One bad inning dooms Beckett, Sox

Texas 5, Sox 4
WP: Mahay (1-0)
LP: Beckett (11-2)
SV: Gagne (9)
HRs: BOS- Youk (9); TEX- Sosa (14)

SUMMARY
Boston was cruising with an early 4-0 lead before the wheels fell off for Josh Beckett.

Beckett allowed Texas to tie the game by allowing four runs in a sloppy fourth, then gave up a tracer to Sammy Sosa with one out in the fifth that proved to be the game- winning run.

#1 STUNNER Sosa 2-4, 2R, RBI, HR
One day after whiffing three times including once with the bases loaded, the resurgent slugger gave his team a big boost with his 5th inning Monstah shot, career homer #602.

PAN'S FAUN Julio Lugo 0-0, CS
Beckett should've grabbed this honor, but it was The Man Who Can Do No Right who earned it for his brief cameo in this one.

Pinch running for Dustin Pedroia, who doubled with two outs in the 8th, Lugo picked a bad time for his first 'caught stealing' of the season as his boneheaded decision to swipe third with Youk at the plate ran Boston right out of a potential game-tying rally.

When it rains...

RECAP
The game just ended and I'm still not really sure what happened.

One minute Boston was throwing runs on the board like crazy and threatening to blow the game open, the next thing I know Beckett is making like Julian Tavarez, and with one swing of Sosa's (supposedly) uncorked bat the Sox turned what looked like a sure win into a disappoining loss.

Yet despite the early cushion the signs were there for another potential Sox collapse, as once again the team's maddening tendency to leave large amounts of men on base prevented what could have been a comfortable victory.

Boston may have scored two times in each of the first two innings off shaky starter Robinson Tejada, but with six men left stranded and a gut-punching double play thrown in, the boys missed out on a couple of big opportunities to put this one out of reach early.

Tejada (4IP, 5H, 4ER, 6BB, 4K, HR) was nowhere near the pitcher he was when he shut out the Sox for seven innings on two hits back in early April; two problems have plagued him since that start-walks and home runs- and tonight he got burned by both once again.

Boston batters wasted no time getting to Tejada in this one as Pedroia, leading off in place of Coco, walked to open the game and Youk followed with the first of his three walks on the night.

Three pitches later Papi deposited a single to right to plate Pedroia, and just minutes into the game the Sox did something they weren't able to do at all last time they faced Tejada-score a run off of him.

But after Tejada wild pitched Youk and Papi over to second & third, Boston couldn't capitalize; Manny grounded out without advancing the runners, and after Drew was walked to load the bases, Lowell hit a deep sac fly to score Youk, but Varitek struck out to let Tejada off the hook allowing just two runs.

Boston really had a chance to chase Tejada in the second when five batters reached base, but they could only score two more runs despite Tejada's rising pitch count and inability to find the strike zone.

Alex Cora, making his second straight start for the slumping Lugo, led off the frame with a triple, and after Jacoby Ellsbury, in his first major league at bat, tapped out meekly to the catcher and Pedroia struck out swinging, Youk followed with his 9th homer of the season, a deep blast to the back row of the Monstah seats that made the score 4-0 Boston just 11 batters into the game.

So when the Sox left the bases full after Tejada walked two and hit one following Youk's homer, it didn't seem like a big deal the way they were spanking the ball.

Little did we know that those would be the final runs Boston would score on the night, or that Josh Beckett wouldn't be able to hold a four-run lead for the first time this season.

Things went sideways in a hurry in the fateful fourth. After Michael Young grounded out to start the inning, Sosa followed with a single to left, and when notorious Sox killer Frankie Catalonotto (3-4, R) beat out an infield single, Nation members started to get that queasy feeling deep in their guts.

Those feelings proved justified when Marlon 'member me? Byrd lined a single to right to score Sammy, and after Brad Wilkerson ripped a double to deep center that scored the Cat & Byrd, all of a sudden that once commanding lead was sliced to a single run, 4-3.

But not for long.

After Gerald Laird popped up to his counterpart Tek on a foolish bunt attempt for the second out of the inning, it looked as if Beckett & Boston might escape the frame with the lead intact.

Then Ramon Vazquez ripped a grounder to second that Pedroia muffed for a questionable hit, sending Wilkerson to third, and instead of being out of the inning Beckett had to face the red-hot Kenny Lofton, who was coming off a four-hit, four-steal night and had struck out looking on a questionable call to open the game.

This time Lofton had the last laugh as he drove a single into rightfield to score Wilkerson with the tying run, and just like that Boston's once luxurious lead had melted away before anyone watching even knew what happened.

As if blowing a four-run lead and potentially a starting spot in the All Star game weren't bad enough, Beckett (5IP, 10H, 5ER, 0BB, 4K) ruined the whole schlamiel by becoming the 365th pitcher to allow a homer to Sosa on a 2-1 fastball that gave Texas the lead and would signal the beginning of the end for Becks.

With both starters gone after that it was up to the bullpens to keep the score where it was, and with Boston & Texas posessing two of the top five bullys in the American League, it came as no surprise that the relief corps did just that.

Ron Mahay, Joaquin Benoit and Akinori Otsuka combined to shut the Sox down, allowing just three hits and a walk over four innings of work, while Boston got quality outings from Javier Lopez, Kyle Snyder (3Ks in 2 inns) and Mike Timlin to hold the Rangers at five runs and give the Sox a chance to pull out the win.

And they had a good chance to do just that when Pedroia lined a double into the leftfield corner with two outs in the 8th against Otsuka.

Needing speed on the bases to get the tying run home should Youk rope one to the outfield, Tito removed Pedroia and pinch ran Lugo, who was ice cold not only at the plate but as far as not having played in three days.

That iciness showed when he decied to tempt fate and steal third despite the fact that Youk was having a big night and he could've scored from second if the hit was deep enough.

No matter. Lugo cruised into third looking like a man who lost his mind, clumsily stopping then barrelling into the third baseman Travis Metcalf, finally flipping over the base before removing his foot and getting called out stealing for the first time this year.

Nice timing, Ice Man.

After that it was up to the artist formerly known as Eric Gagne to shut the door, and the guy who looks like "Knocked Up"s Seth Rogan on an all-Twinkie diet set the Sox boppers, Youk, Papi & Manny, down in order to close out a tough loss for the Sox, who have now lost five of seven and finished June under .500.

Not exactly the uplifting, winning streak-starting victory we had hoped for from Beckett, and with Tavarez going tomorrow afternoon it would have been nice to win this one and ensure at least a series split.

Now we've got to rely on Julie and Gabby to pull the series out for us.

Uh, when does Schill get back again?

NOTES

• Texas is now 28-0 when leading after eight innings, and the recovered Gagne is suddenly a hot trading cvommodity for a contending team
• June swoon: Boston's late losing skid cost them a shot at finishing each of the first three months over .500; they ended the month 13-14
• Welcome to the Show: Ellsbury had a difficult debut, check-swinging into an out in his first ML at bat and failing to get the ball out of the infield, plus he misplayed Wikerson's double off the wall. But he did notch his first ML hit when Young underestimated his blazing speed and nonchalantly threw to first on a grounder to short in the third. Kudos, kid
• More Ellsbury: he's believed to be the first Native American of Navajo descent to play in the majors. Kudos, again, kid!
• Coco crushed: the thumb injust he incurred on that ill-fated dive in Seattle is proving to be more serious than originally thought, and if it doesn't heal soon, look for a retro DL stint to span the AS break
• Cora had a triple and double in his first two at bats, and that combined with Lugo's baserunning blunder will hopefully keep him in the lineup for a few more games
• Lugo had been 20-20 in steals on the season, about the only thing he had been doing right-until now
• Youk had a wild game; along with his homer he had three walks and was standing at the plate facing Otsuka when Lugo got nailed. He then had to lead off the ninth against Gagne (he flied out.)

