Point the Finger

SPORTING GOODS

My first reaction when Alex Cora was at the plate, with no one out and the bases loaded, down by 2, with really no one on the bench to replace him, was bunt. Give us a squeeze play. I assume with this guy's skill set, that he can lay down an OK bunt. Do anything but bunt it hard at Rivera, and worst case scenario they get one out at home, and you have a good chance of having 2nd and 3rd, one out, and down by only one run with the top of the lineup coming up. Instead, we get a double play, and Damon needs to drive in two just to send it to extra innings. And a game that should not have been heartbreaking becomes just that, with a pinch of fury on the side.

Sox blogs around the net are focusing their ire of last night's game in various directions.

Over at Dewey's House, Jeff blames the roster makeup, and the Sox carrying an extra long-man:

If you go down the [11 pitcher] path, the one where Mirabelli, Cora, Stern, Olerud, and Youkilis share bench duties, and Cora steps in, you can jump into action. Against Rivera, with no outs, you can pinch hit your worst offensive player with either Olerud (DP threat, walk/2b threat) or Youkilis (not really a DP threat, not as much power as Olerud). If you pick Olerud, you can slide Mueller to 2nd, and switch up the defense by putting Youks at 3rd. If you pick Youks, you have Olerud for later in the game.

At Surviving Grady, he'd rather have anyone hit than Cora, worry about the fielding later:

Then I see Alex Cora stroll to the plate. And my stomach sinks a bit. What, was John Olerud engaged in a heated game of Battleship? Why even send a guy barely hitting .200 to the plate in this instance? I start thinking about a double play.

Weren't we all? Bunt. Pinch-hit. Anything but let an important game get decided with Alex Cora swinging away.