Things The Red Sox Don't Like This Season: Sweeping Other Teams & Being At .500 or Better

Listen, coming into the weekend I thought there was no chance that the Red Sox would sweep the A's-the AL's best team-at Fenway Park. However, after Boston (15-17 overall, 8-11 home) won on Friday and Saturday, I was hoping that they could beat Oakland (19-12 overall, 13-6 away) on Sunday for two simple reasons: 1) It would be the first sweep of the season in Boston's favor and 2) they would finally reach the elusive .500 mark (they were 0-7 coming into Sunday afternoon in games where they could get to .500). Naturally, the A's won 3-2 in 10 innings to salvage something from the three games.

Sonny Gray (6 innings, 2 earned runs, 6 hits, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks) and John Lackey (6 innings, 2 earned runs, 5 hits, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks) were both good while each offense conversely couldn't get much going. Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the first on former Red Sox great Brandon Moss' (2 for 4, double) RBI single. Grady Sizemore (2 for 2) tied it with an RBI double in the fifth.

Once again, the A's pulled ahead with an RBI double by Yoenis Cespedes in the sixth. A.J. Pierzynski answered with a solo homer, his third of the season and first at Fenway, in the seventh. Andrew Miller, Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara all pitched scoreless innings before Chris Capuano (1-1) ran into a little trouble in the 10th. Oakland's winning run was pushed across on an infield single by Cespedes. Boston was shut down by former Orioles closer Jim Johnson (3-2) who got the last five outs of the game.

It is a weird schedule for the Red Sox this week since they are off tomorrow then host Cincinnati (15-16 overall, 3rd in NL Central) for two games before another off-day on Thursday. Felix Doubront (1-3) faces Homer Bailey (2-2) on Tuesday (7:10, NESN) and Jake Peavy (1-1) meets Mike Leake (2-3) on Wednesday (7:10, NESN).

For their sake, the not ready for primetime Red Sox better hope that the Bruins keep advancing in the playoffs, the Celtics win the first pick in the NBA Draft and something interesting happens with the Patriots. Otherwise, people will turn their attention to the Red Sox and as they've proven so far, they are not worth keeping close tabs on so far in 2014.

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Red Sox Can't Clinch A Playoff Spot (again) but Indians lose, making Boston's Magic Number one

For the second night in a row, the Red Sox had a chance to clinch a playoff spot (somewhere they haven't been in the last four years) but they couldn't do it as the resilient Orioles (81-70 overall, 39-37 away) outscored Boston (92-61 overall, 50-27 home) 5-3 in 12 innings. Baltimore has won six of their last seven series at Fenway and they are 9-6 against the Red Sox this season, the only MLB team with a winning record against MLB's top squad. Boston lost consecutive games for the first time in over a month (August 15 & 16).

The Royals held up their end of the bargain as they beat the Indians 7-2. That leaves Cleveland half a game outside of the Wild Card race and Baltimore is only one game behind Texas (2nd Wild Card). Boston didn't deserve to win as they grounded into four double plays and left nine runners on base. Enough with this charade, I can't imagine how much champagne is sitting on ice in Boston's locker room.

The Red Sox handed Jake Peavy (7 IP, 3 ER, 6 hits, 8 Ks) a 2-0 lead in the first on David Ortiz's two-run homer, his 28th of the season, but he couldn't hold it. Matt Wieters (run, 2 doubles) and Brian Roberts (2 hits, walk run) each had RBI doubles in the fifth as the O's tied it at two. Wieters added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to give Baltimore a 3-2 lead. That turned out to be short-lived as Mr. September Mike Napoli crushed a solo homer to center, his 23rd of the season to knot it at three.

Baltimore used six pitchers because they need to win every game they can for the remainder of this season. Rookie Kevin Gausman (2 IP, 5 Ks) looks destined to be a star for the O's. Things got wacky (as they usually do) in extra innings: Boston put the lead runner on in the 10th and 11th but they couldn't score. Chris Davis came through with the game's biggest hit, a two-run single that squeaked through the middle of the infield in the twelfth.

