Sorry Moms, no miraculous comeback tonight

Minnesota 9, Sox 8
WP: Blackburn (3-2)
LP: Wakefield (3-2)
SV: Nathan (12)
HRs: BOS-Crisp (2); MIN-Monroe, 2 (4), Everett (1)

SUMMARY:
The relentless Boston offense kept coming back despite facing deficits of 7-1 and 8-4, but ultimately it could not overcome three Twins home runs, even though the Sox outhit Minnesota 15-10.

SUPERSTAR: Craig Monroe 2-4, 2R, 4BI, 2HR
The former Tigers castoff has found a new home in the Twin Cities, and after hitting two homers tonight, including what turned out to be the game winner in the 7th, you can bet he will be a fan favorite at the Homerdome for a while.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Mike Timlin 1.2IP, 1H, 1ER, HR
At the time the homer he gave up to Monroe to lead off the 7th, which made the score 9-6 Twins, seemed innocent enough. But a 9th inning rally would have tied the score had Tired Arm not given up that gopher ball, so the hit proved mighty costly after the fact.

RECAP:
Last year on this day, the Red Sox delivered a special present to all the Nation's moms when they mounted a miraculous comeback by scoring 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat the Baltimore Orioles in dramatic fashion, 6-5.

Tonight we almost had a repeat performance.

After trailing the entire game by as many as six runs, Boston kept pecking away at the Minnesota lead until the game came down the Sox with the tying run on second base and pinch hitter Manny Ramirez at the plate facing Twins closer Joe Nathan in the 9th inning.

But instead of miracles we were treated to heartache as Ramirez grounded out meekly to end the game.

And so ended a wild contest at the Metrodome that saw the Sox outhit the Twins but Minny out-slug the potent Sox, as light-hitting Craig Monroe popped two homers and lighter hitting Adam Everett hit his first homer in nearly a year, and it all added up to another difficult loss for Boston, the third such agonizing 1-run defeat in the past five days.

Can't they just friggin' get blown out?

Sox starter Tim Wakefield was coming off his best start of the season, a 2-hit, 8-inning shutout last Tuesday in Detroit, and his success in domes like Tropicana Field is well documented.

But tonight Wake got hammered like Kiefer Sutherland at a wrap party, surrendering 7 hits and 6 earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings of work, putting his teammates in a huge hole before the game was even three innings old.

Luckily for him he's got one of the league's best offenses on his side.

Unlucky for him he also has fellow geriatric hurler Mike Timlin on his team.

After Monroe's first homer, a 3-run blast in the bottom of the second, and Everett's first since last June 3rd gave Minny a 5-0 lead after two innings, Boston started chipping away at the deficit. They scored once in the 3rd on a sac fly by Mike Lowell, but that was all they could get despite having the bases loaded and no outs to start the inning.

To make matters worse the Twins tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning on a single by Friday night's hero Mike Lamb to make it 7-1, prompting Francona to yank Wakefield after less than three innings, his shortest outing since last September 11th when he went three innings against the D-Rays.

After his departure the Sox got right back in the game in the 4th when Coco Crisp (2-5, 2R, 3BI, 3B, HR) tripled over Delmon Young's head in left and scored on a single by Kevin Cash. Cash then came around to score on a throwing error by shortstop Matt Tolbert on a grounder by Dustin Pedroia, and another run scored when Kevin Youkilis hit a hot shot off Lamb at third base, cutting the Twins lead to a manageable 7-4.

Too bad it wouldn't stay manageable for long.

The Twins got one run right back when Julian Tavarez (1.1IP, 1H, 1R, 2BB, 1K) loaded the bases in the bottom of the 4th and Mike Lowell made an error on a tough grounder off the bat of Monroe to push the lead back to four at 8-4, but the Sox came right back again when Coco cracked his 2nd homer in two nights off reliever Matt Guerrier to slice the lead to 8-6.

That's when things really got screwy.

Timlin, who has allowed 9 earned runs and 14 hits in his 6 innings of work this season, came on in the 7th and immediately surrendered Monroe's second homer of the game, and with the lead back to three runs (9-6), it was going to take a minor miracle for the sox to pull this one out now.
And they nearly got one.

Joe Nathan, who had only allowed 1 run all year, took the hill in the 9th and everyone figured it would be 1-2-3 it's over time.

Everyone except the Boston batters.

Youk dropped an infield single to short with one out to start the rally, and Lowell followed with a sharp single to center, and suddenly the sox had something cooking against the Twins All Star closer.

When JD Drew hit a tracer over center fielder Carlos Gomez' head for an RBI double to make the score 9-7, the thoughts of last Mother's Day started creeping into everyone's heads.

Coco then hit a comebacker to the mound that Nathan bobbled, and although Lowell scored what would have been the tying run had Timlin not been so Timlin-like, the closer did manage to get the force out at third base for the all-important second out of the inning.

So it was all up to Manny, who sat out the game with a sore hammy, but the mojo was not in Boston's favor this year as ManRam tapped out to shortstop, and the thrilling comeback ended up just one run short.

Thanks a fucking lot, Timlin.

Maybe you should take a seat on the bench with Lugo.

NOTES:
-Bye bye Jed: with Alex Cora activated from the DL the Sox shipped Jed Lowrie back to Pawtucket, as expected. In other words, they gave him the Brandon Moss treatment - hit a big homer, get sent to the minors.

-Other DL news: Mayor Casey is scheduled to be activated tomorrow, meaning another body has to be jettisoned. Expect reliever Craig Hansen to hop back on the PawSox shuttle.

RECORD: 24-16
AL EAST: Up 1.5 gms
STREAK: L1
LAST 10: 7-3
UP NEXT: Mon @ MIN Buchholz vs. Hernandez