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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Let's all kick the Boston Red Sox while they're down


Well another game went by last night and the Boston Red Sox are still 0-for-2011 in the win department.

This latest installment was perhaps the most embarrassing since the Red Sox (0-4) lost to the Cleveland Indians and something named a Josh Tomlin completely shut them down for seven innings in a 3-1 loss at mostly empty Progressive Field.

Josh Beckett (5 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts) proved once again that he'll never be anything close to the stud that he was in 2003 and 2007. He racked up 106 pitches in five innings against Cleveland's (2-2) Triple A lineup and his night was over.

I can't say that Tomlin had great stuff (7 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts) since Boston helped him out by nervously swinging early in counts (see: 91 pitches in 7 innings of work).

The lone highlights (if you can call them that) for Boston's neutered offense was two hits from Dustin Pedroia and Jarrod Saltalamacchia's RBI single in the second inning (his first hit of the season) which gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead. David Ortiz scored the run but J.D. Drew got thrown out at the plate by a money throw from Shin-Soo Choo.

The Indians got Beckett's pitch count up and scrapped for two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. Old friend (especially to Red Sox wives) Orlando Cabrera had an RBI single to tie it. Then Jack Hannahan had an RBI single and Carlos Santana hit a sacrifice fly.

Boston wasted three perfect innings from Matt Albers, Bobby Jenks and Daniel Bard (who combined for eight strikeouts and no hits).

Cleveland reliever Tony Sipp only needed seven pitches (are you kidding me?) to get through the eighth before closer Chris Perez nailed down his first save of the season.

The Red Sox looked like they might rally in the ninth as Pedoria got a single and Youkilis walked with two outs but Ortiz flew out to left on Perez's 27th pitch.

It has come to this: Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. Mitch Talbot tonight as Boston still searches for its first win of the 2011 season.

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