QUOTES

"When they give me four early runs like that, I've got to go out and shut the door."--Beckett. Ah, yeah, that's what we expect the best pitcher in baseball to do.

"Our bullpen has been outstanding and they came in and did a great job." --Texas manager Ron Washington

"We don't want to put ourselves in that situation too many times, but we're showing a lot of confidence that we can come from behind and fight to the end."--Wikerson, on facing Beckett and being down by four runs

RECORD: 49-30
AL EAST: Up 10*
STREAK: L-1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Sun vs. TEX 2:05

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Game preview: Texas @ Sox GM2

Tejada (5-7, 6.57) vs. Beckett (11-1, 3.07)
Fenway Park 7:05

After climbing back into the win column last night with a tough, one-run victory against the slugging Rangers, the top winner in the majors will try to start a Boston winning streak when Josh Beckett goes for his 12th win of the season.

Beckett is coming off one of his best outings of the season, when he allowed just two runs and six against while besting NL wins & ERA leader Jake Peavy, 4-2, in San Diego on Sunday.

That dynamic performance ran Beckett's record to an ML-best 11-1, and if he gets the win tonight he will be almost guaranteed of starting next Tuesday's All Star game in San Francisco.

A win might not be as easy as it seems despite Texas' awful record and atrocious starting pitching; that's because Beckett's opponent on the mound will be the Rangers' Robinson Tejada, who hurled a gem of his own against Boston back in early April.

Tejada got the win when he tossed a shutout for seven innings over the Sox back on April 5th, and Texas won 2-0 behind a bloop single by Sammy Sosa in Boston's fourth game of the season.

Since then Tejada's gone 4-7 and has lost four of his last five starts while compiling a 9.58 ERA, and he has allowed five earned runs or more in five of his last seven starts.

Needless to say Boston needs to kick this punching bag while he's down, not let him linger around in a close contest where they could lose the game on a blooper or because of a bunch of missed scoring opportunities.

All signs point to a big Boston win tonight, and if the Sox don't win by at least four runs, then it's time to call in the shrink because pretty soon this habit of making shitty pitchers look like world beaters is going to drive them nuts.

It's already doing that to RSN.

Go Sox!

**UPDATE-- accd'ng to the Globe, the Sox placed reliever Joel Pineiro on the DL prior to the game and called up speedy outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury from Pawtucket to make his major league debut tonight at Fenway. Ellsbury will replace Coco Crisp in the lineup, who will need a few more days to rest that moderately sprained thumb. Good luck, Jacoby- how 'bout getting your first ML hit tonight kid?**

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Change is good: Sox win, game ends early

Sox 2, Texas 1

WP: Wakefield (8-8)

LP: Wright (1-2)

SV: Papelbon (19)

HRs: None

How'd this cheese taste, Mr. Young?

SUMMARY
So much for the slugfest I predicted.

Despite the mix of two prolific offenses and two struggling starters, the Faithful were treated to a tight pitcher's duel, (both Sox runs scored on infield grounders and Texas' on a sac fly-yawn!), and a little 9th inning excitement before Jonathan Papelbon slammed the door shut on a much-needed Sox victory.

#1 Stunner: Wakefield 6.2IP, 7H, 1ER, 4BB, 4K
The slumping knuckleballer (3-5, 7.08 ERA last 8 starts) shut down the league's third-highest scoring offense, lowered his ERA from 4.52 to 4.31, and gave the shell-shocked Sox staff a big boost.

Pan's Faun: Sammy Sosa 0-4, 3K, 4 LOB
The newest 600 HR Club member looked like the second coming of Rob Deer tonight in striking out three times, including a game-changing whiff with the bases loaded on a 97-mph missile from Manny Delcarmen to end the seventh.

(yes, I'm tinkering with the names of these categories- 'hero' & 'goat' are so last-century)

RECAP
Welcome home, boys.

After an extremely lengthy (7,500+ miles) and often arduous (4-5 ending w/ 3 straight losses) road trip, the Sox had a day off yesterday to shed some jet lag and had to be looking forward to beginning a seven-game homestand tonight against two of the worst teams in the AL heading into the All Star break.

Then Texas almost ruined the homecoming.

Tim Wakefield may have held the AL's top homerun team from hitting any balls that exited the ballpark, but mound opponent Jamey Wright was just as stingy, and he added his name to the ever-growing list of sub-par hurlers who have stymied the Sox hitters this season.

Or was it more like the Sox hitters, by blowing numerous scoring chances with balls hit either into the dirt or an outfielder's glove, in reality beat themselves, and in the process made a mediocre pitcher look like a candidate to start next Tuesday's Midsummer Classic?

Perhaps a little bit of both.

Wright, in just his third start since coming off the DL on June 16th, shut down the Boston batters as effectively as Wake did the Rangers, allowing just six hits and two runs with three walks and three Ks in five innings before leaving with two on and no out in the sixth.

To no one's surprise, Texas reliever Joaquin Benoit came in and shut Boston down without allowing a run, closing yet another chapter in the lengthy book titled "Red Sox: Missed Opportunities 2007."

Although the game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, that doesn't mean there wasn't any action. On the contrary, Boston had plenty of runners on base in the early innings but in what has become a maddening, irritating habit, they couldn't get any of 'em home.

The Sox got two on in the second when Manny & J.D. Drew both singled to lead off the frame (Ramirez took third on the play), but after Lowell's dribbler to third got Manny (1-3, R, RBI)trapped in a run down, Wily Mo hit a tapper to short that forced Lowell at second and then Cora struck out to end the messy inning.

In the third Pedroia's (1-4, BB) one-out double was wasted when Youk fanned and Papi followed with a flyout to center.

Wakefield, meanwhile, was doing some artful dodging of his own; Texas had two men on in the first, one in the second, two more in the third and one in the fourth, but Wake, helped by a couple of big DPs, managed to keep the Rangers off the board.

In the fourth all the dirt-pounding finally paid off as Boston scored the first run of the game with just one ball barely leaving the infield.

Manny started the rally when Wright plunked him with a looping breaking ball, then Drew (2-3, BB) followed with a blooping double down the left field line that took a Superball bounce into the stands for a ground-rule double.

After Lowell grounded out to third, Manny held this time (deja vu or what?), but Pena followed with an infield hit to deep short that Michael Young ate rather than throw away, and Manny came home for the 1-0 lead.

But wouldn't you know the way things have been going the Rangers came right back and tied it in the top of the fifth when Adam Melhuse led off with a double, was sacrificed to third, and then came home on a sac fly by Jerry Hairsteroids Jr. to tie the game at one.

Just as the blood pressure of RSN began to rise and fingernail lengths started to shorten, the Sox would answer back with a run in the bottom of the fifth that ended up being the final run scored in the contest.

Who knew?

The inning started harmlessly enough when Mirabelli (0-3) flied out, and after Pedroia drew a walk, he was erased on a fielder's choice by Youk, who's nice hustle to beat the throw to first would prove very fortuitous shortly.

Because Papi then walked and Wright wild pitched them over a base, and suddenly Manny was standing in there with two men in scoring position and a chance to put this thing out of reach with one of his patented inside-out Fenway swings.

Would you settle for a liner off the pitcher's foot?

Manny's tracer up the middle was kicked, hackey sack style, by Wright and the ball ricocheted directly to third baseman Ramon Vazquez, who instead of throwing to first to get Manny and end the inning, chose to try and tag Papi coming by on his way to third.

He did tag Papi out, eventually, but by that time Youk had crossed the plate with the go-ahead run, and since the play called for a tag and not a force out, the run counted and Texas manager Ron Washington was left scratching his head in the Rangers dugout.

