Birds beat up baseball's best bullpen

Baltimore 6, Sox 5
WP: Hoey (1-0)
LP: Okajima (3-1)
HRs: None

SUMMARY
A beautiful pitcher's duel ended in a wild way as Boston scored five runs in the 8th to take a 5-1 lead, but Baltimore bounced back with 4 runs in the bottom of the inning against Eric Gag-me, then scratched the winning run off Hideki Okajima in the bottom of the 9th to stun the Sox.

#1 STUNNER Brian Roberts 2-4, 2B, R
The pesky second sacker has been a thorn in Boston's side this season, none more so than when he led off the 9th with a double and came around to score the winning run on a sac fly

PAN's FAUN Gagne 1/3IP, 3H, 4ER, BB
To say the trade for the former Cy Young winner has been a disaster would be an understatement. Not only is the bullpen NOT better with him as the setup man, it has become decidedly worse, screwing with Oki's psyche and altering what had been the perfect 1-2 late inning punch.

RECAP
You know what they say, payback's a bitch.

Nearly 3 months to the day after the Sox laid one of the most embarrassing losses in Baltimore history, known as the Mother's Day Miracle, on the Orioles, the Birds returned the favor with a stunning late comeback that snatched a victory out of the jaws of defeat.

The fact that they accomplished the feat against the best bullpen in baseball made the loss sting that much more.

While I was at Raymond James Stadium witnessing a brief cameo by Tommy B. and very few recognizable Patriots in a 13-10 preseason loss to the Bucs, the Sox were engaged in an expected pitchers duel for eight innings before an Arena Football-esque scoring binge broke out in the final two frames.

The Pats could have used some of that firepower.

After I got home and shed my sweat-soaked Brady jersey, I plopped down on the couch and fired up the DVR and for seven innings I was treated to exactly what I had expected would take place with two of the AL's best hurlers on the mound.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (7IP, 4H, 1ER, 4BB, 7K) gave up one run in the first inning after Corey Patterson walked, stole second, then came around to score on a single by Miguel Tejada.

That would be the only blemish on the rocking rookie righthander, who has allowed just 5 earned runs with 28 strikeouts in his last 27.1 innings for a scintillating 1.65 ERA over that period.

Although Dice would get into a few jams over the course of his outing, including 2 men on situations in the 2nd & 5th innings, he had control of his pitches and was able to work his way out of any jam he created.

Meanwhile Baltimore starter Eric Bedard, who has been the AL's hottest hurler while ripping off an 8-0 streak since early June, held onto that 1-run lead like it was a historic home run ball, allowing just 3 baserunners in the first seven innings, and using a pair of double plays to escape any potential damage.

Then came the 8th inning.

Bedard (7.2IP, 4H, 3ER, 2BB, 7K) began the frame by fanning Kevin Youkilis but followed with a walk to Mike Lowell, and the wheels proceeded to fall off from there.

Captain Tek singled sharply to left to get runners at first and second with one out, but when Coco's grounder to short forced Lowell at third for the second out, it looked as if Bedard and the Birds would escape the inning unscathed.

Not quite.

Whiffy Mo Painful, who earlier this week expressed his desire to be traded, hit a slow rolling single to left center that scored Tek with the tying run and chased Bedard from the game.

On came ex-Sox Chad Bradford, and Julio Lugo (2-5, R, BI) promptly greeted him with a sac bunt that eluded all the Baltimore infielders and scored Coco with the go-ahead run, much to the delight of the mass of RSN that had packed Camden Yards.

After Dustin Pedroia reached on an infield single to load the bases, Bradford was relieved by Jamie Walker, and Big Papi jumped on Walker's first offering an lined a single past the shift in right to score two more runs, and suddenly Boston enjoyed a 4-1 lead in a game that looked like 1 or 2 runs would be enough to win.

So when Manny stroked a single to left two pitches later to score Pedroia with Boston's 5th run, and the Boston bullpen troika of Gagne-Oki-Paps chomping at the bit to get into the game, it looked like this one was all but over.

Not so fast, Sox fans.

Reliever Jim Hoey (who?!) came in to retire Youk on a fly to center, and then Boston trotted out struggling setup man Gagne for the bottom of the frame.

That's when things really got ugly, and I'm not just talking about the Seth Rogen lookalike's mug.

Patterson (1-2, 2R) got the rally started with a double to deep right on Gagne's second pitch, then came around to score on a single by Nick Markakis to slice the lead to 5-2. No biggie, right?

Wrong.

After walking Tejada and inducing idiot Millar to tap back to the mound, former D-ray Audrey Huff roped a double to the wall in right to plate two more runs, and after Okajima relieved Gagne, Melvin Mora lined a single to left to score pinch runner Brandon Fahey, and just like that the game was tied.

Wow.

As if that turn of events wasn't bad enough, what happened in the next inning was enough for the visiting chowderheads to spit out their crab cakes in disgust.

Boston managed to get two men on in the top of the 9th against Hoey but failed to get one home, and then in the bottom of the inning the end came as quickly as a mid summer thunderstorm.

Brian Roberts, who has torched Boston to the tune of a .316 average (12-38) with 6 doubles, a homer and 7 runs scored this season, drilled a ground rule double to deep center to lead off the frame, then was sacrificed over to third one pitch later by Patterson.

On Oki's very next pitch Markakis lofted a ball to shallow center, and with Coco Crisp possessing the arm of a 12-year-old girl, every Boston fan in the building knew the game was over right there.

Sure enough Roberts scampered home with the winning run, touching off a celebration that had a certain "in your face" quality to it, and the Birds had given the Bosox a taste of their own comeback medicine and sent the thousands of Nation members home with a disgusting feeling in their guts.

Maybe it was from the crab cakes.

Now the Sox will have to shake off the loss and get ready for today's nationally televised game on FOX at 4:00, and luckily for us we have AL co-winds leader Josh Beckett on the hill against rookie callup Garrett Olson.

Which should spell a Boston win.

As long as Beckett pitches a complete game.