Red Sox Sweep White Sox & Rays Get Swept By A's, Nice Weekend

At this point with only 24 games left in the regular season, I'm comfortable in saying that reaching the playoffs is almost a foregone conclusion for the Red Sox. Boston (82-56 overall, 45-24 home) swept the hapless White Sox (56-79 overall, 24-45 away) in three games this weekend, culminating with a 7-6 victory this afternoon at Fenway Park. The sweep felt that much better since the Rays dropped all three of their games in Oakland so suddenly they trail Boston by 5.5 games for first place in the AL East.

The Red Sox can be excused for going up 5-0 on the White Sox by the third inning then putting it on cruise control, they are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have won seven of their last eight games. Chicago cut it to 5-4 in the fourth and 7-6 in the eighth but they couldn't come all the way back. Felix Doubront (3.2 innings, 4 earned runs, 7 hits, 90 pitches) was the main reason why this was way tighter than it had to be. Staked to the big lead, he just couldn't put guys away.

Brandon Workman (4-2) got the win in relief but the real stars out of the bullpen today for Boston were Franklin Morales (4 outs), Junichi Tazawa (got out of bases loaded jam to end the seventh) and of course Koji Uehara who recorded a 1-2-3 ninth for his 16th save of the season.

Jacoby Ellsbury (2 runs, walk, stolen base) started the scoring with a two-run single in the second and David Ortiz came through with a two-run double in the same frame. Stephen Drew made it 5-0 with his 11th homer of the season, a solo shot to left center in the third.

White Sox kept getting on base in the fourth and Jeff Keppinger "put in on the board!" (Hawk Harrelson's deranged voice) with a sacrifice fly. Dayan Viciedo followed with an RBI double and Conor Gillaspie trimmed Boston's lead to 5-4 with a two-run single.

The game took so long (3:39) because there were numerous delays: White Sox manager Robin Ventura was ejected for arguing a call, the Red Sox used six pitchers and Shane Victorino left with a hip injury. Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, run, walk) reached base on an infield hit in the fourth and Ellsbury scored on Gillaspie's throwing error. Ortiz knocked in another run in the inning with an RBI single.

Paul Konerko (2 hits, run, walk) drove in Alexei Ramirez (3 hits, w runs, 2 stolen bases) in the fifth with a single and Tyler Flowers (2 hits) smashed a solo homer in the eighth.

It being September 1, the Red Sox made numerous moves since the rosters expanded: for me the two important ones were the trade for Providence College (my alma mater) alum John McDonald (East Lyme, CT native who lives in Scituate, MA) and designating Daniel Bard for assignment. McDonald is a spectacular shortstop and second basemen that should give them some options in the postseason and down the stretch while Bard's career is truly at a crossroads now.

Thankfully the next five series for the Red Sox are all against teams above .500, that should be good preparation for October not to mention way more entertaining contests. The Tigers (80-57, 1st in AL Central) come to Fenway for a marquee three-game series starting tomorrow afternoon (1:35, NESN)-Labor Day. The possible ALCS preview begins with John Lackey (8-11) vs. Doug Fister (11-7). Max Scherzer (19-1) goes for his MLB-leading 20th win of the season on Tuesday (7:10, NESN) against Jon Lester (12-8) and Ryan Dempster (7-9) wraps it up on Wednesday (7:10, NESN) vs. Rick Porcello (11-7) in what could be a real life version of Home Run Derby.

Boston has experienced incredible luck in the past few weeks in terms of missing top pitchers (Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke and Chris Sale) and that continues against Detroit since Justin Verlander pitched today vs. Cleveland. Additionally and perhaps more importantly, Miguel Cabrera has sat out the last two games with an injury so who knows his status for these three games. The baseball fan in me wants to see him out there but since the Tigers have such a huge lead (7.5 games over Indians), it would be silly to throw him out there at less than 100%.

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RIP Andrew Bailey & Boston's Ability To Trade For Good Closers

At this point, the Red Sox deserve an intervention when it comes to their stupid idea to trade for closers on bad teams. My cat could write a detailed paper on how it's so obvious that method has been a disaster. Mark Melancon was awful last season then got traded to the Pirates where he became an All-Star set up man this season. Joel Hanrahan came over from Pittsburgh and got hurt almost immediately. With today's news that Andrew Bailey could be facing season-ending shoulder surgery, what else is there left to say but mercy?

We all thought it was time to let Jonathan Papelbon go when it came time to hit free agency but who wouldn't take him back with open arms (he's never been on the DL in his career) at this point? Boston's biggest issue (besides Clay Buchholz's health) heading into the second half of 2013, beginning tonight, starts and ends with their shaky bullpen. Along with Hanrahan and Bailey, Andrew Miller is done for the season with a foot injury and their former ace setup man Daniel Bard's career has reached Rick Ankiel territory in Portland (Double A).

Getting Matt Thornton last weekend was nice but it's hard to see them surviving while they keep shuttling in all these Triple A nobodies. Hey, no worries though since the Red Sox signed washed up scrubs Brandon Lyon and Jose Contreras this afternoon and sent them to Pawtucket. Haha what is it 2003?

The trade deadline is July 31 so you have to assume that the Red Sox aren't done making moves. I doubt that it'll be anything big involving their plethora of promising prospects (alliteration!) but you never know. It should be an interesting 65 games for the hometown team.

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Daniel Bard Isn't Cut Out To Be A Starting Pitcher In MLB, That Much Is Clear

Outside of bad Little League games (where a kid that never pitches briefly tries to), I'm pretty sure I've never seen a starting pitcher meltdown quite like Daniel Bard did this afternoon in Toronto.

The Red Sox (28-26, 15-12 away) had a chance to sweep the Blue Jays (28-26, 16-12 home) but Bard (5-6) never gave them a chance as they lost 5-1 at Rogers Centre. Boston enjoyed exactly one day in fourth place, now they are back in the AL East basement tied with Toronto.

Bard lasted 1.2 innings (55 pitches/24 strikes), allowing five earned runs on one hit with two strikeouts and six walks. He also hit two batters. To say he didn't have control would do a great disservice to Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn in Major League and Rick Ankiel. It got to the point where you felt bad for the Blue Jays hitters that had to step in against him since he throws so hard but he had absolutely no clue where it would end up. Yunel Escobar was hit on the hand and Edwin Encarnacion was hit on the wrist and ended up leaving later in the game.

Of course, the one hit Bard allowed was a three-run bomb by Jose Bautista (14th of the season) in the first inning. I've said all along that moving Bard to the rotation was pointless but still, I never wished this on him. He went from being one of the top setup men in MLB and top young arms to a complete mess as a fifth starter in a mediocre rotation on an average team. Don't ask me how to fix this huge problem since I don't have a clue. His confidence must be completely shot.