Safe to say it was one of the oddest, and cheapest, game winning RBI's Manny has ever earned.

Tensions were still running high when Wright gave up a leadoff walk to Drew and then a single to Lowell (2-4) in the sixth until Benoit came in and put out that fire, and things really got gnarly in the top of the seventh when Texas loaded the bases and threatened to steal the game.

Wakefield got two quick outs before Kenny Lofton (4-4, 4SB) notched his third hit of the game and Hairsteroids Jr walked. In came Mattapan Manny, who had just allowed his first runs of the season Tuesday in Seattle.

Delcarmen didn't help matters when he walked Young to load the bases, but then in an epic, 7-pitch battle of the Kid vs. the Legend, Manny fanned Sosa on a wicked 97-mph heater to excite the crowd and give the team hope that it could hang on for this victory.

After Okajima pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, Papelbon got the call to close it out in the ninth, and although he started the inning off in routine fashion by retiring the first two batters on six pitches, the Rangers would not go down without a fight in this one.

That pesky 40-year old Lofton almost cost the Sox the game when he barely beat Paps to the first base bag an infield grounder. Despite a vehement protest by the excitable Papelbon and a replay that appeared to show the pitcher got the speedy outfielder by a micro-step, Paps kept his composure (with some help from Pedroia) and continued to pitch.

When Lofton stole his fourth base Paps was so steamed he drilled Hairsteroids with a pitch, and just when you could envision this game unraveling into a loss and blown save right in front of our very eyes, Papelbon got Young to stare at a 96-mph blazer that caught the outside corner and put a cap on a crazy but comforting win.

So it definitely wasn't easy, and it sure wasn't pretty, but as they say 'a win is a win is a win', and after 7,500 miles and three consecutive losses, the Sox will take em hard & ugly any day.

Besides, we got Beckett going tomorrow night; we'll leave it to him to provide the pretty, easy wins.

NOTES:

• Up & down: one game after launching 17 flyball outs in the Safeco skies the Sox pounded 11 ground ball outs into the Fenway dirt
• Going down: Oki's scoreless frame lowered his ERA to 0.95, while Paps' adventurous 9th cut his number to 1.50
• Going up: Drew's two hits raised his average to .257, the highest it's been since May 13th.
• Thank you, Tito: Lugo got the night off in favor of Cora, who didn't have a great game (0-3, 2K, GIDP), but still needs top play more with Julio scraping rock bottom
• Coco also had the night off, but from a sore thumb incurred on his futile dive attempt the other day in Seattle; he should return tomorrow
• Texas was homerless for the second consecutive game after hitting at least one in each of their last nine games
• It was Fenway/Roush Racing night at the park, complete with a Red Sox emblazoned Car of Tomorrow on the field, a first pitch toss by Jack Roush and a ton of horrific cross-references by Remy & Orsillo all game long, including a brutal press box interview with Kurt Busch or someone like that. Ugh.
• It was the fourth time Lofton had four steals, the first time since 2000. Okay, we know-the Sox backstops suck at throwing guys out.
• Three cheers for a game that ended at 10:15 instead of starting at that time. Hip hip-hooray!

QUOTES:

"He's got a ton of emotion. The guy that closes games for you, more often than not, is going to have some fire."--Tito on Papelbon's fire burning within

"I've got nothing but 100 percent adrenaline there. That's the reason why I came back in this role."--Papelbon. And that's why RSN loves you, Paps!

"I knew he (Ortiz) was in front of me. I just didn't know if he (Youk) was close to scoring or if Manny was hustling down the line."--Vazquez. it's Little League 101, dude- know the situation

RECORD: 49-29
AL EAST: Up 10 on TOR
STREAK: W-1
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Sat vs. TEX 7:05

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Series Preview: Texas @ Sox

Texas Rangers (32-46)
AL WEST: 16.5 GB
STREAK: L-1 LST 10: 7-3
AVG: .259 (10th) ERA: 5.34 (13th)
RUNS: 409 (3rd) HRs: 99 (1st)

Probable Pitching Matchups:
GM1 Fri 7EST Wright (1-1, 7.43) vs. Wakefield (7-8, 4.52)
Wake needs a good outing like Pacman Jones needs an image makeover, and what better time to get one than against the horsehide-ripping, bat-flipping Rangers.

Uh, maybe not.

Luckily he'll be opposed by recently rehabbed Jamey Wright, who after a 2+ inning outing against the D-Rays on April 10th spent the next 2+ months on the DL with a (stop me if you've heard this before ) a shoulder injury. Gulp.
MY PICK: Sox in a slugfest

GM2 Sat 7EST Tejada (5-7, 6.57) vs. Beckett (11-1, 3.07)
Tejada baffled Boston with a 7-inning, 2-hit masterpiece in early April, but he's facing the best pitcher in either league tonight, so I don't foresee a repeat performance.

Did I mention Boston has the best pitcher in baseball going for them?
MY PICK: Sox

GM3 Sun 2EST Loe (4-6, 6.02) vs. Tavarez (5-5, 4.60)
Julie needs to rebound from the disaster in Seattle, and he'll have a chance to atone for himself against the equally erratic lanky right Kameron Loe.
MY PICK: Sox win another slugfest

GM4 Mon 7EST Millwoood (4-7, 7.06) vs. Gabbard (1-0, 6.48)
Millwood was supposed to be the savior of the staff when signed to a huge deal before last season, yet two stints on the DL this year and a 2-19 record in a year and a half isn't what the Rangers had in mind for their $60 million investment.

Gabbard-who knows.
MY PICK: Sox could lose this one

Season Series: Sox lead, 3-2

Key Players: (* Mark Teixera is on the DL)

• Sammy Sosa .255/13HR/62BI-- he recently became the 5th member of the 600 HR club, and somehow the once-exiled superstar has made it back to the game as a valuable contributor to an offensive powerhouse; he's 4th in the AL in ribbies and has hit in six straight games at a .391 (9-23) clip
• Michael Young .296/45R/42BI-- last time Boston played Texas, the career .300 hitter was baatting .240; but thanks to a hot June (.384, hit in 20 of 24 games) his average is right back where it's accustomed to being
• Ian Kinsler .241/14HR/50R/45BI-- the young second baseman is 7th in the AL in homers and leads the Rangers in longballs and is second in runs scored behind Kenny Lofton
  

Preview:
To say the Texas Rangers like to hit is akin to saying Lindsay Lohan likes to snort blow, drink like a fish and act like an obliterated tramp in public.

That is to say, it's redundant.

Five players on the team have 9 or more homers, and an astounding 17 players have hit at least one home run for the team. By contrast Boston has three players with 9+ homers, and just 13 who have homered for them. Texas has also hit 19 more homers total than Boston, yet have lost 17 more games than the Sox.

And the moral is, kids: homers don't necessarily translate into victories.

What does is quality pitching, something the Sox had in abundant supply (until they hit Seattle), and a commodity that the Rangers have been lacking since, oh, the mid-70s.

Once again a pathetic pitching staff is preventing the offensively explosive Rangers from climbing atop the standings in the AL West, as an incredible six regulars have an ERA of 5.90 or greater, and two starters, Bruce Chen & Kevin Millwood, have ERA near or over 7.00. Yikes.

Oh, and they're defense is pathetic, too (2nd most errors in the league, behind Tampa Bay.)

Hopefully the Sox can put the combination of home cooking and superior pitching to work in sweeping the Rangers out of town.

But the way the Rangers hit the baseball, coupled with the recent ragged pitching of the likes of Wake, Julie and Gabbard, could mean setting our goals a little bit lower.

We'll settle for taking three out of four.

GO Sox!

