Obviously the story of this game is the bullpen -- the Blue Jays scored eight of their runs on the Sox relievers' watch (two were inherited by Jose Contreras), including another poor outing by both Mike MacDougal and David Aardsma. Matt Thornton couldn't even escape the vortex -- and he made a great pitch.
With Vernon Wells coming off the bench to pinch-hit with the bases loaded, Thornton shattered his bat -- and all he had to show for it was a two-run single that tied the game.
The bullpen deserves
a more in-depth discussion, but what this game did illustrate is how the Sox must execute in every opportunity they create if they have any hope of getting on a winning streak. The margin for error is paper-thin.
Two gaffes cost the Sox dearly before the bullpen even came into play. The first was Juan Uribe's error, in which a tailor-made double play ball skipped right between the wickets. It should've ended the inning, and instead, Contreras was forced to get two more outs. That cost Contreras 11 pitches, and considering Contreras was pulled after 103 pitches, that pretty much exposed the bullpen an inning longer.
The other was watching the 3-4-5 combo fail to get Tadahito Iguchi in from third with no outs after Iguchi singled, stole second and advanced to third on a Sal Fasano throwing error. Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye struck out, and after Paul Konerko walked, Rob Mackowiak struck out. That would've given the Sox a 4-1 lead, and instead it gave the Blue Jays some momentum heading into the late innings.
Iguchi had another solid game. Along with the single and steal, he got Jerry Owens to third after a leadoff double, giving Jim Thome an opportunity for a sacrifice fly. He also drew a walk.
Record: 25-26 |
Box score |
Play-by-play