What We Learned: Red Sox vs. Rays
The Boston Red Sox disappointed the dozen-or-so fans who begrudgingly meandered to Tropicana Field for Wednesday's clash with the hometown Rays, sealing a dramatic 7-3 victory capped by a Mike Carp grand slam in the 10th inning.
So what did we learn from the experience?
Maddon-ing quotes
Rays manager Joe Maddon can not resist the temptation to provide a painfully nebulous, albeit completely captivating quote:
#Rays Maddon, noting they still hold a wild-card spot: "I don't want our guys to go out there and worry about sharp objects.''
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) September 12, 2013
It ain't Trout, it's Carp
Red Sox utilityman Mike Carp has a veritable monopoly on pinch-hit win probability added in 2013 -- only Atlanta's Evan Gattis has more pinch-hit plate appearances this season with a WPA greater than 0.25.
| Rk | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | IBB | WPA ▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2013-05-25 | BOS | CLE | W 7-4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.317 |
| 2 | 2013-08-28 | BOS | BAL | W 4-3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.278 |
| 3 | 2013-09-11 | BOS | TBR | W 7-3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.268 |
Table courtesy of Baseball-Reference's play index.
Beards FTW
The evidence supporting a direct correlation between beards and winning is overwhelmingly compelling. Eddie Vedder wins at music. Steve Jobs wins at technology. And the Boston Red Sox win at baseball.
"Pulling on the beard, that's a big thing going on here," Carp the Hero told ESPN. "There's about 25, 26 pulls in the dugout, so I'm a little sore. If it grows a little longer, it'll be OK. That's why I'm hoping it grows to be as long as possible."
The AL East Rocks... Except for the Blue Jays
American League East teams tend to play entertaining games against other American League East teams -- four of the division's five clubs have a non-zero chance at a postseason berth -- and Wednesday night's game was no exception. Peaks and valleys = parity!
Source: FanGraphs
September baseball is fun baseball
Go on, prove me wrong. And remember to cite your sources.
HEADLINES
- Top 20 trade candidates: D-Backs stars provide deadline intrigue
- Report: Dodgers shopping for relievers before trade deadline
- Former All-Star pitcher Kyle Gibson retires after 13 seasons
- Police: Home of D-Backs star Marte burglarized during All-Star break
- Buxton won't waive no-trade clause: 'I'm a Minnesota Twin' for life