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Sox Notes: Schill out till after break; Celts crash & burn in draft

Sox say Schill won't return to the hill until after the All Star break at the earliest
Not like we didn't already know this was coming, but Terry Francona confirmed what every member of the Nation knew to be fact-Schill's stay on the DL will last longer than the minimum 15 days, and from the looks of it, considerably longer.

Francona had this to say yesterday, as reported by the Globe's Gordon Edes:

"He can throw now, but I think they want him to reach certain levels with testing. All the things we said the other day remain true. We want him to be able to finish the season being a consistent, good pitcher. That's why we're trying to use good judgment."

Schilling went on the DL retroactive to June 19th with what is being classified as shoulder tendinitis, and with baseball set to resume play after the break on July 12th, that would make almost a full month out of action for the 40-year-old, 15-year vet.

Needless to say the situation cannot be classified as good. Even if the workhorse righty makes it back shortly following the break, the combination of the unsurety behind the cause of the injury and Schilling's advancing age doesn't bode well for a man who has already logged over 3,200 innings pitched on that appendage attachment.

All we can say is get well soon, Curt.

Cause I'll take half a Schill over a whole Gabbard.

Off Topic: Celtics continue to wallow in obscurity
The annual NBA Dog & Pony Show, a.k.a the 2007 NBA Draft, took place in front of a bunch of millionaires, soon-to-be-millionaires, and loser hoop junkies at MSG last night, and even though the Celts possessed the fifth pick in this talent-deep pool of players, Danny Ainge and Co. somehow managed to fuck it up anyway.

After Greg Oden and Kevin Durant went 1-2 to Portland & Seattle, there were still a lot of quality, NBA-ready players that could have helped the Cs in a rich draft class: the Gator duo of G Corey Brewer & F Joakim Noah; clutch PG Acie Law IV; pterodactyl-like F Brendan Wright of UNC; and Chinese prospect Yi Jianlian (is he related to Ann Jillian?) all could have helped a team that needs help at almost every position.

Except shooting guard.

See, the C's have had this occasionally disgruntled, 5-time All Star named Paul Pierce entrenched at that position since...oh, the late '90s.

So when Boston selected Georgetown forward/ mystery man Jeff Green and then traded him along with anchor Wally Sczerbiak (thank god!) and Delonte West (oh no!) to the Sonics for aging, ailing, defense-free shooting guard Ray Allen, the few remaining members of the Green Machine fanclub dropped their jaws, scratched their heads, then ran to the phone in a effort to unload their 07-08 season tix.

Sue PP okayed the deal, and he will slide over to the familiar SF spot when on the floor with Allen, but really, is having two aging & possible disgruntled superstar guards on the floor with a bunch of unproven youngsters really a recipe for postseason success?

Didn't think so either.

Don't get me wrong, I love Ray Allen. Loved him when he was a scrawny, sharpshooting kid at UConn, loved him as Denzel's talented, sensitive meal ticket Jesus Shuttlesworth in Spike Lee's underrated "He Got Game", and loved him as he poured in almost 17,000 points over 11 NBA seasons.

But he is by no means the answer to what ails the struggling Cs.

Surprisingly many media honks, including the estimable Jim Rome and CBS Sportsline's Tony Meija, have lauded this deal, with Meija going so far as to say the Celts are "relevant again" with the arrival of Allen.

Huh?

The only way the C's would have been relevant again is if the ping pong balls had gone their way and they had landed the 1 or 2 pick like they planned when Doc & Danny had them tank the last half of the season to win the lottery.

Instead they've got two 30-something vets coming off injury-plagued years who both would rather be playing somewhere else.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

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Series Recap: Sox @ Seattle

STATS	BOS	SEA
WINS	0	3
RUNS	12	19
HITS	29	28
HRs	1	4
AVG	.264	.283
ERA	5.54	2.79

GM1: SEA 9-4 WP-Weaver LP-Tavarez
GM2: SEA 8-7 WP-O'Flaherty LP-Lopez
GM3: SEA 2-1 WP-Davis LP-Pineiro

Batter's Composite Box:

PLAYER	SERIES STATS	COMMENT
Pedroia	5-13/R/2B/2BB/K	hit in 8 of 9 (.314)
Papi	4-14/R/BI/BB/3K	...power...
Manny	0-10/3K	...outage...
Drew	3-10/3R/2BI/3BB/2K	hit in 9 of 10 (.306)
Youk	3-10/2B/5BI/3BB/K	3 ribbies in GM2
Lowell	3-14/2B/3B/2BI/BB/5K	6 for last 38 (.158)
Tek	2-12/5K	bad return to SEA
Lugo	0-5/R/BB/K/SB	0-31;last hit: 6/14
Coco	5-10/4R/2B/BI/2BB/SB	.459 (17-37) lst 10
Hinske	2-4/R/HR/RBI/BB	big HR in GM2
Pena	1-3/K	incomplete
Cora	1-5/2B/R	more PT please!
Belli	DNP	no Wake

Pitcher's Composite Box:

PLAYER:	IP/H/R/ER/BB/K/HR	COMMENT:
Tavarez	4.1/ 6/ 6/ 3/ 3/ 1/0/L	back to reality
Gabbard	3.1/ 6/ 4/ 4/ 6/ 2/ 1	awful start
Dice-K	8/ 3 / 1/ 1/ 1/ 8/0	awesome start
Timlin	1.2/ 3/ 3/ 3/ 1/ 0/ 2	awful relief
Lopez	2.1/ 3/ 2/ 2/ 2/ 0/1/ L	lost GM2
Paps	1.2/0 /0 /0 /0 /2 /0	1.55 ERA
Oki	1.1/3 /0 /0 /0 /1 /0	0.95 ERA (!)
Pineiro	0.1/1/1/1/1/0/0/L	welcome back
D'carmen	1.2/2 /2 /2 /0 /1 /0	1st runs all'd
Snyder	1.2/ 1 /0 /0 /2 /1 /0	lousy in GM1

A quick glance at these sorry stats tell you all you need to know about how Boston suffered its first three sweep of the season far away in the beautiful wooded countryside of the Pacific Northwest.

An unhealthy combination of piss-poor pitching (save for Dice-K and Papelbon) and untimely hitting (except for a couple of big knocks in GM2) conspired to doom the Sox, and when they did get a dose of both in Game 3, the lack of a quality arm left in the bullpen sealed the Sweepness In Seattle.

Sorry.

But I can't help being in a weepy, chick flick sort of mood after witnessing some of the worst play of the season.

The fact that Boston hit just one home run, by Eric Hinske no less, makes me want to grab a handful of hankies and just start blowing. And when I think about Sox pitchers issuing 16 walks in three games, including a mind-blowing four with the bases loaded, well I just want to grab a tub of Bon Bons, load up the Kleenex and just let the waterworks flow.

And if those numbers don't make you bawl, then how about 32 runners left in scoring position over three games, or a vertigo-inducing 17 fly ball outs yesterday, including 11 putouts by Ichiro, one shy of the major league record.

Why did they put a train station below SafeCo? Should've constructed an air traffic control tower for crying out loud.

Will somebody please give Ichiro a new pair of cleats, he must've worn a friggin hole through the soles of his other pair?!

Okay, the bitterness is starting to come through now. That's why I took a personal day today, you know, to get away from the game for a while, and so I hopped on the Gary Fisher and cruised down to the beach, where I happened to meet...

...another Sox fan, a dude named Kevin who grew up in Weymouth. S of course us South Shore boys shot the shit about everything from the Sox to...well, the Sox, with a little hockey and college football sprinkled in.

Point is even on a getaway day you can't escape this team. It's in the blood, we're born into it and we're everywhere, which is why I end up running into another member of RSN every time I leave the house and get get them out of my head.

I guess I really am going all chick flick. I better stop now.

