It's been nearly two hours since the game has ended and it's still difficult to fully explain what transpired at Fenway Park. A game that gave various stomach punches and like a microcosm of this season, the team finds new ways to disappoint.
Things looked like it was going to be pretty easy as the Sox lineup had their way with Angels' starter CJ Wilson. Dustin Pedroia started it with a strong line drive deep to left center hitting the monster for a double & Adrian Gonzalez. The next inning Scott Podsednik was able to get an RBI single. Two batters later, Jacoby Ellsbury would bring him home on an RBI single to make it 3-0. Then Pedroia would take Wilson's offering into the Monster seats to make it a 6-0 lead.
It was all set for Franklin Morales to cruise and get an easy victory...if he just could locate his pitches. He was overthrowing a lot which let his pitches be all over the place and the Angels pounced all over it. A single by Chris Ianetta, a fielder's choice by Mike Trout, whose phenomenal speed keep it from being a double play, two singles, two walks, and a missed grounder by Pedro Ciriaco suddenly made it a 6-3 game and that's when Bobby Valentine saw enough and yanked Morales for Clayton Mortensen.
Mortensen fared even worse than Morales has he wasn't even able to record an out. He allowed a walk and three singles and all of a sudden the Angels are up 8-6. Junichi Tazawa had to come in to finish the inning. That half inning would cool off the offense as CJ Wilson would manage to make it to the fifth unscathed and that's where Cody Ross would get an RBI single to make it a 8-7 game.
Mike Aviles would tie the game at 8 with a solo shot in the sixth and Ellsbury would get an RBI double to give the Sox the lead again. Again the offense was incredible tonight. It was the pitching who couldn't hold it together as Andrew Bailey would feel the wrath of Mike Trout, who lives up to the hype in every which way. Trout would hit an RBI to tie it at 9. Trout finished 3-for-6 with 2 RBI's, 2 stolen bases, and 2 runs scored.
In the eighth it would be the top of the lineup again doing the damage as Ellsbury & Pedroia would hit back to back singles to give the Sox a 11-9 lead. The top third of the order (Ciriaco, Ellsbury, & Pedroia) would finish the game 11-for-16 with 8 RBI's.
Alfredo Aceves came in for the ninth and it immediately didn't look good for him. He gave Vernon Wells a gift over the plate & Wells looked like he took full advantage of it and hit one over the Monster. However, replay shows that it wasn't a home run and that it hit the top of the wall. To those that were home wondering why Bobby Valentine didn't ask for instant replay, it looked like a home run. It wasn't until you look at the replay and say "wait a minute...". Besides Alfredo could hold the lead right? Of course not. He gave up back to back singles that made it a 12-11 lead for the Angels. Why Aceves was still in the game after blowing the lead was shocking but he got out of it.
Cody Ross wouldn't let this game end in nine innings as he took one into the Monster to tie the game at 12. The Sox couldn't muster anything else but it looked fine...until Aceves came out of the dugout to pitch the 10th inning. Why he was out there left everyone in confusion and it took two pitches to turn tht confusion to anger as Aceves gave up a solo homer to Kendry Morales. It took an Erik Aybar single to get Valentine out of the mound and yank Aceves. Aceves finished allowing five runs on six hits in what has to be the worst performance of his career.
Craig Breslow wasn't able to stop the bleeding as he gave up an RBI double to make it a 14-12 game.
The offense made one final attempt at a comeback as Ciriaco was able to make his way to third by a single, a fielder's indifference, and a passed ball. Pedroia would bring him home to make 14-13. Adrian Gonzalez would come up being the winning run at the plate but looked awful in his final at bat, chasing bd pitches and striking out swinging to clinch the sweep for the Angels.
The Sox continue to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. If you want to find a game that would describe the 2012 Red Sox, tonight's game is it. It's the statement defeat. The loss that stands out most from all the losses. The perfect shitstorm. You get the idea.
