BALCOors Field by Jared Carrabis
Papelbon coughs it up in the ninth, allows walk-off HR to Giambi


That wasn't the way Terry Francona drew it up.

Coming off a tough 2-1 loss the night before, the Red Sox faced a tall task in facing the best starting pitcher that the National League has to offer. Ubaldo Jimenez entered Wednesday night having won 13 of his first 14 starts, with an ERA of 1.15.

Jimenez cruised through the first three innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three. While Jimenez was busy doing that, the Rockies were occupied, putting up two runs in the second and another pair in the third.

Among the four runs charged to John Lackey was a two-run blast by Miguel Olivo, who is having an All Star-worthy season for himself behind the plate.

Trailing by four in the fourth, Daniel Nava, batting out of the six-hole, rocked a two-run double off of Jimenez.

Not only can he pitch, but Jimenez got it done with the stick in the bottom half of the fourth, when he singled up the right field line to bring home Clint Barmes, who had doubled before him. Barmes collided with Victor Martinez at home plate and had Boston's catcher shaken up, but he would remain in the game.

A three-run deficit against Jimenez seemed insurmountable to some, but not to the Red Sox. With one away in the sixth, Adrian Beltre was plucked by a 95 MPH fastball. Nava came to the plate again and smoked his second double of the game, as Beltre hauled all the way around from first to score.

Two batters later with two away, Darnell McDonald cranked the first pitch he saw into the seats in left-center for a two-run homer to tie the game at five.

Lackey surprised us all, as he took a 1-2 slider and drove it out to deep center for a two-base hit. The double for Lackey was just the third hit of his career.

Marco Scutaro followed Lackey's double with a base hit into right, and that was the night for Jimenez, who had not allowed more than three runs in any start this season.

Lackey pitched his way into the seventh, before giving way to Daniel Bard, who pitched an inning and-a-third of perfect baseball.

With a one-run lead in the ninth, the Red Sox turned things over to their closer, Jonathan Papelbon. Making his first appearance in Colorado since slamming the door on Seth Smith and the Rockies in the 2007 World Series, Papelbon's fortunes did not mirror that of his work in 2007.

The first batter of the inning, Ian Stewart, hit a long home run to center to tie the game at six, giving Papelbon his second blown save of the season.

Papelbon then allowed a base hit to Barmes, who later stood at second base after a sacrifice bunt.

Entering the game as a pinch hitter, former Yankee, Jason Giambi stood at home plate with a chance to send the hometown crowd home happy. Ahead in the count 1-0, Giambi murdered a splitter that didn't split to deep right field.

Hey, at least Papelbon didn't pitch like that in the World Series.



Final score: Red Sox 6, Rockies 8
WP: Manny Corpas (2-4)
LP: Jonathan Papelbon (2-4)

Game notes: Eight of Daniel Nava's first thirteen major league hits have been for extra bases. After allowing a pair of home runs in the ninth, Jonathan Papelbon set a new career high in home runs allowed with six. At the moment, Papelbon's 7.5 K-per-9 is also a career low. Having lost the first two games of this three-game set, the Red Sox have lost their first series since dropping a series to the Detroit Tigers on May 14-16. John Lackey was 1-for-his-career before having a two-hit game on Wednesday. On a down note, Adrian Beltre saw his hitting streak snapped at 11 games, after an 0-for-3 performance in Wednesday night's loss.

Tweet of the Night: @PeteAbe: That didn't take long. Giambi beats the #RedSox with a walk-off. Cue the "Bard should close" chorus

-Jared Carrabis

Published on June 23, 2010

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