Thankfully the Sox headed home after yesterday's heart breaker and they should right the ship with a four game wraparound weekend series against the lowly Rangers (yeah!)

Hopefully they left the need for hankies behind them.

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Seattle sweeps Sox with extra inning loss

Seattle 2, Sox 1 (11)
WP: J. Davis (2-0)
LP: Pineiro (1-1)
HRs: None

SUMMARY
This time the Sox got great pitching for 10 innings-including a brilliant eight from Daisuke Matsuzaka-but former Seattle starter Joel Pineiro returned to the scene of his greatest career moments and gave the Mariner fans reason to smile again.

Pineiro allowed two hits including the game-winning double by Jose Lopez in the bottom of the 11th to send the Sox to a disappointing sweep in the land of Starbucks and Supersonics.

HERO: Matsuzaka 8IP, 3H, 1ER, 1BB, 8K
On the heels of 17 runs & 14 walks allowed by Boston pitchers in the last two games, this performance by Dice-K was nothing short of epic.

If only his teammates could have rewarded him for it.

HON MENTION: Lopez--his hit won the game today, and his stellar play all series long was a key factor in Seattle's sweep

GOAT: Ortiz 0-5, 7 LOB
The most clutch hitter in Sox history (arguably) could not come through when his team need him most, and he had plenty of chances; three times in five at bats Ortiz had ducks on the pond but couldn't bring any home, including a miserable groundout with the bases loaded to end the fifth. Ay, Papi!

(dis)HON. MENTION: Pineiro 1/3IP, H, BB, R, L--welcome back, jackass!

RECAP
Well at least it wasn't a sloppy, run-filled walk-a-thon that ended after 1:00am.

That's about the only bright side from this one, a game that was just as long the previous two early morning messes-3 hours and 46 minutes, I believe-and had just as painful an end result: another heartbreaking Sox loss.

In fact as brutal as the first two contests were, a confounding mix of terrible pitching, timely hitting and did I mention terrible pitching?, this game was by far the more painful of the trio.

Because as good as Matsuzaka pitched today (and he was damn good, no sign of those pesky control problems that have plagued him most of the season), the way Boston was leaving men on base and making another nobody pitcher look like the next Cy Young, you just knew it was going to end badly for Dice and his mates.

Sure enough it did.

But what's a good horror movie without a lot of suspenseful moments that lead up to the grisly climax, huh?

Let's take a look at the trail of carnage the Sox left behind before the bloody finale in the late Seattle afternoon sunshine.

Boston had runners on base in each of the first three innings off Mariner rookie Ryan Feierabend, who had been shelled in his last outing against the Reds, but despite the Sox hitters spraying deep flyballs all over the outfield against the 21-year-old lefty, they couldn't get any runs across the plate against him.

Dice was just as hot, but most of his early outs were coming via the strikeout: four of the first six Mariners batter whiffed, including Ichiro on three pitches to open the bottom of the first.

In the bottom of the third Matsuzaka got into the only real trouble he would have all day, and wouldn't you know former Japan League and new MLB rival Suzuki would factor in the equation.

Backup catcher Jamie Burke (what's with the Sox getting burned by backstops and Irish guys lately?) started the rally with a one-out double to center that Coco ran & dove for but barely missed coming up with another great grab.

(side note: many will criticize Coco for diving in that situation, but when a guy makes spectacular catches look routine on a near nightly basis, nobody should say a word about that play. Nobody. Besides, he missed it by about a 1/4 of an inch.)

Manny backed the play up and held Burke to a double, but it didn't matter anyway as Ichiro finally got a hit off his old enemy when he blooped a single to shallow center to plate Burke with the first run of the game and the last for either team for a while.

Both hurlers traded 1-2-3 fourths, then the Sox got back to what they are becoming master craftsmen at- leaving runners on base, thus squandering precious scoring opportunities.

Feierabend quickly retired Tek (1-5) and Wily Mo, who started in place of the lefty Drew, to open the top of the fifth, but things came unraveled from there as Coco (2-4, RBI) sandwiched a double to left around walks to Lugo and Pedroia.

With Papi coming up, it looked like Boston would get at least one run home, if not more. But that's when Ortiz began his string of non-clutch at bats, and the shaky youngster got the experienced vet to tap out to second to end the threat.

Did you forget lefties were hitting only .167 against Ryan?

While Dice-K was methodically mowing down the Mariners, retiring 11 straight batters after Ichiro's single, Feierabend exited after five quality innings (5H, 0R, 2BB, 3K) with a chance at a win if his bully could hold the slim 1-0 lead.

Lucky for Boston that wouldn't be the case.

The Sox finally cracked the scoreboard in the seventh off reliever Sean Green, and Drew got it all started with a pich hit single to center. Then for the third straight game a pitcher made an error on a sacrifice bunt when Green tossed Lugo's bunt attempt wide of first that allowed Drew to scoot to third.

Okay, now we got us a full-fledged explosion coming, right?

Right?

Wrong.

Although Coco hit a booming sac fly to center (that Ichiro was lucky to basket catch on the track) to tie the game, and Pedroia walked, Hargrove once again used his bullpen like a virtuso conducting a concerto.

Grover brought in George Sherrill, who got Papi to fly out to deep center, and then called on Brandon Morrow, who induced Manny into an inning-ending fly out to-who else?-Ichiro, who made all three putouts in the inning an 11 in the game.

So even though the score was tied, it felt like a defeat because once again the Sox failed to burst a game wide open when they had the chance, and the perfect men at the plate to do so.

Boston would again get two men on base in the seventh off Morrow, but the embattled reliever got the embarrassing Lugo (0-2) to strike out to end the inning. Meanwhile Dice ran into a nip of trouble in the bottom of the eigth, but a double play erased his only walk of the day, and after eight brilliant innings his job was done.

Grover brought closer J.J. Putz in the ninth despite the score being tied, another move that turned out to be a stroke of genius. The league's saves leader quickly dispatched Coco and Pedroia on groundouts, then got Papi to whiff for the fifth time in five career at bats against him.

Tito showed some good bullpen judgement himself when he tapped Okajima to start the bottom of the ninth, then after Oki allowed Ichiro and Jose Vidro to reach on singles, Francona brought in his closer, Jonathan Papelbon, to put out the fire.

One pitch later hot-hitting Richie Sexson (0-4) fouled out to second base, and then paps got Ben Broussard to ground out to Pedroia to stave off the game-winning rally, at least temporarily.

Jason Davis came in for Seattle in the 10th and tossed a 1-2-3 frame, and Papelbon matched him in the bottom of the inning, fanning Jason Ellison & Adrain Beltre before getting Betancourt to ground out.

Unfortunately for Boston, the Sox were clear out of good reliever after that point.

After another opp went by the wayside in the 11th, Tito had no choice but to bring in the former Mariner Pineiro, who has been hobbled by an ankle he rolled on Eric Hinske's foot a few days ago and was making his first appearance in the park he pitched in for the first seven years of his career.

Pineiro got Burke to ground out to open the inning, but when Ichiro drew a walk on a close 3-2 pitch, the lumps began forming in the throats of every member of RSN. Like a horror flick, everyone in the theater knew what was going to happen, they just didn't know exactly how.

It wouldn't take long to find out as Lopez, who had torched Boston with his slick glove and hot bat (8-14) all series, lifted a high fly to right center that Manny chased and tried to catch at the wall, but he couldn't come up with it and the Mariner's stormed the field when Suzuki crossed the plate with the series-sweeping run.

Okay, I can't take any more. After three games and three excruciating losses, Boston will get a day off tomorrow before taking on the lowly Rangers at Fenway Friday night.

That off day is much deserved, for players and fans alike.

