July 2, 2014

G85: Cubs 16, Red Sox 9

Cubs    - 300 321 016 - 16 19  1
Red Sox - 001 220 013 -  9 16  0
If only Anthony Rizzo had bothered to drive in a run...

Dustin Pedroia has collected three hits in four of his last five games, going 12-for-20.

David Ortiz hit two doubles, and now has 1,001 extra-base hits in his career. He is the 36th player in history to reach the 1,000 mark

Mookie Betts's first hit at Fenway was a two-run homer. Betts and Xander Bogaerts are the first pair of Red Sox players age 21 or younger to homer in the same season since 1980 (Glenn Hoffman, Chico Walker).

Time of game: 4:19, the longest nine-inning game played thus far this season.
Example
Travis Wood / Brandon Workman
Holt, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Napoli, 1B
Gomes, LF
Bogaerts, 3B
Pierzynski, c
Betts, CF
Herrera, SS
The Red Sox have had trouble scoring runs all season - they have crossed the plate only 312 times, dead last in the American League (3.71 per game) - but their current ineptitude at home is reaching historic levels.

Boston has scored two runs or fewer in seven straight games at Fenway Park, only one shy of the franchise record set by the woeful 1932 team, which finished 43-111 (.279, the worst in team history), 64 games out of first place. (Thanks to The Omnipotent Q for this factoid.)

If you're wondering, the major league record for most home games with two or fewer runs scored is 11, set by the Washington Senators (May 11-19, 1947). That Senators' mark is tied with two other teams for the longest stretch of games (home or away) with two or fewer runs scored: Boston Braves, June 4-13, 1942 and St. Louis Cardinals, May 17-29, 1978.

How about consecutive games scoring 0 or 1 run? The Houston Colt .45s - in their second year of existence - played nine straight games (June 18-25, 1963), losing by scores of: 3-1, 9-1, 5-0, 3-0, 3-0, 4-0, 8-1, 3-0, 4-0.

In other words, things could be worse.

1 comment:

Dr. Jeff said...

You say "It could be worse" and then they give up 16. Nice.