Missed the first open gameday thread in the short history of BYB. Sorry to anyone who was expecting it -- I even had it partially typed up when the noise of the day caught up to me. I haven't been back online until now, 2:00 AM EDT.
And what a game it was. The Red Sox blew yesterday's series opener in the ninth, today it was Fernando Rodney and the Tigers' chance to let a beaten team back into the game. And then came the tenth. Seven for the Sox in the top, four for the Tigers in the bottom, as Craig Monroe knocked in one of the most futile grand slams you'll ever see. The big blow was off David Ortiz's bat -- Trammell did get a lefty in to face him, and Ortiz is notably worse against lefties than he is against righties, but he's still damn good. At that point, however two runs were already in off Craig Dingman and life was looking bleak. It was a game the Tigers really should have won -- they had only given up three hits before the tenth inning implosion.
The other news is that Ivan Rodriguez was out of the lineup again. The only game he's played since beginning his suspension nine days ago was the second half of Sunday's doubleheader. This time it wasn't about being away from the team or about discontent in the clubhouse or about shoving an umpire. He was out with a sore hip flexor and shouldn't miss significant time. BYB fave Vance Wilson was, obviously, 0-3, though he did manage to step in front of a pitch from rookie Jon Papelbon.