NOTES

• House of horrors: Boston has now lost eight in a row at Safeco
• Lugo-fer's hitless streak has now hit 31 at bats and his average is down to .190
• Ichiro had been 0-6 against Matsuzaka before his RBI single
• His 11 putouts were one shy of the ML record, and he made them in a variety of way-long runs, basket catches, and a circling maneuver on a Lowell popup that he lost in the sun in the 8th
• Manny & Papi were a combined 0-10
• One day after snapping a 19-game hit streak, Ichiro went 2-4 with a walk an RBI and a run scored
• Coco remains crispy, notching his fifth multi-hit game in his last 10 and raising his average to a season-high .262
• Oki lowered his ERA to 0.95 while Paps' is now at 1.55; Pineiro's climbed to 5.04

QUOTES

"I'm not going to make excuses. I hung a pitch." --Pineiro, rightly accepting the blame for the loss, although he did go on to cry about his poor twisted ankle

"Seems like we've played more than our share of this type of games here and ended up not feeling good."--Tito on Boston's doldrums in the Pac NW

"Given Ichiro's great batting skill, I have no regrets about the pitch. And it is really a testament to his hitting skill that he hit the ball."-- the always respectful Matsuzaka


RECORD: 48-29
AL EAST: Up 9 on TOR
STREAK: L-3
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Thu- Off; Fri vs. TEX

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Game Preview: Sox @ Seattle GM3

Matsuzaka (9-5, 4.01) vs. Feierabend (1-2, 8.20)
4:30EST Safeco Field

The weight of RSN is resting on Dice-K's shoulders as a sudden inability to get batters out has plagued the staff since its plane touched down in the grunge capital of the United States.

And grungy is an adequate description of Boston's pitching in this series, as nearly every hurler that has the hill in these two games has stunk it up in some way or another.

From Julian Tavarez, Kyle Snyder and Mike Timlin in Game 1 to Kason Gabbard, Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez last night, the Boston staff that had been so terrific all season long has suddenly morphed into the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with a piss-poor combination of inadequate starting pitching and horrendous relief work.

Luckily for Boston Matsuzaka is on the mound for this afternoon's getaway day series finale. Dice has been improving after a couple of rough starts in late May, and although he is only 2-2 in his four June starts, he has allowed just five earned runs in 26 innings (1.73 ERA.)

His problem, like recent Sox mound men, has been control, as he has walked 14 batters during that stretch, although he has fanned 34, so the free passes haven't hurt as badly.

But if that stretch continues, might we see a third consecutive game where a Boston hurler walks in two runs with the bases loaded?

Please God no.

Luckily, again, for Boston, their opponent will be 21-year-old Ryan Feireabend, a lefty who has appeared in only eight games in his career and has been shelled in almost every appearance in that time.

This season in four appearances the kid has allowed 23 hits, 17 runs and five homers in 18.2 innings of work, and he's coming off a shellacking at the hands of the Reds in which he gave up six hits, nine runs and five walks in 2 2/3 innings. Nice.

Opponents are batting .311 against him, with righties doing the damage at .339 and lefties being baffled to the tune of .167, so obviously look for Tito to go with a predominantly right-handed lineup in this case.

On paper this looks like a mismatch, with Dice making his debut in the house that Nintendo built facing a roughed-up rookie.

But the way things have been going for Boston pitchers lately, combined with the Sox' innate ability to make scrubs pitch like studs, who the fuck knows what will happen today.

All I know is this game won't be ending at 1:30 in the friggin morning.

I hope.

Go Sox!

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Lousy loss looks no better in the light of day

Seattle 8, Sox 7
WP: O'Flaherty (5-0)
LP: Lopez (1-1)
SV: Putz (22)
HRs: BOS- Hinske (3); SEA- Bloomquist (2), Sexson (15)

SUMMARY:
How the hell do you summarize a game like this?

Boston battled back from an early three-run deficit (thanks to ineffective Kason Gabbard) to tie the game at four, but previously unscored-upon Manny Delcarmen let Seattle take a two-run lead, 6-4, in the fifth.

When Boston tied it again in the sixth on a clutch single by Big Papi, Javier Lopez came on and gave up his first longball of the season, a two-run bomb to Richie Sexson, then J.J. Putz came in and struck out the side to slam the door on this wild West victory for Seattle.

I guess that's it in a nutshell.

HERO(es):

1. Seattle bullpen-- four relievers combined to stop the bleeding by allowing just one earned run in 3 1/3 while fanning six Sox batters
2. Papi 3-4, R, RBI, BB--although he whiffed with a man on third in the eigth, Papi had already knocked in the tying run earlier and reached base four times; what more do you want from the guy?
3. Timlin & Oki-- the only two out of five Boston hurlers that did not allow a run-kudos!
4. Seattle's 9-1-2-3 hitters-- the table setters (Bloomquist, Ichiro, Vidro, Lopez) not only set the table they made the damn thing, combining to go 8-14 with 4 runs scored, 3 RBIs, a homer and a huge defensive play

GOAT(s):

1. Gabbard 3.1IP, 6H, 4ER, 6BB, 2K, HR, HBP-- to say Gabbard didn't fill Schill' sizable shoes very well would be a massive understatement; unless we're talking about the Schill of the last few months, and then you would be spot on
2. Lopez & Delcarmen-- the two normally reliable relievers pitched three innings and allowed five hits, two walks and four runs, and both surrendered leads or ties-ugh!
3. F. Hernandez 5.2IP, 11H, 5ER, 2BB, 5K, HR-- the man who pitched like a King in Fenway in April was a mere pauper tonight; in April Felix allowed one hit in 8 innings, tonight he gave up his first hit to his first batter

LUCKY BASTARD: Eric O'Flaherty 1/3IP, 1H, W
Go figure: a nice Irish boy named O'Flaherty, a local kid from Drew Bledoe's hometown no less, beats Boston despite allowing a game-tying hit to Big Papi, and runs his record to 5-0 as a middle reliever despite pitching only 26 innings.

He's got to have a fucking horeshoe in his back pocket and a four-leaf clover up his ass!

RECAP:
I've already expended so much time and words just doling out the awards above that I barely have anything left to summarize the whole game.

But I think you get the gist with all the crazy linescores and events that took place that the contest last night was like something out of a Stephen King nightmare.

The Globe's Gordon Edes put it best this morning when he wrote "the sound of TV sets shutting off all over New England could be heard 2,500 miles away" after Gabbard walked three batters and hit another in a about as disastrous a first inning as a spot starter could have.

Unfortunately for myself and many other members of the Nation, some of us stuck around to the bitter end.

Those poor souls who did stay awake witnessed another night of atrocious Boston pitching, which in two games in the Pacific Northwest has deteriorated faster than Tom Sizemore at an all-you-can-snort buffet.

Want proof? In two games the Sox hurlers have allowed 22 hits, 17 runs (14ER), 14 walks and four home runs in 16 innings, for an ERA of 7.88. Yikes!

As I said Gabbard, in his first start since being recalled to take Schill's spot in the roatation, could not find the strike zone after Boston batters had staked him to a 1-0 lead after one. As usual though, the Sox failure to capitalize on scoring opps would come back to haunt them yet again for the first of many times this night.

The Sox did something they didn't do at all the last time they faced Hernandez-got two hits off him, in the first on a leadoff single by Coco and a single by Pedroia. Ortiz walked to load em up, yet even Manny having the night off didn't matter as Youk (2-3, 3BI) lined the first of his two run-scoring singles to right for a quick 1-0 lead.

But then Drew struck out and Lowell (1-5, 2BI) grounded into a double play, and what could have been a big inning turned into another letdown; they could've had King Felix on the ropes, but they let him dance around and shake off the big blow.