The Blue Jays added two runs in the second on Bautista's bases loaded walk and Encarnacion's painful hit by pitch.

Kelly Shoppach (3rd of the season) provided the only Red Sox run with a solo home run in the fifth inning.

Boston played like a team in the last game of a series on the road (aka getaway day), with tomorrow off. Although no excuse since it was only a three-game road trip. They managed just six hits against rookie Drew Hutchison (5-2) and a trio of Toronto relievers. Hutchison went seven easy innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk.

Franklin Morales went an absurd 4.1 innings, he was the first reliever out of Boston's bullpen and he submitted his longest relief work in his MLB career. He didn't allow a run with only two hits and four strikeouts. Morales as a starter? Haha just kidding but he was awesome.

Fenway Park will have a distinct DC-Metro area feel this week as Baltimore comes for three games beginning on Tuesday then the Washington Nationals restart Interleague play with a visit next weekend for three.

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I Called It Last Night: Red Sox Beat Justin Verlander To Finally Eclipse .500 In 2012

When the 2012 season is over for the Boston Red Sox and Bobby Valentine takes them all to Chuck E. Cheese's for one last going away party, tonight's game against Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers will no doubt be a big topic of discussion.

It only took six tries (haha really) but Boston (25-24, 12-13 home) finally lurched over the .500 mark with a 6-3 win against Detroit (23-26, 12-14 away) at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox survived a 38-minute rain delay in the eighth inning to vanquish the undisputed best pitcher in baseball (the 2011 AL MVP). Verlander (5-3) lasted six innings, allowing five earned runs on 10 hits with seven strikeouts and a walk.

Daniel Bard (5-5) was much better than Verlander which isn't something you anticipate writing. In 5.1 innings, he allowed two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

David Ortiz (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) and Daniel Nava (3 RBIs) along with Scott Podsednik (2 for 4 with a double and run) supplied all the offense Boston would need and Alfredo Aceves shook off two bad outings in a row for his 12th save of the season.

Mike Aviles' fielder's choice in the second inning scored Ortiz and Nava cleared the bases with a three-run double on a 100 mph fastball from Verlander in the fourth.

Jhonny Peralta (4th of the season) homered for the second straight game but luckily this time it was only a solo shot to right center in the fifth. Ortiz had an RBI double off the Monster in the fifth as well.

Prince Fielder (8th of the season) absolutely destroyed a solo homer to right (437 feet) in the sixth then cut it to 5-3 (the closest the Tigers would get) with an RBI single in the seventh.

Ortiz hit his 11th homer of the season, a solo home run that just made it over the Monster in the eighth inning.

Vicente Padilla recorded four outs ahead of Aceves for his 12th hold of the season.

The Red Sox will try to make it three in a row against the Tigers tomorrow night (7:10 p.m.) as rookie Drew Smyly (2-1) takes on Jon Lester (3-4). After an awful outing in his last start against Tampa Bay, Lester is due for a quality start against a lineup that is not very good save for Prince and Miguel Cabrera. Boston might as well shoot for .500 at Fenway too while they're riding high.

Dustin Pedroia hasn't been placed on the DL yet because he's going to try play with a brace on his injured thumb. Fingers crossed (no pun intended) that it works since he could miss 3-4 weeks if it doesn't alleviate some of the pain.

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Red Sox Clinch Series With Orioles Thanks To Some Unlikely Power

The beauty of baseball and what keeps us tuning in despite a regular season that's way too long (162 games) and tedious is the chance to see something crazy that you'll surely never witness again.

This afternoon was one of those type of contests as the Red Sox (22-22, 13-11 away) beat the Orioles (28-17, 13-11 home) 6-5 at Camden Yards.

The win clinched the series for Boston (2-1) while also keeping them hot (10-3 in their last 13 games). Best of all, they completed their absurd 20 games in 20 days stretch (11-9) and eight-game road trip (5-3) in good shape. This is the third time that the Red Sox have reached .500 this season, hopefully now they'll take the next step and get over it-something they haven't done yet.

I'm very confident that Daniel Nava (2 hits), Kelly Shoppach (2 hits) and Scott Podsednik (2 hits, 2 runs) will never all hit home runs in the same game again but that's exactly what they did today. Boston needed all those longballs since Daniel Bard (4-5) didn't give them anything more than an average start. In 5.1 innings, Bard allowed two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and four walks. As always, I ask: why isn't he in the bullpen? He's not nearly the same guy when he starts, he's lost his velocity and he can't put any batters away.

Jake Arrieta (2-5) wasn't good either for the O's. He went 5.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and three walks.

The Red Sox had 13 hits, including two from Kevin Youkilis (run, walk) and Will Middlebrooks (RBI). The Orioles were limited to seven, basically by three players Xavier Avery (2 hits, run), Adam Jones (2 hits) and Nick Johnson (3 RBIs, 2 hits, 2 runs), who hit not one but two home runs. I said it was a strange day, right?

Alfredo Aceves had his third straight perfect outing as he got four outs for his 11th save of the season.

Baltimore went up 1-0 in the first on Chris Davis's sacrifice fly. Boston tied it on Podsednik's double play ball in the second. Johnson (3rd of the season) hit a solo shot in the second. Middlebrooks tied it with an RBI double in the third although Youk was easily gunned down at the plate to end the inning on the same play.

Nava (2nd of the season) and Shoppach (2nd of the season) both went deep in the sixth, Shoppach's was a two-run blast. Johnson answered with his second home run, in the sixth, but Podsednik made it 6-4 with a solo homer in the eighth-his first since Sept. 2010 with the Dodgers.

The Orioles threatened in the eighth and pulled a run back on Wilson Betemit's sacrifice fly (that would have been more if not for a great diving catch by Che-Hsuan Lin in right field) but Aceves struck out Johnson to end the frame.

After a much needed day off tomorrow, the Red Sox host the Tampa Bay Rays for three games this weekend then the Detroit Tigers for four games at Fenway Park. Tampa Bay (27-18, 2nd place AL East) has already played Boston six times with the Red Sox going 4-2 so far.

Jon Lester (3-3) faces rookie Alex Cobb (1-0) on Friday night (7:10 p.m., NESN), Josh Beckett (4-4) gets David Price (6-3) on Saturday night (7:15 p.m., FOX) and Clay Buchholz (4-2) opposes Jeremy Hellickson (4-1) on Sunday afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN).

It's Memorial Day weekend in a few days so it's about time that the Red Sox get over the hump and don't look back to their pitiful start to 2012.

