had some significant changes in the lineup with Jed Lowrie getting the night off after a rough postseason debut and tough stretch offensively leading up to the playoffs, Alex Cora took over at shortstop and batted ninth behind Jason Varitek. The other significant hole left in the Red Sox lineup but no surprise of any fan with two eyes that work properly, Mike Lowell was taken out of the Red Sox lineup on Friday night.

Mike Lowell’s increasingly painful injury to his hip had gotten to a point where he felt that being inserted to a lineup not at 100% could potentially be hurting the team. A tough decision was made by manager Terry Francona to remove Lowell from the lineup before the game and shift Kevin Youkilis over to third and insert Mark Kotsay at first base to bat seventh behind Jason Bay. So with a new look to their lineup for the time being, the Red Sox got to work early in the top of the first inning.

The notorious October table setters in Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia failed to get on base in the top of the first but with two outs, the Red Sox put a string of hits together against the Angel’s starter, Ervin Santana. Following the strikeout of Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz ripped a line drive single into right field to get things going for Boston. The cleanup hitter, Kevin Youkilis, continued his consistent timely hitting with a soft line drive that landed safely in the left field grass to put two on for JD Drew. With runners at first and second, Drew shot a double into the gap in center field to bring David Ortiz around from second to score the Red Sox first run as Kevin Youkilis advanced to third.

Having almost mirrored the 2008 postseason numbers of the man whom he replaced upon coming to Boston, Jason Bay must have been watching ESPN last night when Manny Ramirez hit his second home run against the Cubs. When Ervin Santana threw Jason Bay a 2-2 slider, the former Pirate turned Boston fan favorite cranked a three run bomb into the rock pile out in center field to break even with Ramirez in postseason home runs in 2008. Getting a 4-0 advantage early is always great but you never know what you’re going to get with Daisuke Matsuzaka so the early run support was a great boost for the Red Sox in Game 2.

The Angels retaliated in the bottom of the first inning getting back a run off of Matsuzaka after an RBI single by Torii Hunter. Both starting pitchers settled in nicely after their less than perfect first innings but both offenses would attack for a run a piece in the fourth inning. Again, with two outs, Alex Cora making his presence felt in his first postseason start with Boston this year doubled in the right-center gap to put a man in scoring position for Jacoby Ellsbury. The red hot Ellsbury traded places with Cora when he cranked a fastball high and inside at 94 MPH and drove it out to right field out of the reach of Juan Rivera. Alex Cora brought home Boston’s fifth run giving the Red Sox a 5-1 lead.

Facing adversity knowing that a loss in Game 2 meant being down 0-2 with Josh Beckett to look forward to on full rest at Fenway Park, the Angels began to chip away one at a time. In Game 2, the Angels never scored more than one of their runs in the same inning. So in the bottom of the fifth, the halos went back to work on Daisuke Matsuzaka by using that plate patience that had become so disciplined with all season long.

The combination of Mark Teixeira and Vladimir Guerrero in the 3-4 spots were phenomenal for Los Angels going 6-for-7 reaching base a combined eight times. The pair both reached in the bottom of the fifth via the free pass by Daisuke Matsuzaka who ran into his traditional control problems in the fifth inning. With no outs, Torii Hunter sprayed a single into left field scoring Teixeira from second as the third base coach held Vlad up at third. Matsuzaka battled back like he is accustomed to doing with runners in scoring position by striking out Juan Rivera, getting Howie Kendrick to pop out to center field and inducing a pop up out to Kevin Youkilis off the bet of Kendry Morales.

The Angels had so many opportunities to break this game open in their favor or at least get a lead but they just couldn’t get the big hit. The halos stranded eleven runners on the base paths throughout the course of the entire game. They were fortunate enough to be rewarded with a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh but still did not have one extra base hit so far in the entire series. With all the big bats on their team, the Red Sox don’t mind giving up singles here and there to the likes of Mark Teixeira, Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter, it’s the big fly and gap shots that could have sank the Sox on Friday night. Fortunately enough for Boston, the Red Sox pitching staff did a great job keeping the Angels 3-4-5 hitters in the yard and limiting all three of them to nothing more than a single all in all games played so far this series.

The Angels got things going right off the bat in the bottom of the eighth when the first extra base hit finally came. Chone Figgins, who had just one triple the entire 2008 season, picked the perfect time for his second of the year when shot a line out to right field past JD Drew. Figgins turns on the jets and cruised into third base with a lead off triple. He would later score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Mark Teixeira. Jonathan Papelbon was summoned in the bottom of the eighth and with a days rest and another one coming on Saturday, he was asked to get six outs. With the game knotted up at five, Papelbon got his team up to bat as he anxiously awaited his team’s best effort to provide him a lead in the bottom half of the ninth.

With the Angels now historically dominant closer on the mound, Francisco Rodriguez was the only thing standing in between the Boston Red Sox and a 2-0 series lead. Señor Octobre, David Ortiz, led off the top of the ninth looking curveball and receiving curveball and after a vicious swing it was bye-bye curveball. Ortiz pounded his first double of the postseason out to center field on the first pitch he saw to put a runner in scoring position with no outs. Coco Crisp came in to pinch run for Ortiz and after a Kevin Youkilis groundout to short, JD Drew came to the plate.

K-Rod gassed a 93 MPH fastball to start JD Drew off with a ball. After setting Drew up with the fastball, Rodriguez came back with back-to-back changeups at 87 and 85 MPH to get Drew swinging on both occasions putting the lefty down in the count, 1-2. K-Rod came back with the fastball but Drew remained disciplined at the plate and on the very next pitch BANG, it was Déjà Vu all over again for Francisco Rodriguez as he turned and watched the game winning home run sail over the fence in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Jonathan Papelbon came back out for the ninth and slammed the door right in the Angels’ faces striking out Howie Kendrick on a 95 MPH heater to seal the deal. The Red Sox take a 2-0 series lead and head back to Boston with Josh Beckett yet to have thrown a pitch in the series. Needless to say, the Red Sox are in great shape having the next two games at Fenway Park and if the Angels are to come back they have to beat Josh Beckett (in October) and Jon Lester consecutively at Fenway Park. Last October, Josh Beckett was unbeaten at 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA in his four starts for Boston.

ALDS Game 2: Red Sox 7, Angels 5

Published on October 04, 2008

---

Tweet