Gabbard then alllowed Seattle to have that big inning when he started the bottom of the frame like this: Ichiro-K; Lopez-walk; Vidro-single; Sexson-walk; Johjima-HBP; Guillen-walk; Beltre-walk.

Suddenly it was 3-1 and Gabbard was in danger of not making it out of the first inning. Some spot starter.

Luckily he induced Yuniesky Betancourt into grounding into a double play to end the carnage, but the Sox would have to play catch up from there on out in order to even the series.

Things didn't get much better in the second for Gabbard as light-hitting substitute outfielder Willie Bloomquist led off with a homer to left, then Ichiro and Lopez follwed with base hits. But once again Gabbard got a huge DP, then fanned Sexson to reduce the damage and keep the score at a respectable 4-1.

It just felt like 8-1.

The Sox started to scratch back when Youk knocked in Coco, who reached on Sexson's error to start the third, to cut the deficit to 4-2, but once again Boston was bitten by the devil dog of wasted chances.

With Papi, who singled, at second and Youk at first, Drew (1-5, R) hit a chopper to the left side (of course) that took a funky hop on Sexson, yet he stayed with it and made a nice play to get Youk at second on a nice scoop by Betancourt.

Lowell stepped up and had a chance to slice the margin to one and nearly did, but second baseman Lopez made a terrific diving grab of his liner that was earmarked for right that awed the crowd and squelched the rally in its tracks. FUCK!

When Gabbard got into another round of trouble in the fourth, allowing a single to Ichiro (2-3, RBI, BB), a double to Lopez and a walk to Vidro, Tito brought in Delcarmen, who hadn't allowed a hit or run since being called up three weeks ago.

Mattapan Manny immediately fanned Sexson on a wicked 98 mph heater, then got Johjima to ground into a fielder's choice, adn it looked like the next bullpen star had been born.

Appreciatative of Delcarmen's effort Boston scraped back to tie the game in the top of the fifth when Papi and Drew singled and Lowell launched a towering drive to right center that bounced off the wall and past Ichiso for a bases-clearing triple that tied the game at four. YES!

Ah but as quickly as the baseball gods giveth, they taketh away, especially when it comes to Boston playing in Seattle, where it has now lost seven straight.

Delcarmen's scoreless streak came to a crashing halt in the bottom of the fifth, though, when the Ms touched him up for a pair of runs on two hits, a hit by pitch and a sac fly, and once again Boston would have to go into comeback mode.

That short journey began the next inning when Hinske (2-3, R, BI) led off the sixth with a rocket that banged off a banner in the right field stands that cut the lead to one, and when Cora follwed with a double, Mike Hargrove let Hernandez have Coco sacrifice and retire Pedroia before going to his excellent bully to face Ortiz.

Except the strategy backfired as Papi dropped a single to left center that plated Cora with the tying run, and once again the resilient Boston batters had made a game out of what could have been a blowout.

But on this teeter-totter evening, the feeling of accomplishment lasted only a brief time as Seattle took the lead once and for all in the bottom of the sixth.

Lopez came in for Delcarmen and got Lopez to fly out to center, but Vidro (2-4, 2R) reached on a single to right. Before you could even realize what was happening (the whole game seems pretty hazy-lucky I took notes), Sexson took the second pitch he saw from Lopez and blasted it into the stratopshere for a back-breaking two run homer, and just like that all the hitter's hard work was for naught. FUCK!!@

Now trailing for the third time, 8-6, with three innings left, Boston mounted one more comeback attempt that fell uinfortunately came up just short.

Coco (1-3, BB, 3R) led off the 8th with a single and Pedroia followed with a single off Brandon Morrow, George Sherrill relieved Morrow and got Papi to whiff on a six pitch battle, then Grover brought in AL saves leader JJ Putz to finish the Sox off.

Youk battled Putz for a clutch sac fly (he needs to be in the lineup every night, interleague or not), but the fireman got Drew to-you guessed it-ground out to the left side to end the threat.

There would be no more rallies on this night as Putz mowed down the Boston batters like so many of the felled trees that dominate the region, fanning Lowell, Tek, and then pinch-hitter Manny Ramirez on three pitches to cap off a fantastic finish for the Ms.

Now it's up to Dice-K to stopp the slide as he takes the mound against Seattle greenhorn Ryaan Frierabrand, a kid who's allowed 8 homers in 8 career appearances and has an ERA of 8.20.

The best thing about that contest? It tips off in a few hours so everyone can get some friggin sleep tonight!

NOTES: Too spent!

QUOTES:

"It's never a pleasant sight looking on deck and seeing Manny waiting for you. I was able to get ahead of him and get him to chase pitches."--Putz, being respectful of Ramirez although he blew him away like a paper airplane in a tornado

"He's one of the best. We'd rather have a situation where he's not coming in."--Tito, being respectful of Putz

"They were cold that day (when he one-hit the Sox in April.) That lineup, it's unbelievable."--Hernandez, being respectful of the Boston lineup

RECORD: 48-28
AL EAST: Up 10 on TOR
STREAK: L-2
LAST 10: 6-4
UP NEXT: Wed @ SEA, 4:30EST

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Deja vu all over again: Sox pitching sux, Sox lose

Seattle 8, Sox 7

For the second straight night the loyal members of Red Sox nation stayed up til the wee hours of the morning and were treated to the same shit as the previous night: horrible Boston pitching leading to another ugly loss.

This time it was starter Kason Gabbard and Javier Lopez who allowed much of the damage, as the Boston batters mounted numerous comebacks, all to no avail because the Sox pitchers were giving up walks, hits and runs like they were flu shots.

The entire messy affair is just a collage of great plays, big hits and lousy pitches. Eric Hinske had a big homer, Lowell tied it once with a clutch 2-run triple, and Coco got on base three times and scored three runs. But for the second straight night a Boston reliever came out of the pen and allowed a soul-crushing homerun to Seattle, this time a 2-run shot by Richie Sexson that made the score 8-6, and that was enough runs to stave off another Sox comeback.

So for the second straight night I have no desire nor willpower to properly put this game to bed. After last night's game ended at 1:31 EST, tonight Manny whiffed to end it at 1:34 EST, and the feelings I was left with both times were exactly the same: sick & tired.

Full report tomorrow. Maybe after I sleep this one I'll realize it was all a dream that a Red Sox hurler walked in not one but two runs for the second consecutive game.

Couldn't have happened, right?

Good Morning!

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Pitching meltdown leads to ugly loss to Ms

Seattle 9, Sox 4

WP: Weaver (2-6)

LP: Tavarez (5-5)

HRs: SEA-Johjima (8), Beltre (10)

If this play happened in the playoffs, Lowell would be known as Billy Buckner the 2nd

SUMMARY:
Julian Tavarez pitched a terrific ballgame-for four innings.

Seattle sent 11 batters to the plate and scored five runs in a disastrous fifth inning, the debacle compounded by an error by Tavarez and a curious non-play by Mike Lowell. The teams each put a couple more runs on the board later, but this one was over after that nightmare fifth.

HERO: Weaver 5.2IP, 6H, 1ER, 2BB, 3K
Once again the Sox get smoked by a stiff. Weaver joins the ranks of Lenny DiNardo, Joe Kennedy, Jeff Francis and Josh Fogg as hurlers who have come from piles of shit to near no-hit against Boston this season.

GOAT(s): Tavarez-Snyder-Timlin
This was an equal opportunity shellacking as all three of these hurlers displayed horrific pitching tendencies on the hill.

Tavarez got into a jam and that he could not get himself out of, Snyder compounded said jam by walking two runs in, and then Timlin avoided near decapitation only to suffer complete evisceration at the hands of the Mariners bats.

RECAP:
My son is gone on his trip, but unfortunately my memories of this morning's defeat are still here.