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To Nobody's Surprise, Daniel Bard Sure Is A Mediocre Starting Pitcher

When will the Red Sox give up on the Daniel Bard as a starter experiment? It has been clear since day one that he's nothing more than average in this new role and he's maddeningly inconsistent to top it all off.

Boston (18-21, 9-10 away) spotted Philadelphia (21-19, 10-9 home) a 4-0 lead in the first inning and with Cole Hamels (6-1) on the mound, it's no wonder that the Phillies held on for a 6-4 win in the series and interleague opener tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

It was the sixth straight win for the Phillies and Hamels as well who improved to 4-0 against the Red Sox in five career starts.

Hamels went seven innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and a walk. Bard (3-5) lasted five innings, allowing five earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts and five walks.

The Red Sox hit three home runs but unfortunately they were all of the solo variety. The Phillies hit two homers but they also did a better job of hitting with guys on base.

Of course Jonathan Papelbon had to get the easiest save opportunity possible in his first game back against his former club. In pinning down his MLB-leading 12th save of the season, Papelbon faced the murderer's row of Kelly Shoppach, Daniel Nava, Marlon Byrd and Nick Punto. Shoppach singled but Papelbon retired Nava and Byrd before striking out the overmatched Punto (why is he here?) to end it.

There was some controversy in the ninth on Byrd's ground out which seemed to be a bang bang play at first base. He was called out and this caused Bobby Valentine to run out of the dugout and freak out (complete with hopping and the umpire accidentally spitting his gum at him). Bobby received the first ejection of his Red Sox career (that looks destined to be one year or less).

Bard's nightmare first inning included a two-run single by Carlos Ruiz (2 hits, run, stolen base), a sacrifice fly from Ty Wigginton and John Mayberry Jr's RBI double.

Boston chipped away at the 4-0 hole with a solo homer by Mike Aviles (6th of the season) in the third and Nava's sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Hunter Pence (10th of the season) hit a solo home run in the fifth for the Phillies but Cody Ross (2 hits, 2 runs) responded with his own solo blast in the sixth and Adrian Gonzalez broke his month-long homerless drought with a solo home run of his own in the eighth.

Citizens Bank Park is still a Little League Park, aka Wiliamsport, as evidenced by light-hitting Freddy Galvis's (2nd of the season) solo shot in the eighth against Franklin Morales that gave Philly an insurance run.

In addition to the loss, Boston suffered two freak injuries as Jarrod Saltalamacchia was cut on his ear by the baseball when it deflected off Ty Wiggington. Salty had to leave the game in the fifth inning and go to the hospital to check for a concussion. Ross fouled the ball off his foot in the eighth and he had to be replaced. Their status is up in the air for Saturday's game.

Speaking of that contest (7:15 p.m., FOX) Jon Lester (2-3) takes on Joe Blanton (4-3). This is the one pitching matchup in the three-game series that at least on paper favors the Red Sox so they need to find a way to beat Blanton and the Phils.

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Red Sox Win Third Straight Game Vs. Indians To Take The Series

Well it is a bit early to start printing Red Sox 2012 World Series Champions merchandise but the last three days have been a positive development for a team that hasn't done anything right since last September.

Boston (15-19, 7-11 home) won its third straight game over Cleveland (18-16, 10-6 away), concluding the four-game series this afternoon with a 12-1 blowout on Mother's Day at Fenway Park.

A pair of unlikely stars along with a budding star propelled the Red Sox as Jarrod Saltalamacchia (5 RBIs, 3 hits, run), Daniel Nava (3 runs, 3 RBIs, 2 hits) and Will Middlebrooks (3 runs, 2 hits, 2 RBIs) helped beat up former Boston pitcher Justin Masterson (1-3). After he allowed six earned runs in six innings, another former Red Sox-Dan Wheeler-was also tagged for six earned runs (in only one inning).

Daniel Bard (3-4) picked up the win after six routine innings. He allowed one earned run on six hits with two strikeouts and four walks.

Boston made sure it would be a comfortable Sunday as they scored four runs in the first inning. They added one in the third and sixth before icing it with six in the seventh.

Fittingly, it was Middlebrooks (RBI single), Nava (RBI double) and Saltalamacchia (two-run single) that got it done in the first.

The Indians scored their only run in the third on a bases loaded walk by Asdrubal Cabrera. Michael Brantley (3 hits, 2 doubles) was the only Indians hitter to have a good game in this forgettable contest for the AL Central leaders.

Middlebrooks (4th of the season) hit a solo homer to left in the third and Salty had an RBI single in the sixth. David Ortiz (2 runs) started the hit parade in the seventh with an RBI single, Nava had a two-run double and Salty (5th of the season) crushed a three-run bomb to center.

In a weird twist, Boston doesn't get an off day (this is the middle of the 20 games in 20 days stretch) and Seattle (16-20) comes to Fenway for two games. The good news is that the Red Sox avoid Felix Hernandez but Mr. 18 off days himself-Josh Beckett-starts on Tuesday. Jon Lester (1-3) faces Jason Vargas (4-2) tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) and Beckett (2-4) opposes Blake Beavan (1-3) on Tuesday afternoon (4:05 p.m., NESN). The only explanation I have for the strange 4:05 start is that it's a getaway day with the Red Sox leaving after the game for an eight-game road trip.

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Red Sox Can't Protect 2-Run Lead In 8th, Fall To Hapless Royals

You have to hand it to the Red Sox: their ill-fated sense of timing these days is impeccable.

Right after millions of viewers had no doubt turned over from the Celtics' 1-point loss to the Hawks, Matt Albers served up a three-run homer to left field by Billy Butler (6th of the season) in the eighth inning only minutes later. Suddenly, Boston's (12-17, 8-7 away) 4-2 lead was erased and it was no surprise when they went down in order in the ninth as Kansas City (10-19, 3-13 home) emerged victorious 6-4 at Kauffman Stadium.

Boston has lost six of its last seven games, including two in extra innings.

Butler's swing was easily the most important play of the game. Red Sox starter Daniel Bard (2-4) went seven innings but he was charged with five earned runs on six hits with a strikeout and four walks.

Albers' gaffe meant that Royals starter Danny Duffy was off the hook. Duffy was terrible, lasting only 4.1 innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits with a strikeout and five walks.

Boston scored twice in the second inning but it should have been a scary omen that Will Middlebrooks left in that frame with tightness in his left hamstring (the same thing that caused him to be scratched from Saturday's lineup). He had doubled, joining Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter as the only players since 1920 to have extra base hits in their first five MLB games. Kelly Shoppach had scored him with an RBI single while Dustin Pedroia (2 runs) walked with the bases loaded.

Bard had trouble with his command in the second as he was called for two balks. Eric Hosmer scored on one of them then Chris Getz and Humberto Quintero added RBI singles.

