David Ortiz hit his 27th home run of the season, but all was not smiles for the Red Sox Thursday night. The Angels offense cracked Josh Beckett and Manny Delcarmen in the sixth and seventh innings, leading L.A to a 7-2 win. The victory prevented Boston from a sweep of both the three game set and the season series with the Halos.
Through the first five innings, Beckett and Angels starter Ervin Santana were locked in a pitcher's duel with Ortiz' blast as the only run. Then the Sox righty fell off the map as L.A tagged him for four runs in the sixth. Hideki Matsui put the Angels in front for good with a three-run shot off Beckett.
After a rough start to the seventh, Beckett was removed in favor of Manny Delcarmen with two men on and no one out. He promptly walked three of the four batters he faced, recording only one out. The other batter grounded out, but drove in a run in the process. Scott Atchison came in and allowed a third run in the inning before finally stopping the bleeding.
The Sox loaded the bases off Kevin Jepsen in the eighth, but only managed to scrape across one run before the Angels reliever got out of trouble. Even though the loss seems a palatable one considering that Boston's looked good so far this homestand, every setback feels like ten in the playoff race. The Yankees won earlier in the day which puts Boston six and a half behind them. If the Rays do the same, the Sox will be that far back of Tampa as well.
Pats Run Over Falcons 28-10
The Patriots made it 2-0 in the preseason with a 28-10 victory over the Falcons in Atlanta Thursday night. Running backs Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris carried a lot of the load, combining for 17 carries and 106 yards. Taylor scored the first of four New England touchdowns on a powerful 28 yard run in the first quarter. Morris blasted through on a 20 yard TD jaunt in the third quarter.
The game was also a positive step for both of the Patriots' rookie tight ends. Aaron Hernandez caught his first touchdown pass of the preseason from Tom Brady. Rob Gronkowski snagged a 24 yard throw from Brian Hoyer to cap off the New England scoring.
The defense didn't appear as dominant over the course of the game as it did against the Saints. However, when faced with key down and distance situations they got the necessary stops. Twice they forced the Falcons first team offense into field goals at the end of good drives, allowing only three points. They also had a couple of takeaways, including an interception at the end of the first half when Atlanta had a chance to score to gain momentum before halftime.
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