Clinging to a 3-2 lead yesterday, Atlanta handed the ball to the dynamic relief duo of Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrell to nail down the eighth and ninth innings.
The pair faced six Diamondback batters and whiffed them all. That's some good pitching.
In Seattle, White Sox starter Phil Humber faced 27 Mariners and retired every last one of them. (Does it count as a perfect game if it's the Mariners? It's not like they have any Major Leaguers in their lineup.) That's some good pitching.
In Boston, starting moundsman Felix Doubront fanned seven Yankees while limiting them to one run in six innings en route to a 9-1 lead. That's some good pitching.
Over the next 20 batters, five relievers combined to set the lead ablaze. They walked five batters, and relinquished five singles, four doubles and two home runs. (There was one error.) Fourteen runs crossed the plate. They managed to record five outs, two of them on a rocket line-drive double play. That's some good pitching. Not!
The photos of Vicente Padilla, Matt Albers, Franklin Morales, Alfredo Aceves and Justin Thomas would be hanging in Post Offices today, if Post Offices still existed. (Or perhaps they are hanging there, but who would actually know? It's possible that Post Offices have gone on to bat cleanup for Seattle, which is to say they exist in some metaphysical sense, but not in the real world.)
In any case, the bullpen has so far been the undoing of Boston's playoff hopes. It has earned its 8.44 ERA and cost the Red Sox several games, though none as dramatic as yesterday's. Besides taking more opportunities to shut up, this will be Bobby Valentine's top priority if he's going to have success in New England.
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Over the next 20 batters, five relievers combined to set the lead ablaze. They walked five batters, and relinquished five singles, four doubles and two home runs. (There was one error.) Fourteen runs crossed the plate. They managed to record five outs, two of them on a rocket line-drive double play. That's some good pitching. Not!
The photos of Vicente Padilla, Matt Albers, Franklin Morales, Alfredo Aceves and Justin Thomas would be hanging in Post Offices today, if Post Offices still existed. (Or perhaps they are hanging there, but who would actually know? It's possible that Post Offices have gone on to bat cleanup for Seattle, which is to say they exist in some metaphysical sense, but not in the real world.)
In any case, the bullpen has so far been the undoing of Boston's playoff hopes. It has earned its 8.44 ERA and cost the Red Sox several games, though none as dramatic as yesterday's. Besides taking more opportunities to shut up, this will be Bobby Valentine's top priority if he's going to have success in New England.
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