Pedroia tied it with an RBI single in the fourth and Adrian Gonzalez (2 for 3 with a double on his 30th birthday) temporarily put the Red Sox ahead 4-3 in the fifth on a throwing error by Getz.

Kelvin Herrera (who throws 100 mph) got five clean outs including two strikeouts, Jose Mijares (2-1) pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth with three strikeouts and Broxton (the former Dodgers closer) picked up his sixth save of the season on eight pitches.

Jon Lester (1-2) faces the legend Bruce Chen (0-4) in tomorrow night's series finale (8:10 p.m., NESN). I'm not going to make any bold statements about what it means if the Red Sox lose because it will probably happen anyway. What a worthless squad.

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Oakland Spoils Will Middlebrooks's Debut, Take The Series (2-1) At Fenway

For the second straight night, the Red Sox were able to threaten in the ninth against the A's but once again, Oakland was able to shut the door as Brian Fuentes (1st save of the season; somehow the 200th of his career) induced Adrian Gonzalez (0 for his last 17, including striking out with the bases loaded to end the 7th) to ground out with Dustin Pedroia on third base. A's won 4-2 at misty Fenway Park.

Oakland (13-13, 7-6 away) also took the series (2-1) as Boston (11-13, 4-7 home) has struggled to find consistency at home. What's more, after reaching .500 twice in the past week, they have still yet to get over it.

After scoring 11 runs in its lone win on Monday, the Red Sox were held to five over the last two nights as Oakland starting pitchers held them in check. This evening it was Brandon McCarthy's turn. Most notable for being one of MLB's only interesting tweeters, McCarthy (2-3) also proved that he has some game to match his Twitter wizardry. In 6.2 innings, he allowed one earned run on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

Ryan Cook was the unsung hero for the A's since he was able to bridge the game from McCarthy to Fuentes. Cook allowed a hit and walk but no runs and he struck out three.

For the Red Sox, this loss is only notable since super prospect Will Middlebrooks made his MLB debut, batting eighth and playing third base. I would say it was a success since he went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and stolen base. If he can play well while Kevin Youkilis is on the DL, it will make Boston's decision much tougher about what to do with him.

Boston has lost seven of its last eight games at "Friendly" Fenway and last night, their fate was sealed by a pitiful 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 on base.

Daniel Bard (2-3) was not able to take advantage of the American League's worst offensive team. He lasted 5.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits with a strikeout and two walks. The only reason Boston hung in this and at least made it interesting in the ninth is because of the superb work of Clayton Mortensen. Who? After Matt Albers got the last two outs of the sixth, Mortensen (traded for Marco Scutaro) made quite the Red Sox debut as he tossed three scoreless innings. What makes it even crazier is that he struck out six with only one walk and one hit. Who knows if he can ever do something like that again but at least he showed promise.

Oakland took a 4-0 lead with a run in the fourth and three in the sixth. Seth Smith (2 hits, 2 RBIs) had an RBI single in the fourth then an RBI double in the sixth. Kila Ka'aihue and Brandon Inge, the AL West's version of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, followed with RBI doubles of their own as Bobby V left his starter in for too long as usual.

Marlon Byrd finally put a run on the board for Boston with a sacrifice fly in the seventh that plated Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Dustin Pedroia's double in the ninth against Fuentes scored Mike Aviles. David Ortiz added two doubles in the loss.

The Orioles (16-9, 2nd in the AL East) are off to an awesome start this season, especially for them. We'll get a chance to see if there's anything to it with Baltimore coming to Fenway for three games this weekend. Both teams are off tomorrow and then Wei-Yin Chen (2-0) faces Jon Lester (1-2) on Friday night (7:10 p.m., NESN). After playing way too many night games in April, the Red Sox get a pair of afternoon games: Saturday (1:10 p.m., NESN) Aaron Cook makes his Red Sox debut against Tommy Hunter (2-1) before Clay Buchholz (3-1) gets Jason Hammel (3-1) on Sunday (1:35 p.m., NESN).

After a couple crappy nights, both weather and results-wise, the Red Sox and its fans deserve some rest. Let's all enjoy the off-day.

UPDATE 5/3: Jose Iglesias was sent down to Pawtucket, making room for Aaron Cook on the roster ahead of his start on Saturday afternoon. Also, Carl Crawford was moved to the 60-day DL.

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Red Sox Continue To Feast On The AL Central

In this soft as puppy poo portion of their schedule, the Boston Red Sox are taking advantage of bad pitchers and mediocre teams.

The Red Sox (9-10, 6-5 away) won their fifth straight game, 10-3 tonight against the White Sox (10-10, 3-6 home) at U.S. Cellular Field.

Darnell McDonald (2 hits, 2 runs) knocked in a career-high four RBIs, Daniel Bard (2-2) picked up his first career win as a starting pitcher and David Ortiz (2 hits, 2 runs) shows no signs of slowing down as he slugged a two-run bomb.

On a frigid night (39 degrees) in the Windy City, Bard lasted seven innings: throwing 96 pitches, 63 for strikes. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits with six strikeouts and a walk. This was a fine start and quells talk of moving him back to the bullpen until his next outing and/or the next bullpen implosion.

John Danks (2-3) tried to be a hero in short sleeves and he was no match for Boston's deep lineup. In 5.2 innings, the lefty allowed seven earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and four walks.

Many of the Red Sox wore ski masks aka head condoms but it didn't seem to affect them at the plate since they still managed to pile up 13 hits.

The White Sox showed a brief pulse in the beginning of the game as A.J. Pierzynski had an RBI double in the first. Ortiz (4th of the season) crushed his two-run homer to right in the second but Chicago added a run in the third on a passed ball and ageless Paul Konerko (5th of the season) had a solo home run to left in the fifth to make it 3-2.

The roof caved in on Danks quickly in the sixth as he coughed up five runs in the blink of an eye. Cody Ross (2 hits, 2 RBIs) began the rally with an RBI single then McDonald cleared the bases with a three-run double. Marlon Byrd (2 hits) added an RBI single.

Ross and Kelly Shoppach produced RBI singles in the seventh and finally, McDonald (1st of the season) hit a solo home run to center in the ninth.

Jon Lester (0-2) looks for his first win of the season tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) against Jake Peavy (3-0), who's off to a surprisingly great start. Lester has not been himself in his last few starts so maybe he can put it all together, that would be nice. Boston desperately needs an ace or something resembling a No. 1 or 2 starter. Peavy has been impressive but this is the same guy who looked washed up the last few seasons. Let's see if he can hold down this red-hot lineup.

Boston will also try to reach the .500 mark for the first time this season. Haha high stakes!

