Not again! Sox lose another heartbreaker

Oakland 5, Sox 4 (11)
WP: Casilla (1-0)
LP: Snyder (1-1)
HRs: BOS-Papi (10), Pena (4); OAK- Chavez (8), Ellis (4)

SUMMARY:
After tying the game in the 9th off old friend Alan Embree, Boston couldn't hang on and pull out a win as Kyle Snyder allowed a homerun to Eric Chavez with two outs in the bottom of the 11th to send the Sox to another heartbreaking defeat.

HERO: (a game like this, there's gotta be more than one)

1. Chavez-- hit a homer to win the game, you're a hero
2. Dan Haren-- the A's starter threw a gem and should have had a win until his pen blew it
3. Mark Ellis-- Oakland's second sacker hit for 6th cycle in A's history
4. Wily Mo Pena-- his homer brought the Sox back from the dead, and his single tied the game in the bottom of the 9th

GOAT: (ditto)

1. Kyle Snyder--allow a homer to lose the game, you're a goat
2. Joel Pineiro--gave up the A's fourth run in the 8th; if he didn't, it might never have come down to the 11th
3. Nick Swisher--the A's best hitter went 0-6 with 3 Ks-ugh!
4. Tito Francona--why was Pineiro allowed to come back out for the 9th? He almost blew the game right there
5. Alan Embree--the former Sox reliever allowed 4 hits and 2 runs in 1 1/3 and almost blew this win for the A's

RECAP:
I thought they left these games behind them on the East coast?

After playing a topsy-turvy game last night against the Stanks that lasted four hours, had a terrible outcome and produced enough indigestion to fell Hogzilla, the Sox flew 3000 miles overnight and played in another agita-inducing four-hour marathon that ended at 1:36 EST and had just as disappointing result.

For the second consecutive night (actually, both games ended within 25 hours of each other) the Sox hurlers wasted a spectacular comeback by the offense and lost the game on a solo home run by the opponent in its final at bat.

That hurts.

Last night it was A-Rod who sunk the Sox with a game-winner off Papelbon in the 9th; tonight it was slumping Eric Chavez who launched a scud over the rightfield wall at Whatever Theyr'e Calling It Now Stadium in Oakland, sending the A's fans in the crowd home happy and the Sox back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep.

Just like I said after last night's game, I don't have the ability or the desire to describe everything that just happened on the field, so I'm gonna keep it short and, well, short.

The game was pretty cut & dried for about 8 innings- Dan Haren pitched a gem, taking a 4-2 lead into the 8th and setting down 17 straight Sox at one point, while Mark Ellis (4-5, R, 3RBI) provided all the offense with a two-run triple and solo homer- and all Oakland had to do was retire the Sox in the 9th to earn the much-deserved win.

But before you can say 'where are they now?', former Sox bullpen battlehorse Alan Embree gave up a leadoff double to Papi (3-4, HR, 2-2Bs, 2R, RBI) to lead off the 9th, and a pich hit RBI single by Captain Tek to get the Sox withing one, and a deep single to right center by Wily Mo that scored pinch runner Coco Crisp easily from first, and the game was suddenly, miraculously, tied at four.

After Joel Pineiro & J.C. Romero worked their way into-and then out of-a bases loaded, no out jam in the bottom of the 9th, the game was headed to extra innings, and most of the team had to be cursing Bud Selig's dreadful amphetamine ban.

Ah, nothing like extra innings on a West Coast game!

Dustin Pedroia, who batted leadoff in this game, led off the 10th with a single, his only hit of the night, extending his streak to 14 games. But we found out what Youk claimed last week-Pedroia can't run for shit, because when Papi blasted a pitch from Embree all the way to the wall, almost any other player except the catchers would have scored on the blast.

Pedroia, however, was dead meat at the plate.

Riding that adrenaline rush, Ellis dumped a single to shallow center with one out in the 10th to achieve the rare cycle, but the A's couldn't bring him around to score as Snyder came in to retire Shannon Stewart and Travis Buck to end a 2-on, 1-out threat.

Snyder wouldn't be so fortunate in the 11th.

Nick Swisher and Dan Johnson were easily retired to start the inning, but then up stepped Eric Chavez. The proud vet is in the midst of one of his worst seasons as a pro, yet as I stupidly said in my preview post, no matter what he's batting he is still always a dangerous hitter.

As if to prove my point, Chavvy took the third offering from Snyder and deposited it over the wall in right for the walk-off win, and a group of tired and demoralized Sox staggered off the field in search of warm beds and hot pitching.

Maybe tomorrow with Dice-K on the mound.

As long as he stays away from the sushi at Fisherman's Wharf.

NOTES:

• Papi's homer in the first inning was his first longball in 20 games, a span of 64 ABs, the longest drought of his Red Sox career; his three hits raised his average to a season-high .333
• Pedroia, who needed extra frames to extend his hitting streak, is from nearby Woodland, Ca. and will have a number of family & friends on hand for each game of the series (god knows there's room in the stands)
• Santiago Casilla, a 26-year old righty and 3-year vet, picked up his first major league win
• The blown save was Embree's first in exactly two years, when he was with Boston
• J.D. Drew returned from a mini-layoff to rest his hammy and singled in his first at bat; he wound up 1-3 with 2 Ks and was lifted for pinch hitter Tek in the 9th
• For the fifth time this year Tavarez, the Sox 5th starter, had to face the opponent's ace, and although he pitched decently again-5.1IP, 9H, 3ER, 2BB, 3K, HR-Haren was just better
• With the late game last night, early arrival and long flight, Tito rested Coco, Lugo, Lowell and Tek to start the game, but by the end of the night every Sox position player had seen playing time in some form or another

QUOTES:

"Maybe Eric Chavez will find a pitch to his
liking and send us home."

"Are you calling it?"

"I'm hopefully calling it."

--A's announcer Ray Fosse to partner Duane Kuiper immediately before Chavez' game winner

RECORD: 37-19
STRK: L-2
LST 10: 6-4
AL EAST: Up 10
UP NEXT: Tue @ OAK 10P EST