Blackout by Jared Carrabis
Red Sox get swept in day-night doubleheader


It’s fair to say that it just wasn’t their day, as the Red Sox dropped two in one in historically bad fashion.

Ozzie Guillen’s crew stormed into Boston harder than Hurricane Earl and wiped the floor with the Red Sox. After getting a lights-out performance from John Danks in the matinee game, Gavin Floyd picked up right where the lefty Danks left off.

Whether it was a scuffling Red Sox offense, or a dominant two-game performance by the White Sox starting pitching, it wasn’t pretty for Terry Francona’s squad.

John Lackey, who Francona called the Red Sox’ “tough-luck guy this year” after the game, was the recipient of more bad luck for Saturday’s nightcap. Don’t get me wrong, Lackey has been the cause of most of his so-called “tough-luck,” but Jonathan Papelbon has blown more than a couple saves that would have been wins for Lackey.

Among the favorites to win the American League MVP in 2008 before going down with a wrist injury a day short of being exactly two years ago, Carlos Quentin was wreaking havoc on the base paths against Lackey.

In the top of the third, Quentin came charging home on a grounder to first base by Gordon Beckham. Victor Martinez’s throw beat Quentin to the plate by a mile, but Quentin threw his left shoulder into the glove of Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, knocking the ball loose to score a run.

Now, the writers on Twitter were beating Saltalamacchia to death, as were the White Sox broadcasters, but wait just a minute. I could understand the criticism if Quentin plowed directly into Saltalamacchia dead on and he dropped the ball, being that he had all the time in the world to brace himself, but Quentin targeted the glove.

When you’re trying to catch a ball being fired at you, knowing that you have a 6’2’’, 235-pound frame charging at you full speed, that’s not exactly a pleasant experience. The ball appeared to be secure in the glove before the collision, but give Saltalamacchia a break.

Stuff like that is going to happen, otherwise guys wouldn’t bother trying to knock the catcher. They do it knowing that every now and then, you’re going to knock that ball loose.

A Marco Scutaro RBI single tied the game at one in the bottom of the fifth, but that would be it for the Red Sox offense. Bill Hall was the only Red Sox hitter with more than one hit, and he was pinch-hit for Jed Lowrie, who from there went 0-for-2. As a team, the Red Sox were 6-for-33 (.182) versus the White Sox.

Things began to fall apart for Lackey in the seventh, as he allowed a base hit to Mark Teahen to start the frame. Quentin continued to contribute with a double that hit low off the wall in left-center. Teahen started and stopped around third, but came in to score when Ryan Kalish’s throw in to second was off line, as Teahan scored, and Quentin took third base on the error.

Quentin scored on a sacrifice fly, to record the only earned run allowed by Lackey, who was trailing 3-1.

Lackey’s work was done after seven innings, allowing the three runs – one earned – on just four hits, while walking two and striking out seven. The big right-hander toughed it out for 116 pitches – 76 for strikes – in what would be one of his toughest losses to date.



Final score: White Sox 3, Red Sox 1
WP: Gavin Floyd (10-11)
LP: John Lackey (12-9)
SV: Bobby Jenks (27)

Game notes: The Red Sox haven’t scored just two runs on a day that they played two games since July 16, 1976 against the Kansas City Royals. As a team, the Red Sox hit a buck-ninety-four in the day-night doubleheader. In both games combined, the Red Sox had just two hits go for extra bases, and Marco Scutaro, dividing them between the two games, drove in the only two RBIs. For the first time in 2010, the Red Sox are ten games out of first place.

Tweet of the Night: @JonCouture: Lackey with line o' the night: "If you're losing the caliber of people that we're losing, it's going to catch up to you eventually." #RedSox

-Jared Carrabis

Published on September 05, 2010

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