Boston-Baltimore: Victor Martinez, Josh Reddick Fuel Red Sox's Drubbing of O's

After a hitting a stellar .353 over the first two months of the season, Victor Martinez fell off the map.

As the Cleveland Indians continued their losing ways, and as rumors began to swirl about his availability, he started to slump, hitting just .207 in June and July.

To make things worse, the Indians, out of the AL Central race surprisingly quick, decided that once the trade deadline came around, they would listen to offers for their top talent, including their versatile catcher/first-baseman.

Despite the fact that his team was going nowhere fast, he had no desire to leave Cleveland, the organization that signed him as an undrafted free-agent in 1996 as an 18-year-old.

The Indians sought to rebuild, which meant, whether he liked it or not, Martinez would be on the chopping block.

So, the inevitable happened.

Friday, right before the deadline, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. Standing in front of his locker in the Indians clubhouse upon hearing the news, he couldn’t contain his emotions, clearly saddened about his departure.

Holding back tears, he said goodbye to Cleveland.

He joined Boston that Friday evening and made his debut the next day. He drove in his first run as a member of the Red Sox and, alongside countryman David Ortiz, appeared comfortable with his new team in a new environment.

He showed a tremendous amount of passion—clapping his hands and congratulating his teammates constantly—understanding Cleveland was in his past, with Boston, a title contender, as his present and future.

So, after a prolonged slump and a tearful adieu, Victor Martinez is back to being Victor Martinez, as his performance in Boston’s series finale against the Baltimore Orioles suggested.

Red Sox leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury got things started, continuing to increase his ever-climbing on-base percentage by patiently working a walk against Orioles pitcher Jason Berken. Dustin Pedroia singled him over to second, bringing up Martinez. He waited for his pitch, then got it, a four-seam fastball down the heart of the plate.

He nutted the offering into left field, but his low screamer held up too long, as Nick Markakis robbed him of his second Red Sox hit with a sliding catch.

Even though he recorded an out, Berken was fooling no one. He continued to serve up fastballs, high changeups, and hanging breaking balls on a tee, which forced him to the showers many innings before his coaching staff would have liked. Kevin Youkilis, who was an incredible 7-for-8 at the plate in the series’ first two games, kept his hot steak going, lining a single so hard into left-field that Ellsbury, perhaps the fastest player in the majors, was forced to put on the breaks and stop at third base.

No matter, as this just gave J.D. Drew a chance to clear the bases, as he did, ringing a three-run double into the gap in right-center. He left the game following the inning with a strained groin he suffered rounding the bases, leading to a headline on MLB.com that summed up his career: "Drew returns, contributes, exits early."

At least he managed to stay on the field long enough to do something productive.

He started a trend, too.

Mike Lowell followed with a RBI-single, then the Red Sox added two more runs in the top of the second inning: Ellsbury, again, walked, Pedroia singled him over to third, Martinez sharply singled him in, Youkilis walked, as did Ortiz walked, scoring Pedroia. Boston’s offense would have tortured Berken prior to Martinez’s acquisition, but with him now in the fold and in the middle of an already immensely talented lineup, Berken didn’t have even the faintest hope of succeeding.

Berken took the hill to begin the third inning, an inning Red Sox left-fielder Josh Reddick will remember till the end of his days. The 22-year-old with plate discipline uncanny for someone his age fouled off the first pitch, a fastball, then took two close pitches, a changeup and another fastball, for balls.

Berken challenged the youngster, thinking his adrenaline would get the best of him. He tried to blow a fastball by Reddick, but didn’t work, as the kid fouled it back. He tried to fool him with a slider, but that didn’t work either; Reddick got a piece of it, rapping it foul. He tried to blow another fastball by him, but Reddick, with a quick bat, continued to protect the plate, slicing the offering foul again. Then, considering no other pitch was working, he tried his curveball, but Reddick adjusted, chopping it foul.

Berken was beyond frustrated, so he tried another fastball.

Reddick had already seen four from him, so his eyes salivated over the fifth, which was at eye level and just off the plate. He nailed the pitch high and deep to left-field–this time fair. The ball cleared the wall by mere inches and ricochet back onto the field. It was the first home-run of his major league career, what should be the first of many.

After Red Sox starting pitcher Clay Buchholz gave up six runs in the bottom of the inning to nearly squander the lead he was staked, Reddick’s day got even more memorable. Boston hit seven singles in the top of the fourth inning. Martinez had the first and sixth. Reddick had the fourth, driving in the third of the seven runs the Red Sox scored in the frame. He was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, raising his batting average to .500.

Not bad for a player who thought he’d still be in Portland, Maine, playing for their Double-A affiliate.

Through four innings, Boston had 14 runs on 16 hits and had drawn five walks. Their offense quieted down over the remaining five innings, as they managed only four runs on seven hits the rest of the way.

Both Ellsbury and Pedroia scored four times. Martinez showed he was over Cleveland, collecting five hits while driving in four runs. Rocco Baldelli, Drew’s replacement, had two hits, including a home-run. Lowell had three hits and three RBI; his hip may be injured, but his bat sure isn’t.

Jed Lowrie reached base three times and scored and drove in a run. Heck, the only downside in their 18-run onslaught of the Orioles that completed a sweep of their division foe was that Youkilis, who had three hits and three rbi’s, was finally retired, on an eighth inning strikeout.

A team worth leaving Cleveland for, wouldn’t you say, Martinez?