Earlier in the day, the Red Sox sent lefty reliever Justin Thomas down to Pawtucket while they recalled lefty Rich Hill. Hopefully the local guy (Milton, MA) can regain the form he showed last season before he got injured. Boston desperately needs another left-handed reliever not named Franklin Morales to match up with all the good lefties in the AL (Cano, Hamilton, Teixeira, Pena). Thomas was clearly in over his head, at least for now he can't hang that this level.

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Red Sox Snap A 5-Game Losing Streak With Come-From-Behind Win In Minnesota

Well for one night at least, we don't have to bitch and complain about the Red Sox. Joy!

Boston (5-10, 2-5 away) began a seven-game road trip by winning 6-5 tonight against Minnesota (5-12, 2-5 home) at Target Field.

Cody Ross (3 RBIs) slugged two home runs, Daniel Bard (1-2) was successful in his first appearance out of the bullpen (2 key outs) and Alfredo Aceves nailed down his third save of the season to help the Red Sox snap an ugly five-game losing streak.

Jon Lester had his second straight bad start in a row although this one was nothing compared to the disaster against the Rangers last week. He was up 3-0 and cruising in the fourth when Ryan Doumit (2 hits) hit a two-run double to left then the immortal Danny Valenica (1st of the season) cranked a two-run bomb to left center.

Lester was up to 105 pitches entering the seventh so I had no idea why he was still in when it was tied 5-5 but the head-scratching move turned out fine. He got a 1-2-3 frame and his outing was complete with seven full innings of five earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and four walks.

In the first, Adrian Gonzalez gave Boston a 1-0 lead with his third sacrifice fly of the season, driving in Mike Aviles. In the third, Jarrod Saltlamacchia (2 runs, 2 hits) reached down and golfed a two-run shot (his 2nd of the season) to left off Jason Marquis.

The Twins scored their other run in the fifth when Jamey Carroll grounded into a double play. That ended up being a turning point since Minnesota had runners on first and third with no outs. The best part of Lester's uneven performance was that he forced three double plays.

It was only a matter of time before the Red Sox found a way to score some more runs against Marquis (6.1 innings, 5 earned runs, 11 hits, 3 strikeouts), a journeyman starting pitcher. It turned out that Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire-one of the best in MLB-gave them an assist by leaving him in too long. He served up a two-run homer by Ross into the upper deck in left in the seventh which tied it at five.

After Carroll's single turned into a triple on a throwing error by Ryan Sweeney (2 hits), Franklin Morales retired Joe Mauer (2 hits) for the first out of the eighth. That's when Bard was summoned. No pressure. He responded by getting Josh Willingham to line out. Justin Morneau was intentionally walked (great decision) and he was able to get Doumit to pop out to end the threat.

Ross added a solo shot, his fifth of the season, in the ninth against Twins closer Matt Capps (0-1), in a non-save situation. Ross is a dead pull hitter but he hit that the opposite way, over the right field fence.

Some Red Sox writers thought Bard would start the ninth but Bobby Valentine stuck with his embattled closer. It paid off as Aceves worked around a single for the save. There was one dicey moment as Trevor Plouffe's fly ball appeared to have the distance to get out off the bat but thankfully it died on the warning track.

Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz also had two hits each for the Red Sox.

Boston will look to get another winning streak started tomorrow night as Josh Beckett (1-2) faces Nick Blackburn (0-1) at 8:10 p.m. on NESN.

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Red Sox-Yankees Series Finale Rained Out, Daniel Bard Headed Back To The Bullpen

As expected, tonight's Red Sox-Yankees game (slated to be Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN) was cancelled this afternoon since it has poured all day in Boston. No word on when the game will be made up later in the season.

Frankly, this is the best thing that could happen to the Red Sox, who've dropped five in a row. They avoid another loss to the Yankees and more importantly, they can get out of Fenway Park and away from all the (deserved) negativity. They head to the Midwest for three games against the Minnesota Twins (5-11) then four games next weekend in Chicago against the White Sox (9-6).

The other big piece of news is that Daniel Bard has been moved back to the bullpen. The Red Sox say it's only temporary but come on, give me a break. How many times do guys get bounced back and forth between the rotation and bullpen during the regular season? Although, I wouldn't put it past Bobby Valentine to do something stupid like that. Putting Bard back in his normal role: setup man or even closer should help the bullpen immensely.

It will give them someone else that Valentine can count on whereas now there is almost nobody that is reliable. I never understood why Boston's front office wanted Bard to be in the rotation as a fourth or fifth starter. That seems counterproductive since I feel like an elite setup man or closer is much more valuable. Have they learned nothing from the Yankees' mismanagement of Joba Chamberlain?

No word on how they'll fill Bard's spot in the rotation, for now with the rainout today, they're simply skipping him. Look for Aaron Cook to be called up from Pawtucket next week at some point, that's my best guess. He's been pitching well there so far.

At Target Field, Jon Lester (0-2) tries for his first win of the season tomorrow night (8:10 p.m., NESN) against Minnesota's Jason Marquis (1-0). Josh Beckett (1-2) faces Nick Blackburn (0-1) on Tuesday night and Clay Buchholz (1-1) gets rookie Liam Hendriks (0-0) on Wednesday night.

One other roster move: the Red Sox have put Jason Repko on the DL with a shoulder injury and called up Lars Anderson from the PawSox. With Adrian Gonzalez in front of him, Anderson will always be a backup first basemen so I guess he's been playing in the outfield for Pawtucket. If nothing else, Anderson gives Bobby V some more depth on the bench in terms of pinch-hitting for the next few weeks.

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Bobby Valentine Will Take Out Daniel Bard When He Damn Well Pleases

The Boston Red Sox won three out of four this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a nice first series at Fenway Park this season but you got the feeling this afternoon that they could have had more.

The Rays (5-5, 2-5 away) avoided the sweep with a tight 1-0 win against the Red Sox (4-6, 3-1 home) on Patriot's Day.

It was the first game since May 1, 2009 (Dodgers-Padres) when the lone run was scored on a bases-loaded walk (thanks ESPN Stats and Info). Daniel Bard (0-2) was clearly on the ropes, over 100 pitches and having walked two guys sandwiched around a single to load the bases in the seventh. For some stupid reason, Bobby Valentine thought that his converted reliever should face another batter and as it turned out, that's why they lost. Bard walked Evan Longoria, scoring Sean Rodriguez with the winning run.

Bard's final line was 6.2 innings, allowing one run (earned) on four hits with seven strikeouts and seven walks. Justin Thomas deserves props for getting Luke Scott to fly out to end the seventh with the bases loaded. He also threw a scoreless eighth.

