The Red Sox defense fails them in the bottom of the sixth against the Rays. With men on first and second and Jason Bartlett batting Beltre charges expecting the bunt. Bartlett does bunt toward third, but Daisuke Matsuzaka fields the ball, and looks to third. No one is there and Boston fails to get an out.
John Jaso then ground a ball up the middle, and Bill Hall can’t reach it. I don’t know that Dustin Pedrioa would have fielded it, but as Jerry Remy pointed out, Hall should have dove for the ball to try to knock it down. Instead two runs score and the Rays tie the game at five. I think Dustin would have gotten a glove on the ball.
Kevin Youkilis, however, made a very nice play on a safety squeeze, scooping the ball to the plate to prevent the Rays from taking the lead. They are still threatening in the bottom of the sixth with two out.
Pedroia may have knocked it down but 1 run would have scored and bases would have been loaded.
Maddon then inexplicably tried a safety squeeze with his 2 most productive hitters up. It actually worked, but a bad call by the ump. Crawford then hit a FB to RF which would have scored the runner from 3B. If Pedroia had knocked that ball down, that dumb safety squeeze never happens, and the Rays may have done better than 5-5.
In this case, Pedroia being out may have helped.
Not to mention the #2 hitter who would not have been in the lineup would not have 2 HR (Hall would be in LF).