We lost, 8-2, to the Atlanta Braves. The loss was half Dice-K and half Kawakami; Dice-K gave up runs, and Kawakami didn’t. It’s that simple. Dice-K gave up two runs in the first, fourth, and fifth. Six runs on eight hits with four walks, and only two strikeouts. Nate McLouth led off the game with a solo home run, and that should’ve been a clue that we had a long night ahead of us. It was abysmal. He’s one and five and showing no signs of improvement. These losses wouldn’t be so bad if there were at least evidence that progress is being made, but there isn’t any. It just seems like this is how he’s pitching this season. It seems like this is the groove he’s settled into. One thing’s for sure: this is not okay, especially not for our second starter. At this point something drastic may be necessary. Like giving him a day off and asking Clay Buchholz to pitch once or twice. Or conveniently inserting John Smoltz into the rotation during one of his scheduled starts. Or giving Masterson a chance to show what he can do, just like when Dice-K was on the DL. I’m not so sure we can afford to support this new trend of his, because part of that trend seems to be an inability of the lineup to give him any run support. We lost, 8-2, not 8-4 or 8-6. The Braves out-hit us, 11-2. They were 3 for 8 with runners in scoring position; we were 0 for 3. Changes must be made. Now.
Masterson pitched a little over two innings and allowed a run in the seventh. Bard was good for an inning and two thirds, and then Saito pitched the rest of the game and allowed another run in the ninth.
Bay went two for three with a walk and his eighteenth long ball of the year, a two-run shot in the seventh to score himself and Youk. That was a mistake on the part of Kawakami. You do not throw a fastball belt-high to Jason Bay. He completely cleared the yard. The ball ended up in some parking lot on Lansdowne Street. Anyway, that was it for the night. The hits were all Jason Bay. The runs were all Jason Bay. Drew and Ellsbury walked, but that was it for everybody. High points in the field were Bay’s fantastic sliding catch of ball barely in foul territory. He slid all the way to the wall, turned his glove, and caught the ball. A run scored but man, what a play. And Drew’s catching of Kotchman’s hard-hit ball to right. He ran back and caught the ball on the jump, never turning his back on it. Nice. Lowell made a fielding error; always a strange sight.
Tonight is going to be interesting. Tonight, Derek Lowe will pitch against Josh Beckett. If I know Derek Lowe, I know he partied heavy last night after the win and he’ll have some explaining to do after tonight’s loss. Okay, maybe that’s wishful thinking, but I still say we win this one. After seeing Josh Beckett get so angry after the loss that was his last outing, I’d be very surprised if he allows any lineup, especially one like that of the Braves, to get to him. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing how Lowe has changed since wearing our letters and how Beckett bounces back.
