Friday, May 27, 2011

Red Sox vs. Tigers (May 27, 2011)

Red Sox (28-22) @ Detroit Tigers (25-24)

SP - Tim Wakefield (1-1, 4.50) vs. Rick Porcello (4-2, 3.08)

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
4. Kevin Youkilis, 3B
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Carl Crawford, LF
7. Jed Lowrie, SS
8. Josh Reddick, RF
9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

Three Strikes:

1. Over his last six games, Jarrod Saltalamacchia has gone 8 of 21 at the plate with 4 home runs and 7 RBI.  He is also getting more comfortable behind the plate and has become the regular catcher for Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz.

It seems that Terry Francona's decision to stick by his young catcher - as well as Theo Epstein's long held belief in Saltalamacchia's ability - is paying off for the Red Sox.  His work behind the plate is what matters the most but the recent surge at the plate is a nice surprise and is hopefully a sign of things to come.

2. We have waited patiently for Carl Crawford to break out and if the last two games are any indication, it looks like that patience has paid off.

Over those two games, Crawford is 8 of 9 with 1 home run, 2 triples, and 5 RBI.

It's no coincidence that this mini-explosion at the plate has resulted in the Red Sox scoring 14 runs in both games.

3. Who am I kidding?  Let's go Bruins!!!

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