Posted on 04/25/2009 8:32:39 PM PDT by Red Steel
BOSTON -- A.J. Burnett was still snarling hours after Mike Lowell's three-run homer cleared the Green Monster on Saturday to give the Red Sox a seventh-inning lead, a blast that came two innings after the Yankees right-hander had thrown his final pitch of the afternoon.
Left to stew in the tight quarters of the visitors' clubhouse at Fenway Park, Burnett had not even bothered to remove his uniform, instead choosing to collect his thoughts. He and the Yankees' early lead were both long gone by the time Lowell collected his sixth RBI of the game, helping Boston outslug New York, 16-11.
"With the stuff I had out there today and the offense we had out there today, the bullpen should never have been in that game," Burnett said. "That's the bottom line. I threw a couple of pitches I probably shouldn't have thrown. I've got to be better than that out there."
In a frenzied New England matinee that saw the Yankees blow an early six-run advantage against Josh Beckett, Lowell emerged late as the offensive star. His three-run shot off Jonathan Albaladejo gave the Red Sox their final lead before Lowell dented the wall with an insurance three-run double in the eighth off Dave Robertson.
"They hurt a lot -- he was somewhat the difference in the game," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Lowell. "His RBIs in the last few innings were the difference in the game, and we weren't able to get him out."
The Yankees rallied in the eighth inning, as Robinson Cano slugged a solo homer, his second of the game and his fifth RBI of the day, but Jorge Posada was tagged out in a rundown representing what would have been the tying run. Dustin Pedroia added an RBI single off Edwar Ramirez in the bottom of the eighth before Lowell cleared the bases later in the frame.
The wild finish was Boston's largest comeback to beat New York since May 16, 1968, and it came after Burnett was presented with a 6-0 lead through 3 1/2 innings, only to allow it to fritter away as the Red Sox rapped him for eight runs and eight hits in five innings.
"You come out and you establish, and then the game gets away from you like that," Burnett said. "That can't happen. Not here, not now. I won't get any sleep tonight."
Burnett cruised through the first three frames before his start came unhinged. Boston loaded the bases in the fourth on two walks and a hit, and Jason Bay cashed an RBI single. One batter later, Jason Varitek connected for his third career grand slam, depositing a Burnett offering into the Yankees' bullpen and cutting the deficit to one run.
"The grand slam put them back in the game, but still, we had the lead," Johnny Damon said. "A.J. hadn't thrown too many pitches at the time, so we felt like we had him for a couple of more innings. He's the type of guy who can shut them down. It didn't happen that way."
The Red Sox kept cracking in the fifth inning, as Burnett showed frustration on the mound. Jacoby Ellsbury tied the game with a solo homer to right, and Burnett quickly loaded the bases on two hits and a walk. J.D. Drew hit into a double play, cutting down a runner at the plate, but Bay tagged the wall with a two-run double to give Boston an 8-6 lead.
"After that third inning, we couldn't shut them down," Girardi said. "We tried a bunch of combinations, and [Burnett] was so good the first three innings. He almost got out of that [fourth] inning, where he looked like he was only going to give up one, and he left a ball in the middle to Varitek."
But there were also problems for Beckett, Burnett's old Florida Marlins teammate. He allowed eight runs on 10 hits in five-plus innings, beginning with two in the first inning, as Nick Swisher drove in Damon with an RBI single and Posada connected on a hit to left, scoring Mark Teixeira.
"It may just not have been his day," said Teixeira, who tied a career high with five walks. "When Josh is on, he's real tough to hit. He's one of the best pitchers in baseball. We got some big hits off him, and it was one of those days that we got to him."
Cano had a banner showing, clanging his fourth homer of the year off the Pesky Pole in right field for a two-run homer in the third, then added a two-run double off the Green Monster in the fourth inning. He also clubbed a solo homer in the eighth off Hideki Okajima, and Damon belted a two-run home run on Beckett's 116th and final pitch of the day.
Okajima relieved Manny Delcarmen in the seventh, protecting a one-run lead, and he got Damon to hit what appeared to be an inning-ending ground ball. But it squirted through the legs of Pedroia at second base, allowing Angel Berroa and Brett Gardner to scamper home and give the Yankees a lead they'd briefly hold -- at least, until Lowell's shot cleared the wall in the bottom half of the inning.
With the Yankees learning earlier in the day that right-handed reliever Brian Bruney would be shelved for at least 15 days, squeezing innings out of the bullpen has become a concern. On any given day, Girardi cannot be sure exactly what he will get, which lends little confidence when he picks up the phone.
"It's been kind of up and down," Girardi said. "When you walk people and you hit people, it usually leads to big innings, especially when you face a club like this. We weren't able to put hitters away, but I still believe in our bullpen. Everyone struggles in this game -- that's part of the nature of this game."
Go Boston Go!!
Back to back devastating losses for the Yankees.
Perhaps they should take away Joe Girardi’s shoe laces.
YES!!! :)
Meanwhile Joe Torre’s Dodgers are well in first place.
Derek Jeter seems to be the only one on that team not slacking off post-huge Pay Day.
We’re about to send Leonard Nimoy to go ‘In Search of...’ the Yankee Bullpen.
One semi good pre free agency season and the Yanks fell for Burnett hook line and sinker. Frankly many of us here in Toronto were not all that sad to see him go. They should have looked more deeply at his whole career. Very injury prone while here with the Jays. Expect him on the DL this season some time.
Something very strange happened to me tonight. Wanted to go see my beloved Royals and their newly redone stadium. Couldn’t get in. Hundreds of people without advance tickets were turned away as the game was sold out. This was an hour and a half before game time.
Have never been unable to get tickets at the game before unless the Yanks or St Louis were in town. Tonight it was Detroit. They won ;-(
That’s great news!..well not that you couldn’t get into the game, but that the Royals are selling tickets.
Over the course of my career in the Army I had several occasions to spend sometime at Ft. Leavenworth (outside the walls) and took in games at Kauffman Stadium. Great place to watch a game and the fans are great folks.
Hope the Royals are on the right path....
In the meantime...Go Red Sox!!!
Spank the Skanks!
Go SOX!!!!
Have always loved Kauffman. Go to kcroyals.com or see http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/kc/ballpark/new_seating_outfield.jsp to see the new look.
Heavy rain expected today so I’m not going.
FYI: George Brett still owns Kansas City.
Looks beautiful.
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