I had several favorite parts about the games in NY this
weekend. The one that jumps to mind first? The Sox won the games in the right
order. It always seemed that if they played the Yankees over a weekend where
two of the games were nationally televised, the Sox would dominate on Friday
night, and get blown out Saturday and Sunday with the country watching.
That didn’t happen this time. Naturally, winning all three
games is the preference. But, if they had to lose one, I’m glad it was Friday.
Then they went out and smoked the Yankees Saturday on Fox, and Clay dominated
them Sunday night on ESPN. Very nice.
The interesting part is that the Sox managed to do it while
missing their starting third baseman, center fielder, and right fielder. Again,
that’s the advantage of not having any superstars. It’s easier to replace Shane
Victorino’s production than it was to replace Manny’s. Depth suddenly becomes
something you can accomplish. That being said, hopefully those guys can return
sooner rather than later.
The rain shortened game last night came at a great time too.
When the best pitcher on your staff is having a little shoulder issue, it’s
nice to be able to keep his workload down without sacrificing innings like
that. Although, he certainly didn’t look like he was suffering from any
discomfort. It was nice that the rain also let him pitch long enough to qualify
for the win. Would have been really annoying if the 45 minute dry delay to
start the game had robbed Clay of a decision. Or, even worse, robbed the Sox of
a victory. (If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that might have been the
Yankees plan all along.)
The rain also helped the bullpen. With the off day today,
they were able to get two full days off for all of them. And, really, since
Saturday’s game was an afternoon, and Tuesday is a night game…there’s even more
than just two days.
So, the Sox come home for a tough fight against Texas. I
forgave the Sox for being swept by the Rangers in Texas. Now that they’re home
they really need to get a couple of these wins. This is a big month for the
Sox. They quality of their opponents is probably the highest of any month of
the season. They really need to tread water, at the very least, for this month.
Which is why taking two of three in NY is even sweeter.
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