Full Count
A Furiously Updated Red Sox Blog
WEEI.com Blog Network
Matt Albers: ‘It’s definitely frustrating’ 05.22.11 at 12:17 am ET
By Scott McLaughlin

Anything that could’ve gone wrong for Matt Albers did. The 28-year-old righty, who had been stellar all season for the Red Sox, was called upon in the eighth inning of Saturday’s game against the Cubs to bridge the gap to Jonathan Papelbon with usual setup man Daniel Bard scheduled for a day off.

But the only thing Albers set up was a Cubs win. He surrendered singles to Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro to start the inning and followed that with walks to Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena and a double to Reed Johnson that turned a 3-1 lead into a 4-3 deficit. To top it all off, Pena trotted home when Jed Lowrie dropped Alfonso Soriano’s pop-up.

Albers would ultimately be charged with six runs, five of them earned. He threw 31 pitches without recording an out, setting a dubious Red Sox record in the process. That was also the most pitches thrown by an American League pitcher without getting an out in recorded history.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” Albers said. “We get the lead, and coming into the game, I want to shut the door and get that win. … I had a few guys two strikes and just wasn’t able to put them away. They had a couple tough at-bats and then a couple back-to-back walks hurt me.”

Catcher Jason Varitek said Albers’ biggest problem in the inning was his location.

“Matty was just missing,” Varitek said. “Matty’s done such a good job for us, but it was one of those things where guys took some good swings on some good pitches and got those first two hits. Then on the walks, he wasn’t overly wild, but he was just missing.”

If there’s a silver lining — in addition to the fact that Saturday is an outlier in comparison to his 1.56 ERA in his first 12 outings this season — it’s that Albers said after the game that he felt fine.

“I just wasn’t executing,” Albers said. “I felt great out there, had a plan, but I was just a few pitches away from having a good inning.”

Terry Francona didn’t see any reason to be overly concerned, either.

“I don’t think he pitched as bad as his line is going to show,” Francona said. “His command wasn’t as good as good as it has been with his two-seamer. They had a couple of good at-bats. That Ramirez at-bat was a really good one. A couple of the breaking balls were left over the middle.”

Albers said he’s already looking forward to his next outing and not dwelling on Saturday night’s disaster.

“I have to put that one behind me and be ready to go tomorrow,” Alber said. “I want the ball tomorrow and be able to come out here and turn it around.”

Read More: Jason Varitek, matt albers, Print  |  Email  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • http://www.november811.co.uk Gabrielle

    I have really enjoyied reading your well written article. It looks like you spend a lot of effort and time on your blog. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work!

  • http://haveagooddayquotes.com/%E2%80%9Chave-a-good-day-quotes%E2%80%9D-could-transform-lives-of-people-around-you/ Have A Good Day Quotes

    Heya i am for the primary time here. I found this board and I to find It truly useful & it helped me out much. I am hoping to present one thing again and help others like you aided me.

  • http://germforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=135851&p=203490#p203490 mbt shoes USA

    You made some respectable factors there. I seemed on the internet for the issue and found most individuals will go together with with your website.

  • http://rembme.ru/allaguliaka.html kiev escort

    I was very encouraged to find this site. I wanted to thank you for this special read. I definitely savored every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.

  • http://www.mocktheveg.com/ veg mocking party

    Greetings from California! I’m bored to death at work so I decided to browse your site on my iphone during lunch break. I love the information you provide here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m amazed at how quick your blog loaded on my phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, wonderful blog!

  • http://www.clips4all.com/shop/index.php?Kategorie_ID=490 girls Wrestling & Grappling video

    Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same outcome.

  • http://carpetcleanerclearwater.com/ alvinos carpet cleaning

    Your web site won’t show up appropriately on my android – you might wanna try and fix that

  • http://freelist.empowernetworking.org/ 100% commission

    I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is required to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very web smart so I’m not 100% positive. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Kudos

  • http://chauyauch8961.blog.com/2011/10/27/simple-yet-just-weathervanes/ weathervane

    Heya are using WordPress for your blog platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you require any coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  • http://www.mymoneysecrets101.com work from home

    Hello! I’ve been following your weblog for a while now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Tx! Just wanted to tell you keep up the great work!

  • http://www.cashfastcash.net/ mutual money

    Hi! Quick question that’s completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when viewing from my iphone. I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to correct this problem. If you have any suggestions, please share. With thanks!

  • http://www.3ody3uilding.com bodybuilding

    I agree with the above

  • http://yourguide247.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=231090 Salvador Flannigan

    I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your website. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility problems? A handful of my blog visitors have complained about my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Do you have any recommendations to help fix this problem?

  • http://www.spasat.com research universities

    My partner and I stumbled over here different website and thought I might as well check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to checking out your web page repeatedly.

  • http://www.nikemercurialvaporsoccer.com/ nike mercurial vapor

    It truly is a definitely great read I do think,Must mention that you basically are considered one of the great writers I ever saw.Respect that sharing placing this methodsignificant report.

  • http://www.empowernetwork.com/rghdesigns/terms-conditions/ Tommy Skripko

    Thank you, you now have me thinking a little different, Thanks

  • http://theacceptanceinsurance.info acceptance insurance

    Hello! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the great work!

  • http://www.addviews.com/story.php?title=bathroom-furniture-solutions-to-a-modest-bathroom bathroom furniture

    Oak bathroom furniture ranges, no matter whether veneered MDF or solid wood, will typically consist of all the usual units that you would anticipate from bathroom furniture. With emphasis on provision of ample storage for your bathroom, you need to be able to find and procure a vanity unit or washstand, medicine cabinets, linen units, WC units to fit a streamlined back to wall or wall hung WC, and any number of storage units with cupboards, drawers, or open shelves.

Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays - Fenway Park, Boston, MA
[find tickets]
Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays - Fenway Park, Boston, MA
[find tickets]
Boston Red Sox vs Tampa Bay Rays - Fenway Park, Boston, MA
[find tickets]

Red Sox Box Score
Red Sox Headlines
Red Sox Minor League News
Red Sox Team Leaders
MLB Headlines
Tips & Feedback

Verify