Jim Johnson pitched for the second night in a row but that didn't seem to faze him as he had a scoreless 12th inning for his 47th save of the season. Will Middlebrooks was 3-for-6 with a walk, Shane Victorino was 3-for-5 with a run and Dustin Pedroia went 2 for 6 with a double.

The Orioles go for the sweep tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) with their ace Chris Tillman (16-6) opposing John Lackey (9-12).

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Red Sox Will Have To Wait Another Night To Clinch A Playoff Spot, Oh Well

Tonight, the Red Sox had a chance to clinch their first playoff spot since 2009 but they couldn't do it. Boston (92-60 overall, 50-26 home) lost 3-2 to Baltimore (80-70 overall, 38-37 away) at Fenway Park. It also turned out that they needed an Indians loss as well but they won 5-3 at the Royals so I guess it wasn't meant to be after all.

The Red Sox led 2-0 following Dustin Pedroia's lead off homer in the first then a sacrifice fly by Xander Bogaerts in the fourth inning. Orioles starter Scott Feldman was wild (6 walks) but he only allowed the two runs in five innings before giving way to five relievers who combined to put up four shutout innings. Former scrub Tommy Hunter (6-4) got the last two outs in the eighth to earn the win. Baltimore closer Jim Johnson has been very shaky at times this season but he struck out Bogaerts to end it (for his 46th save), stranding pinch-runner Quintin Berry at second base.

I pray that these are the final days of Ryan Dempster in Boston's rotation in 2013 so enjoy the mediocrity while it lasts. He actually pitched well, going six innings and allowing two earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Brian Roberts' grounder scored former Red Sox great Danny Valencia (two walks) in the fifth and Chris Davis tied it with his 51st homer of the season (a new Orioles record), a solo shot to center in the sixth.

Craig Breslow did an incredible job to work out of a jam (runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs) in the eighth without allowing a run. You knew Koji Uehara's (4-1) mind-boggling stretch would end at some point and I'm happy that it occurred in September rather than October. Valencia led off the ninth with a triple against Uehara to end his streak of 37 straight batters retired. Matt Wieters' sacrifice fly meant Uehara allowed his first run since July 7 (30 2/3 innings and 27 scoreless outings ago) and he was charged with his first loss of the season.

Jake Peavy (11-5) and Wei-Yin Chen (7-7) get to do the honors tomorrow night (7:10, NESN). With tonight's victory, Baltimore pulled to within two games of Texas and Tampa Bay for the AL Wild Cards. In other words, this series means plenty to both teams hence why it felt like a playoff game in the opener.

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The Orioles Still Completely Own The Red Sox, For Whatever Reason

Don't get me wrong, I know the Orioles are a good team but I'd be lying if I told you that I can rationally explain why they have dominated the Red Sox the last three seasons (23-8) and are the only opponent with a winning record (4-1) against Boston so far this year. Tonight at Camden Yards, the O's (39-29 overall, 19-14 home) blanked the Red Sox (41-28 overall, 20-14 away) 2-0.

This came on the heels of Baltimore's 5-4 win in 13 innings on Thursday night. Did I mention that the Orioles have pulled within 1.5 games of the Red Sox so if they sweep Boston this weekend, they would take over first place in the AL East? Yikes, that could definitely happen.

Four pitchers combined on the shutout for the Orioles: starter Chris Tillman (7-2) threw six scoreless innings with three strikeouts, Darren O'Day (seventh), Tommy Hunter (eighth) and Jim Johnson (ninth, 24th save) all had 1-2-3 innings, hence why this game finished in a crisp 2:43.

