Article:Home Runs of May 18, 2008

They Got the Power!
It is a cool day in Boston, Massachusetts. The wind blows steadily and the sun is hidden behind a blanket of clouds. The Milwaukee Brewers are in town, and they are looking to avoid being swept by the Boston Red Sox. Just after lunch-time, a sell-out crowd turns their eyes onto ace pitcher Josh Beckett warming up on the hill. After a rocky start to the year, he is looking to return to his previous form. Now, he looks poised and ready to go...



After a Rickie Weeks line-out, Mike Cameron strokes a double down the left field line. Ryan Braun, following Cameron, knocks one over the Green Monster to take an early two to nothing lead. The home run is Braun's twelfth of the season and his seventh one in his last eight games. Beckett regroups quickly, following the home run with two strikeouts to end the inning...

The Red Sox are able to cut the deficit in half after Carlos Villanueva surrenders a walk to Dustin Pedroia followed by a double by Big Papi. With a runner on second base, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell loft hits over to the shortstop J.J. Hardy who promptly gets them out to end the inning...

The second inning is less exciting. Twenty-one pitches and six batters combined is all it takes to skate through this quick inning for both sides. Rickie Weeks walks in the third inning, but is cut down by the arm of Jason Varitek when he tires to steal second base. The Brewers fail to score any runs, but the Red Sox benefit from back-to-back home runs from Pedroia and Ortiz, giving their team a one run lead. Manny Ramirez, with two outs, almost gives Boston its third home run in a row, but Mike Cameron tracks it down in the nook of right-center field...

The lead quickly changes back to the hand of the Brewers in the top of the fourth; Corey Hart's single is followed up by J.J. Hardy belting his second home run of the season. A Prince Fielder error gets Boston started in the fourth. Kevin Youkilis singles and Jason Varitek walks to load the bases for Coco Crisp with still nobody out. Crisp cannot come through in the clutch, but Julio Lugo is able to work a walk, bringing in one run. Jacoby Ellsbury follows with a line drive single to right. Two runs score, but Corey Hart is able to hose down Lugo who tried going from first to third on the hit. Ellsbury tries stealing, but is gunned down for the first time this season, and his career....

Let's pick up the game one inning later. Boston has a six to four lead over the Brewers and Mark DiFelice comes on in relief to face Dustin Pedroia to start off his Major League career. The young scrapper singles to left and then scores on a David Ortiz blast to the right field stands. With the lead now opened to four runs and Beckett settling in on the hill, the Red Sox look to take complete control of the game. The Brewers have other plans. Ryan Braun tanks his second home run of the game (eighth in his last eight games). He is followed in suit by Prince Fielder's jack. The deficit has been cut to two runs...

With the help of a Pedroia RBI single in the sixth and a two-run home run by Kevin Youkilis in the seventh, the Red Sox quickly bring this game to a close. The Brewers were only able to score one more run, coming off the bat of Ryan Braun in the eighth inning. The final score is the Boston Red Sox, 11, the Milwaukee Brewers, 7.

"We did a nice job of swinging the bats against Beckett, one of the best pitchers in the American League," Milwaukee manager Ned Yost said after the game. "We just didn't pitch well today."

On another note:

 * This game was the third game this ‘’week’’ where Braun has had a multi-home run game.


 * Speaking of multi-home run games, this game was David Ortiz’s 31st multi-homer game, and the 29th with the Red Sox. He is behind only Ted Williams (37) and Jim Rice (35) for the most in Red Sox history.


 * Mark DiFelice, 31, became the third oldest player in Brewers history to make his debut.


 * Jacoby Ellsbury was caught stealing by Jason Kendall in this game. His streak of 25 straight bases without getting caught is the most by anyone to start off a career since Tim Raines, who stole 27 bases without getting caught for the Montreal Expos from September 11, 1979 until May 2, 1981.


 * Ellsbury is also one of only three players to steal 25 bases without getting caught to begin a career. The only other two are (of course) Tim Raines, and Mitchell Paige, who stole 26 straight in 1977 for the Oakland Athletics.


 * 8 home runs were hit on this day between the two teams, and not one of them was hit by Manny Ramirez, who remained 2 homers shy of 500.  He didn’t have the best day of his career, as he went 1-for-5 with a single.


 * He has only hit 2 home runs in 24 games.





Homer of the Day (May 17, 2008)
And the Homer of the Day for May 17, 2008 goes to...

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On Another Matter:
Thanks to everyone who has been voting, especially those who have since the very beginning (you know who you are). Like I said, the more votes we have in these articles, the better. It makes it more interesting, and makes me feel better when I post these articles.

I hope you’re enjoying these articles as much as I like finding more about what has happened over a month ago!

As you probably know by the way he writes (compared to me), Falcon wrote this one. Thanks a lot, once again…