Tuesday, May 24, 2005
End Of The Streak, Thanks Joe Crede
Much to everyone's dismay, Jon Garland's perfect start to the season ended last night with a 4-0 shutout loss to the Angels. And while the blame can easily be passed around the Sox offense (giving some credit to Ervin Santana), the Sox played poorly enough on defense to lose this game.
The first two Angels runs scored because Joe Crede dropped Timo Perez's perfect throw from centerfield to nail Dallas McPherson at third when Orlando Cabrera singled to center. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it, Crede should have been charged with an error, and the two runs that scored on Kennedy's following double should have been unearned. I don't know why the official scorer did not see it that way - it's a mystery to me.
The third run of the night for the Angels, scored in the bottom of the sixth, was one of those flukes of the way the game is played. Finley doubles to right, then is moved over on a bunt. Garland throws a great pitch to Benji Molina, he gets jammed and hits a blooper just over second base. Were the Sox playing back in normal positions - say if they had a 3 run lead - Uribe catches the ball easily, and the run does not score. But, playing in with a 2 run deficit, the ball falls in, and the Angels take a 3-0 lead.
It's frustrating to see Garland's streak to end that way. Had he had defensive help, he would not have allowed the first two runs. Had he had offensive help, he would not have allowed the third run. Last night was simply one of those examples of how hard it is to win 9 in a row - the ball doesn't always bounce your way, even if you pitch well enough to shut out the other team.
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