James Shields (2-0) continued to show why he's one of MLB's best pitchers, even though he gets zero hype or attention (probably a product of playing in Tampa Bay). He went 8.1 innings, allowing four hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Desmond Jennings led the Rays with two hits (double), a stolen base and a walk.

Mr. Tilted Brim aka Fernando Rodney recorded his fourth save of the season by getting the last two outs. He survived a walk and he was able to strike out Cody Ross (2 hits) to end it. It would have been nice to see Ross swing the bat in that situation but all three called strikes in his at bat weren't even borderline, they were balls. I don't blame him at all for freaking out at umpire Larry Vanover after it was over.

The schedule doesn't ease up at all this week for the Red Sox as the Rangers and Yankees both come to Fenway. The two-time defending AL Champions from Texas are here for two, starting tomorrow night with Colby Lewis taking on Jon Lester. Can Boston please score a few more runs for Lester and get him a win? Is that too much to ask?

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Red Sox & Bard Flop In His First MLB Start

I'll concede that I didn't watch every pitch-since the Celtics-Heat game was way more entertaining-but from what I saw, Daniel Bard's first MLB start was nothing special.

Toronto (3-2) bounced back from a loss last night at Rogers Centre to pick up a 7-3 win over the Red Sox (1-4) this evening. It wasn't even that close either since Boston tacked on two meaningless runs in the ninth when it was 7-1.

Bard (0-1) went 5+ innings, allowing five runs (all earned) on eight hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Most of the suckup Red Sox beat reporters were raving about his pitches on Twitter during the game but it's the regular season, not March. I want results.

Blue Jays starter Kyle Drabek (1-0) was better and he earned the win. He went 5.1 innings, allowing one run (earned) on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

The best thing you can say about Bard's outing was that he wasn't hit hard, rather Toronto found a bunch of holes with well-placed hits that lacked much pop.

Edwin Encarnacion's infield single that plated Yunel Escobar (2 runs, 2 hits) gave Toronto a 1-0 lead in the first. The Blue Jays added two more runs in the third on Adam Lind's (2 hits) RBI single and Brett Lawrie's (2 hits) RBI single.

Besides the better pitching, the difference in the game was runners in scoring position: Boston was 2 for 12 while Toronto was 5 for 10 in that position.

Adrian Gonzalez finally got the Red Sox on the board with a sacrifice fly in the sixth that scored Jacoby Ellsbury (2 runs, 2 walks).

The Blue Jays put it away with three more runs in the sixth, on J.P. Arencebia's two-run single and a sacrifice fly by Colby Rasmus. Encarnacion greeted reliever Michael Bowden-who still sucks-with a solo homer in the seventh.

Boston has already proven in this very small sample size (five games) that their lineup never gives up, the opposite of last September. Gonzalez drove in Nick Punto and Ellsbury with an RBI double in the ninth. Dustin Pedroia (3 hits) and Gonzalez were stranded on base as David Ortiz struck out looking to end it.

Don't look now but the Red Sox would do themselves a big favor by taking the series finale tomorrow afternoon. Nevermind that they typically own Ricky Romero (4-6 in 13 career starts, 7.12 ERA, .328 OBA) but they simply cannot return to Boston 1-5 this weekend with Josh Beckett starting the home opener and four games against the Rays. That would be a recipe for disaster.

It's up to Jon Lester to pitch another gem, for a tired bullpen, and for the lineup to help him more than it did on Opening Day against Detroit.

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Scutaro Shipped To Rockies; Bard Avoids Arbitration

What is it with the Boston Red Sox and shortstops? Since they traded franchise icon Nomar Garciaparra in 2004 (which turned out well), the formerly coveted position has turned into a revolving door of mostly middling players.

Tonight, the Red Sox traded Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies for pitcher Clayton Mortensen. The righty is 26 and a former first-round sandwich pick in 2007 by the Cardinals. He was traded to Oakland in the Matt Holliday deal and then traded to Colorado last winter for a minor leaguer.

This will be Mortensen's fourth MLB franchise. He put up decent numbers last season: 2-4 with 3.86 ERA in 16 games (6 starts) but from the looks of this move, it was all about dumping salary.

Boston picked up Scutaro's $6 million option earlier this winter so needless to say, it was odd to see him get traded soon after that. Even worse, all that the Red Sox have left at shortstop for 2012 are the dynamic scrub duo of Mike Aviles and Nick Punto. Don't tell me that Jose Iglesias will be the starter since he can't hit enough to play full-time in MLB.

The one positive aspect of this move is that it frees up money to pursue Roy Oswalt, who they desperately need. ESPNBoston also mentioned Cody Ross, a rumor that I hadn't heard before reading that tidbit. He's OK and he would help if Carl Crawford misses time (after wrist surgery) but I'm much more interested in Oswalt just because he has way more potential to help.

No matter how you spin it, the Red Sox seem destined for another third-place finish in the AL East again (for the third year in a row) behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. While those teams have improved themselves (NY) or kept its core intact (TB), the Red Sox have plugged holes (closer, set-up) but not improved their biggest issues (chemistry, starting pitching). Plus, they added the most self-absorbed and arrogant manager in MLB.

I'm not jumping off the bandwagon, I'll always root for the Red Sox but over the past few seasons, they've made it very hard to like them. Ownership is driven just by making money and not winning games, what should really matter. Likewise, many of their players over the last few years have been obsessed with personal statistics. how much they're getting paid and other inconsequential things. In other words, the Red Sox are now No. 4 in my top four (Bruins, Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox) rankings of local professional teams. It will take so much to change that any time soon.

In other Red Sox news today, the team reached a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for 2012 with Daniel Bard. They avoided arbitration with the reliever who will try to become a starter in spring training. Now only Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Bailey and David Ortiz are left to sign before February 1, the deadline for when the Red Sox are forced to go to a hearing with any of those guys if they haven't reached an agreement yet.

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Red Sox Trade Jed Lowrie & Kyle Weiland, For Astros Closer Mark Melancon

Another day and another interesting move by the Boston Red Sox.

Today, they traded spare parts with infielder Jed Lowrie and pitcher Kyle Weiland to the Houston Astros for closer Mark Melancon.

I'm a big fan of the move, assuming that Melancon will be the setup guy for either Andrew Bailey (A's) or Ryan Madson (free agent, of the Phillies). I'll grant you that predicting who will be a successful closer or not is basically impossible but Boston can't pin its hopes on a guy who is coming from the NL Central to the AL East.

This also means that Daniel Bard will be in the rotation (please no); as far as I'm concerned, Melancon should not be construed as Jonathan Papelbon's replacement.

Houston was the worst team in MLB last season with 56 wins and Melancon went 20 for 25 in save chances with three holds during his first year as a closer. He's 26 and he had a 2.78 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 66 strikeouts, 26 walks in 74 1/3 innings.

