JD Who? Eric Hinske Sweeps the Double Header
(Associated Press / Charles Krupa Photo)
The Red Sox swept the double-header thanks to good pitching, timely hitting, and JD Drew NOT being in the lineup. Hinske certainly came through. Apparently he was pissed off that they pinch hit for him in the first game (and of course, Wily Mo struck out).
The real story was Julian Tavarez pitching so well in the first game, and throwing a season-high 104 pitches. His ability to pitch seven strong set up the bullpen so they could have Okajima and Papelbon pitch the 8th and 9th in the first game, and have Donnelly and Lopez fresh in the night cap. Okajima saved the night game for his second save, making his numbers even more impressive.
Okajima now has a 0.44 ERA and more saves than runs he has given up. In fact, the 1 run he surrendered was a home run on his first major league pitch, and its been lights out since. He has struck out 23 in 20.2 IP, which is very impressive.
Its going to be raining all day, so the Sox may end up playing 2 again tomorrow. Hopefully everyone will be well rested and we can do it all over again.
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