Six Game Season

Seven things I’d like to point out from the game tonight:

1. Damon really looks hurt. He’s not running the same, hitting the same, fielding the same…he just doesn’t look the same. If Damon is playing at 50% and we have no reliable backup outfielder, this could be a brewing problem if we make it to the playoffs. But no worries, Damon will tough it out. I hope.

2. Renteria finally delivering in the clutch, courtesy of a two run single in the ninth inning off B.J. Ryan. A guy that’s pretty much been a bust all season and hasn’t done squat for us when we really need it, I really felt happy for Edgah. You can tell all year he’s been drowning in the Boston expectations and pressure of hitting inconsistently and sometimes making us fans ponder suicide by his play at shortstop. Biggest hit of the season? Definitely.

3. The pitching of Clement tonight was a pretty surreal situation, triggering the first time in baseball history a manager calls for bullpen action during a no-hitter. That’s right, Clement was working on a six walk, no hitter and Bradford was getting warm out in center. All night, Clementine worked out of huge jams, walking the bases loaded twice. He ended up loading the bases in another inning and leaving unharmed. But he ended up with the no-decision.

4. Craig Hansen proving he was human. The pitch was actually adequate. It was a high fastball at 96, and if the guy parks it, just tip your hat to him. Before that, Hansen struck out Matos easily and I wondered if this flamethrower would ever give up a hit in his career. Regardless of giving up the blast, he’s still got awesome stuff. It was also cool seeing Varitek give him a nice lesson on Renaissance humanists in the dugout, including a brief summary of Roman Catholicism and Martin Luther. But really, Tek knows best.

5. Timlin with another shaky ninth inning. It makes me wonder how in the world we’re relying
on Timlin for this last week and possibly the playoffs. Every single inning is chaos- runners on base, silly two out walks, three run leads evaporating into thin air- it’s like walking across a straw bridge over the Mississippi with this guy. Perfect setup man. Weak closer.

6. The Orioles have gone from one of the most feared and potent lineups in baseball in April to complete obscurity in September. This team had Roberts, Mora, Tejada, Palmeiro*, Sosa*, Gibbons and Lopez and now have guys named Freire, Castro and Newhan starting on a daily basis. And as an Oriole hater, I’m loving every second of it. I hated when those guys would come into Fenway and kick our asses last year and in 2003, it was just bothering seeing Tejada commit his life to beating the Red Sox. Am I going insane?

7. The Yankees lose, and hell, it’s about freakin time. Batista coming into the game and blowing away Sheff, Giambi and Matsui, then getting Posada looking to end it was downright spectacular.

Big Boomah tomorrow for the last road game of the season. I’ll be getting my broom at about 4:30 ET.