Bullpen blows another one as Sox fall from first

Astros 3, Sox 2
WP: Aardsma (2-2)
LP: Brocail (4-3)
SV: Valverde (21)
HRs: BOS-Manny (16), Pedroia (8); HOU-Blum (5)

SUMMARY:
The Sox head to Tampa Bay having fallen out of first place for the first time since June 3rd when Hideki Okajima allowed Mark Loretta to knock in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth as Boston dropped 2 of 3 in its interleague series finale.

#1 STUNNER: Loretta 1-1, GW RBI
Did anyone in the Nation have any doubt that the ex-Sox second baseman was going to drive in the winning run against the artist formerly known as Oki?

Didn't think so.

THE BIGGEST LOSER: Okajima 2/3IP, 1H
Once again the numbers don't tell the story with Oki because he allowed yet another inherited runner to score in this one, making it 10 of his last 11 IRs and 12 of 15 total to cross home plate this season.

RECAP:
Another day, another shitty effort from the Boston bullpen cost the Sox and Josh Beckett a shot at what would have been a hard fought win if not for the maddening enigma that is Hideki Okajima.

How a guy who was so incredibly dominating one season can turn into one of the least reliable relievers in all of baseball the next should be the subject of Stephen King's next baseball-related tale:

The Nation That Hated Hideki.

After battling through stranded baserunners and missed opportunities all day long, Boston finally tied the game at two when Manny Ramirez hit his first home run in 15 games off Oscar Villareal with one out in the seventh inning.

That opposite field shot got Beckett (7IP, 8H, 2ER, 1BB, 4K, HR, 111P) off the hook and set up what could have been a great come-from-behind victory to close out the interleague portion of the 2008 schedule.

Instead the loss left the Sox looking up at the pesky Rays, who have won 11 of their last 15 games as the two teams get set to square off in the Trop tomorrow night.

Maybe Boston will leave Hideki in Houston.

Which brings me to my next point (pardon me while I rant but I, along with the rest of RSN, am a tad ticked off right now) - why did Tito bring in the ticking timebomb that is Oki in the 8th inning of a tie game, something he had been sterring clear of doing ever since Oki's epic meltdown in Baltimore on June 10th?

I realize the bullpen was taxed, with Hansen and Delcarmen having pitched in each of the first two games of the series and Papelbon reportedly unavailable due to a cold, but why not stick with the flamethrower Aardsma after he allowed a one out single to Miguel Tejada?

Just like the night before Aardsma, who has been Boston's most consistent reliever for the better part of this season, would have been a better candidate to get out of his own jam than the unpredictable trio of Hansen, Delcarmen and Okajima.

Plus Francona had been remiss to bring Oki in at all whenever there were runners on base due to his inordinately high percentage of allowing inherited runners to score.

But for some reason Tito went against the percentages and probabaly against his own gut instinct and brought Oki in in a situation where he had made a name for himself last season, and the Japanese lefty failed worse than a college sophomore taking his finals the day after an all-night kegger.

Aside from the beleaguered bullpen this game was a stark contrast from last night's wild and wooly affair as runs were at a premium this afternoon following the run-a-minute pace of that game.

Boston left the bases loaded in the first inning when Houston starter Brian Moehler (5.2IP, 7H, 1ER, 3BB, 5K, HR, 111P) allowed a one out single to scorching hot Dustin Pedroia and walks to J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell.

But Moehler worked out of the jam by retiring Youk on a grounder to end the inning, setting the tone for the game in which Boston left 13 runners on base.

The 'Stros got on the board first when light-hitting second baseman Geoff Blum took Beckett deep for his fifth homer of the year and fourth hit in nine career at bats against the Sox righthander.

But Boston wasted no time in tying it up when Pedroia (2-5, R, BI) blasted his 8th homer of the season to left to lead off the third inning. It was Pedroia's 8th hit in 10 at bats in the series and he has now hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games at a .510 (25-49) clip.

As Dan Patrick used to say, he's en fuego.

The game remained tied at one as both pitchers worked in and out of mini-jams for the next couple of innings until Houston re-took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, and the rally began when Beckett comitted the cardinal sin of National league baseball: he walked the opposing pitcher.

(note: Someone needs to tell these Sox hurlers that the opposing pitcher is supposed to be a rally killer, not starter. On Friday night Daisuke Matsuzaka walked Runelvys Hernandez with one out in the third, last night Jon Lester hit Brandon Backe to ignite a five run rally in the third, and now this.)

After Michael Bourne forced Moehler at second, Hunter Pence beat out an infield single to short (typical Lugo) and then last night's hero, Lance "Big Puma" Berkman laced a single up the middle to plate Bourne with the go-ahead run.

Another bases loaded situation wenbt by the wayside for Boston when Pedroia struck out with the sacks jacked in the top of the sixth, but with Beckett holding the 'Stros at bay the Sox finally came back to tie it when Manny (2-4, R, BI) took Villareal deep to the opposite field with one out in the seventh, and suddenly it was a winnable game again.

But Boston blew another golden oppportunity to take the lead when Villareal followed Manny's longball by allowing a bloop infield single by Lowell and walking Youk and last night's winner Doug Brocail came in to retire Tek and Lugo to end the threat.

Then the bottom fell out in the last half of the eighth when Aardsma (1/3IP, 1H, 1R) allowed a slicing single to Tejada after a lengthy at bat and Francona made the call to the pen for Okajima.

Three pitches in to his outing the reliever bounced a pitch that got by Tek and sent Tejada to second base, and with Oki's confidence at an all time low Houston manager Cecil Cooper sent Loretta, who hit a monster 3-run homer last night, up to bat for Brocail, and the ex-Sox delivered another big hit when he smacked a single into center to easily score Tejada with what turned out to be the game-winning (or losing) run.

Boston made a little noise in the ninth when Manny walked off closer Jose Valverde, but Lowell barely beat out a double play ball at first and then Youk flied out to end it, and the sox had suffered the indignity of losing two of three to a team that had lost 12 of its last 17 games coming into the series.

So it;s off to the Trop to take on the loaded for bear Rays, and with first place on the line and the bad blood still simmering from this month's Raysbrawl affair, tensions should be high and the action should be hot and heavy under the teflon-tarped dome.

Hopefully I'll be there for a couple of the contests to give a first hand account of all the festivities.

And Hopefully Boston will win a couple of the contests, too.

RECORD: 50-34
AL EAST: 1/2 GB
STREAK: L2
LAST 10: 5-5
UP NEXT: Mon @ TB 7:05 Masterson vs. Shields