This game was one of those “Saturday the 14th” oddities that you just have to shake your head at, put a mark in the win column, and move quietly along. Nothing more to see. A road win is rare enough these days, but a Papelbon blown-save-turned-into-a-win, a Craig Hansen save, Bronson Arroyo as a pinch runner, and back-to-back homers by Youk and Coco just added to the madness. You kind of expected to see George Costanza in the stands with a loaf of marble rye hanging off the end of a fishing rod.
Wakefield had the Reds baffled through seven innings and left his “W” in the usually-capable hands of the bullpen. But Hideki Okajima, doing his best Eric Gagne impersonation, gave up a run in the eighth (actually MDC gave up the hit but the run was charged to Oki), cutting the lead to one. With runners at the corners and just one out, Griffey swung at a 3-0 pitch, thank you very much, and grounded into a double play. Threat over. With a well-rested Papelbon poised to pitch the ninth, it all looked good. Until Encarnacion homered on a 2-2 pitch with two out in the ninth of Paps. To the tenth we go.
The jacks by Youk and Crisp with one down in the top of the tenth set it up for Hansen to pick up his first save in the bigs. Not how Tito had it scripted, but we’ll take a road win in any flavor these days. Beckett pitches the rubber game tomorrow before the Sox move on to the Land of Lotta-Lotta Culture. And the interleague nightmare rolls on.
