Rays-Red Sox: Squandered Chances and Defensive Lapses Lead To Sweep

Caption: CF Mike Cameron lets Carlos Pena’s line drive get away from him in the first inning of Saturday's second game against Tampa Bay. The error led to four unearned runs in the Red Sox 6-5 loss to the Rays.

In the conclusion of last night’s suspended game, now known as Bogar’s Boner, the Red Sox failed to take their third base coach off the hook for his sixth-inning gaffe. The offense squandered a no-out, bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom of the 11th inning… and then watched as Manny Delcarmen surrender a two-out, two-run home run to DH Pat Burrell in the top of the 12th as the Rays beat the Red Sox, 3-1.

When the game re-commenced, neither team mustered any offense through their first two at-bats… both offenses went six-up, six-down.

The Sox threatened in the bottom of the 11th inning. JD Drew and Dustin Pedroia got things started with back-to-back singles. Kevin Youkilis then reached on an error by 3B Evan Longoria. David Ortiz came to bat with the bases loaded and a chance to be a hero, but he hit a ground ball to 1B Carlos Pena—who forced Drew at home plate for the first out.

Adrian Beltre then came to the plate for HIS opportunity to play hero…a fly ball would get Pedroia home from third base. But Beltre hit a ground ball to Longoria at third base…he stepped on third and threw across the diamond to end the threat.

In the top of the 12th inning, Longoria walked to lead off the inning…two batters later, Burrell hit a bomb into the Green Monster seats to give Tampa Bay the lead.

Jason Varitek doubled off new Rays closer Rafael Soriano in the bottom of the inning, but the Red Sox proved incapable of scoring as the Rays took the first game of the four-game set.

In the nightcap, the Red Sox ‘run prevention’ approach to building the 2010 team took another early-season hit as CF Mike Cameron committed a costly error in the first inning. The error led to four runs for the Rays when an unnerved Clay Buchholz proved unable to overcome the miscue.

The four runs proved to be decisive in Tampa Bay’s 6-5 victory.

In the top of the first inning, Buchholz got things started by retiring SS Jason Bartlett on a grounder to shortstop. LF Carl Crawford followed with a single to right field. He advanced to second base on a ground out by RF Ben Zobrist and then stole third base—his 29th straight successful swipe against a Red Sox battery. After 3B Evan Longoria walked, 1B Carlos Pena hit a line drive to CF Mike Cameron.

But rather than end the frame, the ball ticked off the webbing of Cameron’s glove. Crawford scored. Buchholz lost his concentration. He walked CF BJ Upton to load the bases and then left a fastball to Burrell up and out over the plate. The designated hitter lined the ball down the right field line for a bases-clearing double.

Rays-4, Red Sox-0.

The Red Sox never recovered.

In fact, with the exception of a Marco Scutaro homer in the fifth inning, The Olde Towne Team was rather listless until the seventh inning, when a pair of two-out, two-run home runs by Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis pulled the Red Sox to within a run, at 6-5. But that’s where the rally would end.

Burrell was hitting just .185 with no homers or RBI entering the day. His home run in Game One gave Tampa Bay the win. His bases-loaded double in Game Two gave his club an insurmountable lead.

After the game, he said: “I figured at some point I was going to be able to drive in a run. I was trying to go get back to some of the things I have done in the past. I’m supposed to be a run producer. It’s nice to get up and live up to the challenge.”

With the score 4-1 in the sixth inning, rookie catcher John Jaso—who was called up earlier in the week—hit a run-scoring double to extend the lead to four runs. Longoria’s home run off the light tower in left field in the seventh inning gave Tampa Bay a 6-1 lead.

Pedroia and Youkilis made it a one-run game in the bottom of the inning, but the offense was unable to score again. They had two runners on base with one out in the eighth inning, but RHP Dan Wheeler struck out Jeremy Hermida and retired Scutaro on a routine fly ball to end the threat.

The Red Sox went 1-2-3 in the ninth inning as Soriano recorded his fourth save in four save opps…it was his second save of the evening.

RHP James Shields (1-0) got the win. He pitched 6.2 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk. He had seven strikeouts. Buchholz (1-1) suffered the loss after giving up four unearned runs in five innings.

I said all along that I did not understand the rationale behind going with Marco Scutaro at shortstop instead of staying with Alex Gonzalez—especially in consideration of the ‘run prevention’ approach being espoused by the front office at the time.

Scutaro made his third error of the season in Game Two…although, thankfully, at least this time his miscue did NOT cost the Red Sox the game (as had been the case previously).

Of course, Cameron’s error DID cost them the game.

This run prevention approach must have been the brain-child of consultant Bill James…thus far, it is having about as much success as his last great brainstorm—the bullpen by committee. I know that it is up to the players to execute on the field, but you gotta wonder…