The Red Sox and Athletics are, for the third time today, back at it following a rain delay.
Play stopped for an hour this time in the top of the fifth as the teams waited for an opening to at least get through that crucial frame. Now they’ve found it, and with no rain to be seen, they’re going to go as far as they can.
Of course, with the long delay both starters are now out of the game. For those keeping score, this means you can now add “act of God” to the list of things that have kept Matt Albers from a well-earned win. Alfredo Aceves entered the game to replace him, and stranded the one baserunner he’d allowed. He’s now made it through two strong innings, and continues to be a key member of the bullpen in the middle innings.
The Red Sox had a chance to score in both innings, with Jacoby Ellsbury leading off the fifth with a double, and Jed Lowrie reaching second on an error with just one out. The fifth inning proved fruitless when Dustin Pedroia’s hard-hit comebacker was snagged by Athletics pitcher Josh Outman. The sixth, however, did, with first baseman Brandon Allen compounding the earlier error by adding his own mistake, dropping a pop up in shallow right field to allow Saltalamacchia to reach and Lowrie to score.
The rain is coming down harder now. We’ll see how much longer they’ll let this continue.