The series between the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies is supposed to be a possible World Series preview. And it makes sense why, with the Red Sox being near the top in the AL and the Phillies looking like the class of the NL. An argument could be made that these are the two best teams in baseball.
Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz Non-Factors In Phillies Win Over Red Sox
Wednesday night, Terry Francona experimented with Ortiz at first base and Gonzalez in right field. It didn’t end up mattering much, and the Red Sox lost 2-1.
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On Wednesday, though, the Red Sox threw John Lackey at the Phillies, and the Phillies threw Vance Worley at the Red Sox. This matchup was very much not a possible World Series preview, and so more attention was paid to Terry Francona's experiment. In an effort to keep designated hitter David Ortiz fresh and the lineup productive during a swing through NL ballparks, Francona on Wednesday committed to playing Ortiz at first base, and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in right field.
The experiment was much discussed ahead of time, with our own Grant Brisbee weighing in. It seemed like it could go one of two ways: either Ortiz and Gonzalez would produce at the plate, justifying the arrangement, or Ortiz and Gonzalez would screw up in the field, making Francona look stupid. There was to be no middle ground.
Except that, on Wednesday, they found the middle ground. Neither Ortiz nor Gonzalez were factors at the plate or in the field, and the Red Sox lost to the Phillies, 2-1.
At the plate, Gonzalez went 1-for-4 with a sixth-inning single. He also stranded a runner. Ortiz, meanwhile, went 0-for-4, stranding a pair of runners
And with the glove, neither Ortiz nor Gonzalez did anything remarkable. Here are screenshots of the Phillies’ eight hits on the day:
Nothing that was the fault of either player. Gonzalez was challenged there on that last one, a fly off the bat of Chase Utley, but the ball wound up hitting high off the wall. Gonzalez didn't make any putouts in right field, and Ortiz caught the balls that were hit or thrown to him at first.
For all the attention Francona's experiment received, Raul Ibanez basically wound up beating the Red Sox on his own with an RBI single in the second and a tie-breaking solo homer in the seventh. Those two runs, of course, held up only because the Phillies' pitchers kept the Red Sox quiet, so it wasn't all Ibanez, but his star shined the brightest.
Worley allowed a run over seven innings, with five strikeouts. Lackey allowed two runs over 7-2/3 innings, with five strikeouts. Ibanez finished 3-for-3 and Utley reached base three times, while Josh Reddick was the only Red Sox batter to have a multi-hit game. Antonio Bastardo threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save.
So much promise in this one, and then such a dull outcome. Wild and crazy experiments are supposed to generate wild and crazy results, so hopefully the next time Francona tries this alignment, if there is a next time, the Red Sox either get some production, or we get something we can turn into a .gif.
For more on the Phillies and Red Sox, please visit The Good Phight and Over The Monster.
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