He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2006 and traded to the Astros in 2010 for Lance Berkman. Best of all, he's very cheap ($421,000), he's not eligible for arbitration until 2014 and he won't be a free agent until 2017.

I'm psyched to say goodbye to Lowrie who is basically J.D. Drew lite, meaning he never met a minor injury he didn't milk for all that it was worth. He hit .252 in four seasons for Boston and never really found a position since he struggled defensively at third base and shortstop. The 309 at bats he had in 2011 were a career-high which tells you all you need to know. See you later Stanford guy.

It's silly at this point to say one way or another if Weiland will ever amount to much at the MLB level. He went 0-3 with a 7.66 ERA in seven appearances last season for the Red Sox. Maybe with less pressure in Houston and more time to grow, rather than being thrust into vital games right away, the former Notre Dame closer can be productive. Only time will tell on that one.

UPDATE 12/14: For once, Boston wasted no time in finding a replacement but in this case, it was one scrub for another as they signed utility infielder Nick Punto to a two-year, $3 million deal to essentially replace Lowrie.

A member of the 2011 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, Punto is 34-years-old and he's been in MLB for 11 seasons. For his career, he's played more than 250 games at three positions: second base, third base and shortstop.

He played in 63 regular season games for St. Louis and in 133 at bats last season with the Cardinals, he hit .278 with a .388 OBP and .421 SLG. Known mostly for his versatility and glove work, he also appeared in 15 playoff games so he earned his ring.

Punto's career began in Philly in 2001 before he went to Minnesota in 2003. The Twins are where he made his career, he spent seven seasons there before moving to St. Louis last offseason. Among active players with 2500 at bats, Punto has the second lowest slugging percentage (.327) which is only better than Cesar Izturis (.322).

He's dependable and tough (Lowrie's two biggest weaknesses) so there is little doubt that Red Sox fans will quickly fall in love with his style.

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Hey, Andrew Miller Is Coming Back!

This is to tide us over until David Ortiz accepts arbitration tonight or tomorrow and the Boston Red Sox hopefully trade for Oakland closer Andrew Bailey. Today, the Sox signed left-handed pitcher Andrew Miller to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract for the 2012 season.

The team avoided salary arbitration with Miller and who knows, in Spring Training he might get a chance to earn a spot in the back of the rotation. Miller's contract is worth $1.04 million. He would receive an additional $50,000 if he makes 20 starts and another $50,000 if he makes 25 starts.

Before you get too excited, let's remember how much of a project the former first-round pick appeared to be last season.

Miller appeared in 17 games with the Red Sox in 2011, including 12 starts, and went 6-3 with a 5.54 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 65 innings. The left-hander allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his 12 starts and Boston was 9-3 in those outings. However, Miller's production fell off a cliff late in the season. His ERA in the 7-20 September was 11.70, the highest for a Sox pitcher with at least 10 innings pitched in the post-World War II era.

Miller was signed by the Red Sox as a minor league free agent prior to the 2011 campaign, he also pitched in 17 games (12 starts) with Triple-A Pawtucket last season, going 3-3 with a 2.47 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings, holding opponents to a .181 batting average (42-for-232).

He's cheap which is good but other than that, who's to say if he'll ever truly pan out. Miller throws hard but he really struggles with his control. When it looked like he might have turned the corner in the AL East in August, he had a nightmare of a September, along with the rest of his mostly loser teammates.

Daniel Bard, Miller's teammate at the University of North Carolina as well, said that he would welcome a spot in the rotation but I beg the Red Sox to think twice about that. They still need a closer, they don't need to start looking for a setup man too. Unless you're a No. 1 or 2 starter-which Bard wouldn't be on this team-there is no need to switch up a guy's role.

Some more ugly numbers for Miller: his 1.82 WHIP was the second-worst in the AL for pitchers with over 60 innings (Mitch Talbot, 1.85). Miller has been with three MLB teams in six seasons and the former first-round's pick has a career ERA of 5.79.

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Beckett Returns To Glory, Ditto For Bard As Red Sox Finally Beat The Rays

It seems silly to call a game for a team that leads the American League Wild Card by three games with 13 remaining a must-win but I think that's exactly how any objective Boston Red Sox fan viewed tonight's game vs. the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.

Josh Beckett (13-5) returned after last pitching on September 5 and while he wasn't his usual lights out self against Tampa Bay (83-67), he still did enough to make sure the Red Sox (87-63) won 4-3 in a playoff-like atmosphere (cool temperatures and a crowd that for once was into it from the start).

This was seen as such an important game since the Rays had won six straight against Boston, plus if they swept this weekend series they would be tied with the Red Sox. This win for Boston means that at worst they'll say bye to their AL East foes with a two-game lead with 10 games left in the regular season.

Beckett lasted six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. It's hard to gauge which is more vital to the cause long-term but Daniel Bard also returned to his dominant self after a recent particularly rough stretch. He worked around a walk in the eighth and struck out the side with some overpowering fastballs and sliders (plus a changeup which he never throws).

Alfredo Aceves had been the bridge to Bard with a scoreless seventh (two walks, two strikeouts) and Jonathan Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth (12 of 13 pitches for strikes) as he picked up his 30th save of the season. It had almost been a month since his last save opportunity (August 18) and he made this one count as he became the first closer with 30+ saves in the first six seasons of his career.

James Shields (15-11) was off his game for the Rays. He went seven innings but he was tagged for four earned runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Evan Longoria (3 RBIs, 2 hits, 2 walks) hit a two-run homer in the top of the first to give Tampa Bay an early 2-0 advantage.

Boston responded immediately in the bottom of the first as Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, 2 runs, stolen base) knocked in Jacoby Ellsbury with an RBI single and David Ortiz (2 hits, 2 RBIs) likewise drove in Pedroia with an RBI single.

Longoria put the Rays ahead once again with an RBI single in the third, driving in Desmond Jennings (3 hits, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases, walk).

Ortiz tied it in the home half of the third with an RBI double that plated Pedroia.

The go-ahead run was provided by Mike Aviles, who drilled a solo homer (his sixth of the season; first with Boston) off the Sports Authority sign in the fourth.

Jon Lester opposes Jeff Niemann tomorrow afternoon in another juicy pitching matchup. For one night at least, the Red Sox' woes were forgotten as they gained ground on the Rays and the Yankees (3.5 games ahead in the AL East) who lost in Toronto. After completely failing at the Trop last weekend, expect Lester to bounce back and pitch much better this time around.

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What Has Become Of Daniel Bard?

Sometimes baseball and in turn life doesn't make any sense.

