Bedard Makes One Bad Pitch, Gets No Support From Red Sox
BOSTON (CBS) – Erik Bedard is winless in four starts with the Red Sox, but Monday night he pitched well enough to get the win.
It was one bad pitch, and a lack of run support, that did him in.
"I just tried to throw a good pitch and get him out, he got it out," said Bedard of Mike Napoli's sixth inning three-run home run in the Ranger's 4-0 win.
"He tried to elevate a pitch to Napoli, probably out of the zone, but he got to it," said manager Terry Francona. "That's three big runs, the way their guy was pitching."
It was a 2-1 pitch that Bedard tried to sneak by Napoli high in the strike zone. The Sox righty said he was trying to blow it by Napoli or get him to pop it up. Instead, the Rangers DH hit his third homer against the Sox this season.
Bedard went six innings, allowing the four runs off seven hits. He walked one while striking out four, and threw 108 pitches, his highest pitch count since being acquired at the July 31 trade deadline.
But the Red Sox bats could only manage four hits off Texas lefty C.J. Wilson, who is now 4-0 against Boston as a starter.
"They swung the bats better than we did. Erik gave us a good chance, we just couldn't contribute," said right fielder Josh Reddick, who was 0-for-3.
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"I thought he did great. I think he made one bad pitch," said Dustin Pedroia, who went 1-for-3 with a walk in the cleanup spot. "Other than that he did a great job. Especially this team, they have a great hitting team."
But the fact that it was just a single pitch does not make Bedard feel much better.
"At the end of the day we lost. So I just made a mistake and he hit the ball out of the ball park," he said.
Bedard is now 0-2 with Boston, with the Sox 1-3 in his four starts. While he has not allowed more than four earned runs in any of his outings, he has pitched with a lead in just one inning with Boston; the second inning of his first start with the team.
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In contrast, Boston has scored 22 runs for John Lackey in his last four starts, who has gone 2-1 in that span. Bedard has a 4.09 ERA in August, with Lackey at 5.33.
It should make for an interesting decision for Francona when deciding who is Boston's number-three starter in the playoffs.
