Royals Bash Red Sox, 12-9

By KC Downey in Featured, Red Sox, Top Story ⋅ September 22, 2009 at 6:08am ⋅ Post a comment

Tim Wakefield, easily the team’s No. 3 starter all season, has definitely slipped to No. 5 or worse after back troubles have derailed his season. The knuckleballer gave all he could Monday night against the Royals, going five innings and allowing four runs on five hits and seven walks. But, thanks to the Sox offense, he left with the lead.

Leave it to the bullpen to cough up the Royals biggest inning in almost a year, as K.C. scored six runs in the sixth inning on the way to a 12-9 win. Manny Delcarmen was awful in relief, allowed four earned runs in just 2/3 of an inning, and Daniel Bard was saddled with the loss after allowing the other two runs in the sixth inning while recording just one out.

The Sox offense did all the could, tallying eight runs on 10 hits and six walks in just five innings off former pitcher Lenny DiNardo to take an 8-2 lead entering the home half of the fifth inning. Jason Bay hit his 36th HR and Victor Martinez drove in two runs to reach 100 RBI on the season, but their efforts were not enough due to the deplorable performance by the bullpen.

Sox Stud of the Game: Jason Bay

Bay launched his 36th home run as part of a 2-5 day. He also finished with three RBI to give him a team-high 113 on the season.

Sox Dud(s) of the Game: Manny Delcarmen, Daniel Bard

Delcarmen entered the sixth inning with a 9-5 lead, and gave up the lead. How? He allowed a double, recorded two quick outs, then allowed a two-out double, a walk, and a two-run double before being pulled for Daniel Bard. Bard yeileded a walk, an RBI double, and another two-run double to give up the lead and the game. Yikes…

That’s What He Said

“No lead is safe,” Bay said. It was a nice way of saying Delcarmen and Bard blew it. “You want to get some runs and sort of coast to a win. But obviously, through no particular fault of anybody, we just didn’t get it done.”

Game Notes

W: Yasuhiko Yabuta (2-1)
L: Daniel Bard (2-2)
S: Joakim Soria (27)

Mike Lowell was the only Sox starter without a hit in going 0-3.
Michael Bowden was the only Sox pitcher to have a clean outing, pitching a shutout eighth inning.
The Wakefield/Martinez battery allowed five stolen bases.
The Yankees lost yet again, so the deficit in the AL East is still five games.