Sox 8 Rangers 7 (10 innings)

In the first game of a three game set against the high-octane Rangers, the Sox managed to survive a severe bullpen blow-up during a 5-run, game-tying rally during the Rangers’ 7th inning to defeat Texas 8-7 in 10 innings.

The Sox offense—led by Billy Mueller’s 6th dinger of the year (that’s two more than “slugger” Kevin Millar), a two-run, bases loaded double by AAAA All-star Robert Petagine, and a clutch bases loaded HBP by Alex “At Least I Didn’t Hit Into a 6-2-3 DP With the Bases Loaded Like I Did Against the MFY” Cora—staked starter Matt Clement to a 7-2 after 5 innings and Clement did his part by allowing 2 runs (1 earned) in 6 innings of work. For the 7th, with a roomy 5-run lead, Clement turned it over to the bullpen. And that’s when the wheels fell off the wagon.

Newcomer Mike “The Linger” Remlinger entered his first game as a member of the Red Sox, sporting the number 37 made famous by “Spaceman” Bill Lee in the 70s—and to a lesser extent, Frank “The Spaniard” Castillo in 2001-04—looked more like he was channeling another #37, Jeff Suppan, in his debut for the Sox. The Linger faced 4 batters, retiring none of them and giving up 4 runs—only 2 earned, thanks to a controversial error by Offeria (shown above) on a bobbled double-play ball—before being lifted for sidewinder Chad Bradford. Bradford let both of the runners he inherited from Linger score, before inducing a much-needed double play for the first two outs of the inning.

But the damage was done, the score had been tied, and it would stay that way until the bottom of the 10th inning—thanks in part to stellar work from Timmy (one perfect inning pitched) and Schill (2 IP, 1 hit, 2 Ks)—when Offeria would make up for his earlier gaffes in a big way. With Billy on 2nd after a single and a perfect bunt by Cora, the then 0-for-5 Edgah laced a sinker down the left field line to plate Billy with the winning run. It was sweet redemption for the shortstop after a brutal day at the plate and in the field and also served to take new guys in the ‘pen off the hook in a big way.

Wednesday night, the two teams will play game two of their series as Brandon Arroyo faces off against newly re-instated hot-headed hurler Kenny Rogers, who on Tuesday had his suspension for picking on a TV cameraman reduced from 20 to 13 games. Mebbe I’m missing something here, but when Rogers was suspended, didn’t Bud Selig make a point of noting that, since starting pitchers only play once every 5 games or so, the 20-game suspension was meant to be the equivilant of a 4-5 game suspension for a position player? And now an “independent arbitrator” reduced the sentence to, essentially, two missed starts by Rogers? What the hell is going on with these idiots?

Record: 65-47
Streak: W3
Standing: 1st in the AL East, 4.5 games ahead of MFY
Next Game: Wed 8.10.05 @ 7:05pm ET vs. Texas
BOS – Bronson Arroyo (9-7, 4.24) vs. TEX – Kenny Rogers (11-4, 2.77)