Ryan Dempster (4-7) pitched one of his better games for the Red Sox but it wasn't good enough: 7.2 innings, 2 earned runs, 5 hits, 4 strikeouts and 5 walks. His arm might fall off (he labored through 122 pitches) but he saved Boston's bullpen since Koji Uehara only faced one batter-J.J. Hardy (who he retired on 3 pitches to end the eighth with two men on).

Baltimore had five hits, led by Manny Machado (3 for 5 with 2 doubles). Boston only had three hits as a team, two by Jose Iglesias (who extended his hit streak to 15 games) including a double.

Chris Davis, who has morphed into Miguel Cabrera Jr., hit an opposite field solo homer in the second (his 22nd of the season) and Nate McLouth scored in the third on Adam Jones' infield single.

Before they drop the puck on Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals (8, NBC), John Lackey (3-5) faces Freddy Garcia (3-3) tomorrow afternoon (4:05, NESN) as the Red Sox try to find a way to beat the Orioles.

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Orioles Clinch 1st Playoff Spot Since '97; Red Sox Secure Worst Record Since '66

Two franchises in the AL East are heading in completely different directions. The Orioles (92-67, 47-34 home) clinched their first playoff spot since 1997 with a 6-3 win against the Red Sox (69-90, 35-43 away) this afternoon at Camden Yards and a win by the Rangers over the Angels tonight.

The loss means that Boston (losers of 5 straight and 16 of their last 22) has secured a Top-10 pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, they are also one game behind Toronto for last-place in the AL East with three games remaining.

Baltimore swept the three-game series penultimate series of the regular season and they are still tied atop the AL East with the Yankees. On the other side of the spectrum, Boston locked up its first 90-loss season since 1966, you know 44 years ago. Facts like that really reinforce how this truly has been the worst Red Sox season that many of us have ever witnessed.

Joe Saunders (3-3) went 7.1 innings for the win. He allowed three earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. Darren O'Day got the last two outs in the eighth and closer Jim Johnson had a 1-2-3 ninth on seven pitches (haha) for his MLB-leading 50th save of the season.

Zach Stewart's (1-4) second start for Boston was even more pathetic than the first. The guy that was traded for Kevin Youkilis clearly won't be back next season, or at least I hope not since he obviously blows. In 2.2 innings, he allowed five earned runs on seven hits.

Baltimore scored three runs in the first and two in the second to put it out of reach immediately. Nate McLouth (2 hits, stolen base) had a lead-off homer (his 7th of the season), a run scored on a double play and Jim Thome's RBI single.

J.J. Hardy (2 hits, 2 runs) hit a solo shot (his 22nd of the season) in the third and the ageless Thome added another RBI single.

Cody Ross had a solo homer of his own in the fifth (22nd of the season) and Daniel Nava added a two-run blast in the seventh (his 5th of the season). In between, Chris Davis (31st of the season) hit his third homer in as many days with a solo homer in the sixth.

Our long regional nightmare is almost over, the Red Sox are finally on death row with their execution scheduled for Wednesday night around 10:30 p.m. Before that, they head to the Bronx for three games with the Yankees (92-67, tied 1st place AL East) to close out 2012.

Ryan Lavarnway was 2 for 4 with a double and run while Pedro Ciriaco was 2 for 4 with a double in the loss.

Clay Buchholz (11-7) faces C.C. Sabathia (14-6) tomorrow night (7:05 p.m., NESN), Jon Lester (9-14) takes on Ivan Nova (12-8) on Tuesday night (7:05 p.m., NESN) then Daisuke Matsuzaka puts the finishing touches on Boston's masterpiece as he opposes Hiroki Kuroda (15-11) on Wednesday night (7:05 p.m., NESN).

The two things you can count on if you bother to watch one second of this series: 1) the Red Sox will lie down like the losers they are and 2) the Yankees will get the sweep they desperately want.

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Red Sox Serve As A Small Speed Bump As Orioles Tie Yankees For 1st Place In AL East

Once in a while in MLB, there is a great team that defies explanation. The Orioles are 28-9 in one-run games and 72-0 when leading after seven innings in 2012.