On a day when John Lackey actually pitched decently-one of his best outings of the season mind you-ace setup man Daniel Bard failed to protect a lead once again as the Boston Red Sox lost 5-4 to the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park in an afternoon matinee.

They dodged a bullet as the Tampa Bay Rays lost 6-2 to the Baltimore Orioles tonight at Camden Yards, meaning that Boston remains four games ahead of Tampa Bay in the AL Wild Card race.

Bard (2-8; most losses of any reliever in MLB) has had a disastrous week with three terrible appearances in a row. That is nothing but bad news for the Red Sox (86-62) who count perhaps way too much on him. With an already taxed bullpen (since the rotation is a mess), Terry Francona has little choice but to hope Bard somehow finds his control again and works out of his funk.

Summoned to protect a 4-2 lead in the top of the eighth, Bard allowed three runs (two earned) on a hit with two walks. It was his fifth blown save of the season. Jonathan Papelbon looked great in the ninth (in a non-save situation), going 1-2-3 with two strikeouts. It's time for him to do something that Francona avoids at all costs: go for saves that are longer than an inning.

The goodwill from Tim Wakefield's 200th win seemed to carry over to the series finale as Lackey pitched into the sixth and even left with a lead (3-2). He went 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with a walk and four strikeouts. He is the punching bag of New England and I've already made countless negative jokes and comments about him this season but he didn't deserve that today.

Blue Jays (75-74) ace Ricky Romero (15-10) beat Boston for the second time in a week, a huge accomplishment for a guy that normally gets rocked Lackey-style (there it goes) when he takes the mound against them. Thanks to a low pitch count, he lasted eight innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

Toronto closer Frank Francisco also normally struggles against the Red Sox but he put his career numbers aside today with a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his 15th save of the season.

The Blue Jays grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first on RBI singles by Edwin Encarnacion (2 hits) and Kelly Johnson.

Boston tied it in the second with ground outs from Ryan Lavarnway and Jason Varitek.

Marco Scutaro's sacrifice fly in the third (scoring Jacoby Ellsbury who extended his hit streak to 18 games with a triple) and Adrian Gonzalez's solo shot in the sixth (his 26th of the season; first at Fenway since July 7) gave the Red Sox a 4-2 lead. That's when everything quickly fell apart (a common theme lately with Boston).

First, Gonzalez left in the seventh with tightness in his left calf. Two walks and an error on Bard to start the eighth gave Toronto the bases loaded with no outs. J.P. Arencibia's ground out scored Encarnacion to cut it to 4-3 and then Adam Loewen delivered the key hit of the game: a two-run single.

There are 14 games left in the season and Tampa Bay comes to town tomorrow night for the start of a four-game series. The pitching matchups are Kyle Weiland vs. Jeremy Hellickson on Thursday night, Josh Beckett vs. James Shields on Friday night, Jon Lester vs. Jeff Niemann on Saturday afternoon and Tim Wakefield vs. David Price on Sunday afternoon.

As a Red Sox fan, do you feel confident about any of those? Beckett is making his first start in over a week after spraining his ankle and the Rays knocked Lester around last weekend at the Trop. The only solace is that they'll still be ahead when Tampa Bay leaves, barring a sweep at home and they won't see them again this year.

The good news is that eight of the last 14 games are at home and even better, seven of them are against the O's. If the Red Sox can't hang on to a four-game lead with 14 remaining then they have nobody to blame but themselves and they wouldn't go anywhere in the playoffs anyway. The next two weeks should be a real test of this possibly great team's character.

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This Shit Is Starting To Get Real

If you're a Red Sox fan, you're more than used to August swoons and September slides, but all of that past history can't prepare you for what's going down now: another possibly monumental collapse.

Boston (85-60) lost its fourth straight, 6-5 to Tampa Bay (80-64) in 11 innings tonight at Tropicana Field. The Rays have climbed within 4.5 games of the wild card lead (5 head-to-head matchups left).

About the only glass half full thing I can muster is that the Yankees are in a similar downward spiral, losing four straight as well and dealing with countless injuries of their own. The bad part is that New York is ahead of Boston by 2.5 games.

After Jonathan Papelbon was excellent, throwing the very rare two innings of relief (no hits, 14 of 16 pitches were strikes), Daniel Bard (2-7) came on and had his second straight meltdown. He gave a lead-off triple to Desmond Jennings (2 hits, 2 runs), got B.J. Upton to ground out but then Evan Longoria (2 hits, 2 RBIs, 2 walks) hit a walk-off single.

In a market filled with so many clown Red Sox writers, it's hard to tell sometimes when to panic since some are known to constantly fan the flames (cough, Shaughnessy) but this has gotten serious my friends. Boston's starting rotation is a shell of itself, meaning the bullpen is taxed and the lineup isn't what it used to be with Youk out and Pedroia not himself.

The Sox actually rallied in the ninth from down 5-3 as Jarrod Saltalamacchia (16th of the season) and Jacoby Ellsbury (26th of the season) hit back-to-back homers off Rays closer (and former Yankees scrub) Kyle Farnsworth; the eighth time the team has done that this season.

It didn't look good early for Boston as rookie Kyle Weiland (making his third MLB start) loaded the bases with no outs in the first. He somehow escaped and just allowed one run in that frame on a ground out. He lasted four innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with three walks and a strikeout.

His short outing meant that Alfredo Aceves had to come in earlier than usual. He wasn't as good as he usually is but you can't complain about four innings, two earned runs, three hits, one walk and three strikeouts. With those type of numbers, he could be the number two starter at the moment. Sadly, that is kind of true.

Rays rookie Jeremy Hellickson bolstered his case for AL Rookie of the Year with a quality start: six innings, three earned runs, five hits, three walks and two strikeouts.

Boston tied it in the second on Jed Lowrie's ground out but Tampa Bay added a run in the second (on Jennings' ground out) and in the third on Casey Kotchman's (2 hits, 2 RBIs) sacrifice fly.

Adrian Gonzalez tied it at three with his 25th homer of the season, a two-run shot. Ellsbury's single earlier in the inning increased his latest hit streak to 15 games.

Kotchman took Aceves deep in the fifth and Longoria had a sacrifice fly in the sixth to make it 5-3 in favor of Tampa Bay.

An interesting side note to the game is that the winning reliever for the Rays was none other than Brandon Gomes (2-1) who is a Fall River, Mass native and Tulane graduate. He got the last four outs for what I'm going to assume was his most memorable MLB win.

Jon Lester vs. James Shields is the juicy pitching matchup tomorrow afternoon in the series finale. Unfortunately, the ratings should be terrible since tomorrow is the first Sunday of the 2011 NFL regular season. I'll be checking my phone, Twitter and the gamecast while also peeking at the game between commercials or when I need a break from the Red Zone.

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