I tried to find the bright side when David Ortiz was in a slump. I tried to find the bright side when the Red Sox were having major road issues. And I tried to find the bright side when Dice-K was injured. But you better believe there’s no bright side now. I wholeheartedly agree with Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy; this is without a doubt the low point of the 2008 season for the Red Sox so far. The Rays now have the best record in baseball. We have the fifth-best. We’re 3.5 games out of first and going to the Bronx. That’s not a place you want to be when you play the Yankees. I know the Yankees are horrible and all, but they’ve been horrible in the past and somehow still able to beat us. All I’m saying is, you’ve got to be wary.
When you’re furious, it’s easy to lay blame, but unfortunately there was more than one party responsible. It all started in the seventh inning, during which the Rays would accumulate six runs. (Ironically, Okajima pitched the sixth. He was perfect.) Delcarmen began the seventh and allowed three runs on three hits without recording an out. Hansen then stepped in and allowed three runs on one hit and walked two without recording an out. Aardsma restored order, and Lopez as usual was perfect. For his part, Dice-K was top-notch, pitching five and giving up one run on two hits, striking out five and walking five (that’s a little high, but as we’ve seen that’s something Dice-K has been working on. It’s bad for efficiency, but since he doesn’t let those walks turn into runs I’m not letting it bother me so much.). So all in all a valiant effort from Dice-K; too bad the bullpen squandered it.
The whole hit-and-run thing didn’t help, either. This is the second time Tito’s tried it with Tek at the plate. It failed miserably the first time and, what do you know, it failed miserably this time too. If you want to do something to help Tek zone in and make contact, fine, but don’t do it when the game’s on the line and it’s proven unsuccessful in the past. What happened? Lowell goes, Tek swings and misses, and the throw is waiting for Lowell when he gets to second base. Lovely. Just lovely. We out-hit the Rays, 10-9, and committed no errors to the Rays’ 2. We ended up losing, 6-7.
And how about Manny not rounding first on the error? The throw to first was high and the ball ended up at the backstop, but when it was recovered Manny was still at first when he could easily have reached second standing up. Geez.
I’ll say this for Dustin Pedroia: he is on fire. He had four hits last night, and not singles either: a home run, a triple, and two doubles. He gives tough at-bats, and he makes all the right plays in the field. I don’t think I could ever ask for a better second baseman for the Red Sox.
Red Sox Nation has been making a poor showing at Tropicana Field, where we are now 0-6. That’s definitely a wake-up call from last year. It’s been mostly a Rays crowd these past three games; that never happens. We travel better and more than any other fans in baseball. Time to show the colors, people.
In other news, A-Rod’s marriage has thoroughly disintegrated. Apparently, his wife Cynthia has been staying with Lenny Kravitz in Paris for the past four days, and he’s been paying late-night visits to Madonna in New York. This, from the man who was parading around with his stripper girlfriend on the side and the woman married to that man who, instead of leaving him at the time, simply got pregnant.
Boston Soul 