Let me clear one thing up first:

Raise your hand if you're guilty.

You know what I'm talking about. Don't play dumb.

Raise your hand if you are one of the many members of RSN who drank the Julie Kool Aid thanks to his recent hot stretch, someone who believed that Tavarez had indeed transformed himself from a volatile, erratic long reliever to a dependable fifth-no make that fourth-starter.

(I raise my hand)

Good. Don't you feel better knowing that you're not alone in times like this?

Yeah after a stellar stretch of seven games in which Tavarez had not lost, won four times, and lowered his ERA over a full run per game from 5.60 to 4.50, we all started to believe that this was the real Julian Tavarez.

He wasn't that temperamental gascan the Sox got to shore up the weak bully and spot start in 2005. No, he had become what Tito, Theo and the rest of the Boston hierarchy had hoped he would become when they switched him to the rotation full time towards the end of last season: a serviceable fifth starter.

And it's funny, but as Julie settled into the role this season, and he went head-to-head with some of the best pitchers in the game and held his own, then ran off this winning streak, his moodiness and peculiarities were seen as competitiveness and cute, quirky character traits.

Everyone forgot how as soon as he entered a game for most of the 2006 season the flames could be seen for miles around as he lay waste to another lead, or gave up enough runs to make a Sox comeback impossible.

Suddenly it was "Ha ha ha, did you see Julie roll the ball to first? How quaint." Or "oh boy, look at the way he points to his teammates to signal a nice play. He's so competitive." The best might have been last week in Atlanta as he had enough tics and fidgets to make Rain Man jealous, which prompted the Braves announcers to exclaim "Hey, do you Julie doctoring the ball" since he rubs his scalp more times than a strung out heroin addict?"

"Nah, that's just Julie Being Julie."

Well guess what fellow Jule-Aid drinkers, the real Julian Tavarez was on the mound last night. And much like his persona, the pitching aspect of Julie's life also contains plenty of good, bad and ugly.

For four innings Tavarez (4.1IP, 6H, 6R, 3ER, 3BB, 1K) danced around the Seattle lineup, allowing a couple of hits and a run in the second, notching 1-2-3 innings in the first and third, and escaping a self-inflicted mess when he walked two with two outs in the fourth.

Boston meanwhile scored a couple of fortuitous runs themselves in the third. Weaver allowed a leadoff single to Coco (2-3), then for some unknown reason he threw the ball into left field trying to nail Crisp at second on Lugo's sacrifice attempt. Thanks, Jeff.

One play later J.D. Drew dropped another grounder to the right side that the second baseman couldn't handle (second game in a row that's happened) allowing both runners to score, and Boston had a 2-1 lead thanks to the multiple Mariner miscues.

But those gifts were returned tenfold by Boston in the fifth when multiple Sox miscues compounded the four hits and three walks that were earned by the Mariners in the inning.

Adrian Beltre (2-3, 2R, 2BI), whom I ripped in my series preview as being a money-stealing one-year wonder, decided to earn some of his $$ jack when he ripped a double to deep center to begin the frame. Then, incredulously, Julie decided to match Weaver's boneheaded blunder when he threw errant of first base on Yuniesky All Name Team Betancourt's sacrifice bunt.

It was only thanks to a heads up play by Pedroia, who backed up Tavarez' toss, that the runners had to hold at second & third, but thanks to Julie's pitching, they wouldn't be there long.

Leftfielder Willie Bloomquist smoked Juile's second offering into center for a single that scored Beltre and tied the game, and after walking Ichiro (0-4), Jose Lopez dropped a single to left that scored two runs and gave Seattle the lead it would not relinquish, 4-2.

Unfortunately that wouldn't be all they'd get as the Gascan got too hot for its contents and finally melted down. After Youk made a dynamite play to nail Ichiro going to third on Jose Vidro's sac bunt, the baseball gods rained on Boston's parade on one of the oddest plays I've ever seen during a game.

Richie Sexson, another guy I slammed who had a big night, got sawed off by a Tavarez fastball and as his bat head went one way, the ball piddled down to Lowell at third; all he had to do was scoop it up and step on the bag and a big inning could have been averted.

But in a play eerily reminiscent of a left-handed version of the Buckner play, Lowell scooped and turned with ease, but Lopez, who was a good five feet away from the bag still, somehow raced into the base and beat Lowell's attempted force out.

It was that kind of night.

That bit of misfortune got Tavarez out of the game and brought in Kyle Snyder, who instead of throwing gas on the fire merely fanned the flames slowly & gently to achieve maximum burn.

To say Snyder couldn't find the plate would be an understatement, as he got the first batter out but then proceeded to throw eight balls in his next 12 pitches, walking home two runs to make it 6-2 and rendering a comeback, if not impossible, then highly unlikely.

Snyder settled down to retire four of the next five batters, but the damage was done. And although Boston made Weaver look like, well his brother Jered, the game was still close enough and early enough for the Sox to scrape back.

Alas Mike Rubber Arm Timlin, who is really starting to show his age, barely escaped the seventh with his brains intact but made sure the game was out of reach on his way to the clubhouse.

After walking Sexson (2-3, R, 2BB), Ben Broussard ripped a ball up the middle that took the splintered end of his bat with it, and Timlin had to make like a soldier in a fox hole in order to avoid the sharp spike of wood making him look like an extra for Hostel III.

Timlin quickly tried to clear his mind of such gruesome thoughts but before he could get his head in the game Johjima and Beltre blasted back-to-back jacks to put the cap on the terrible night for Sox hurlers and a weird opening game in the Pacific Northwest.

So today Kason Gabbard will make his second start this season and try to put the memories of last night's debacle behind them.

We might have to put the memories of the "New & Improved Julie" behind us, too.

NOTES:

• Boston tallied 8 hits, half of them by Coco and Pedroia
• Meanwhile Seattle rapped 10 hits, eight (2 each) from Sesxon, Beltre, Lopez & Bloomquist
• Speaking of Willie, he started in place of Seattle's RBI leader Raul Ibanez, who's nursing a slight hammy problem; Jose Volcano Guillen was also a scratch
• Naanaanaa19: not on the Seattle hit list was Ichiro, who saw his 19-game hit streak end with his 0-4 night. He did draw a walk, but who cares
• Drew's second infield dribbler in two games was ruled a hit, again, and it raised his average to a nice round .250; he had a couple of ribbies and scored a run as well
• Youk (1-3, 2BI, 2BB) got his first start in three days and made a couple of nice plays in the field and belted a two-run 9th inning double to extend his hit streak to seven games (9-26, .346)
• Hitless wonder: Lugo-fer's (0-3) skid has now reached 0-29 and the frustration is starting to show, on both sides: he slammed his bat to the ground after fouling out in the fourth, then was pinch hit for with the bases loaded in the 8th; he's now down to .191.
• Javier Lopez threw a 1-2-3, 13 pitch 9th
• Have a ball (or a dozen): of Snyder's 36 pitches in 1.2 innings, half of them were balls
• Boston has now lost six in a row at Safeco
• Sexson, aka the Human Windmill, not only walked twice and had two hits, but he's batting a robust .305 (11-36) with 4 homers, 6 RBIs and five multi-hit games in his last 10 contests
• Timlin's ERA is now 6.48, and his blood pressure is probably sky high,too

QUOTES:

"It hurt a little bit, you know, my hamstring. But ... it didn't affect me at all. Things just went wrong."--Tavarez on a slip off the mound; silly Julie, escuses are for losers

"He's fine," Francona said. Thank you, Tito.

"I don't think the [broken] bat had anything to do with it. It was the location of the pitches." --Timlin on his horror movie moment

RECORD: 48-27
AL EAST: Up 10 on TOR
STREAK: L-1
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Tue @ SEA 10EST

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