After the O's (91-67, 46-34 home) beat the Red Sox (69-89, 35-42 away) 4-3 tonight at an extremely rare sold-out Camden Yards, Baltimore is tied with New York (who lost 3-2 in Toronto this afternoon) for first place in the AL East with four games remaining.

Two more unlikely stars in a season full of them stepped up tonight for the Orioles as rookie Manny Machado and Chris Davis provided all the offense for a team that seems to be firing on all cylinders headed into October. Machado had an RBI single in the second and Davis hit a two-run homer (his 30th of the season) in the fourth inning for a 3-0 Orioles lead.

Boston tied it on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's two-run homer (his 25th of the season) in the fifth and a sacrifice fly by Cody Ross in the sixth. Machado's solo homer (his 7th of the season) provided the winning run in the seventh.

In his last start of the season, Felix Doubront (11-10) had his typical up and down performance which is how you could describe almost all of his starts in 2012. He went seven innings and struck out 10 which is good. However, he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits including a pair of homers. Hopefully over the off-season, he realizes that strikeouts are overrated and innings/outs are way more important.

Steve Johnson (who?) went five innings for Baltimore, he allowed three earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Tommy Hunter (7-8) threw two scoreless innings of relief for the win and Orioles closer Jim Johnson had a 1-2-3 ninth with a strikeout for his MLB-high 49th save.

Joe Saunders (8-13) gets the ball tomorrow afternoon (1:35 p.m.) as Baltimore wraps up a sweep of the three-game set with Boston. Zach Stewart (1-3) plays the role of sacrificial lamb in his second start for the Red Sox. Godspeed son.

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Out Of Nowhere, The Orioles Are Having Some Kind Of Insane Regular Season

Nobody and I mean nobody expected the Orioles to be .500 in 2012, let alone jockeying with the Yankees for first-place in the AL East and in firm control of a wild card spot. Somehow devoid of a superstar (Adam Jones and Matt Wieters are very good players but not really at that level) or ace pitcher, Baltimore finds itself on the cusp of its first playoff bid since 1997.

Obviously with a team that comes out of nowhere like this, they will possess many insane statistics but my favorite is this: the Orioles (87-64, 45-32 away) won their 16th straight extra innings game this afternoon with a 9-6 win in 12 innings over the Red Sox (68-85, 33-45 home) at Fenway Park.

Boston fell to 0-7 in extra innings games this season at home and 2-9 overall. Baltimore led 6-3 but Boston scored twice in the seventh on a pair of RBI ground outs then tied it on Scott Podsednik's (double, run) RBI double in the eighth.

Once it got to extra innings, you knew the Orioles had this one wrapped up. The only question was who would the heroes be? If you said Jim Thome (RBI double), Endy Chavez (RBI single) and Manny Machado (RBI single; 3 for 6, run) you truly have a special gift.

Baltimore closer Jim Johnson extended his franchise record by tossing a scoreless 12th for his 47th save of the season.

Consider me shocked that Randy Wolf (5 innings, 3 earned runs, 7 hits, 2 strikeouts, 2 walks) and Aaron Cook (5.1 innings, 5 earned runs, 9 hits, 1 strikeout, 2 walks) didn't have the instant classic pitcher's duel that wasn't predicted by anybody in the world.

Adam Jones (2 hits, double, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) had an RBI ground out in first which gave the O's a 1-0 lead. Ryan Lavarnway (2 RBIs) tied it with an RBI single in the home half of the frame. Baltimore tacked on a run in the second on Machado's RBI single then all or nothing slugger Mark Reynolds connected for a solo homer (his 22nd of the season) as Baltimore opened up a 3-1 lead in the fourth.

Danny Valencia tied it with a two-run bomb (his 3rd of the season) in the fourth. Portland Maine's Ryan Flaherty (2 for 4, double, 2 RBIs, 2 walks) had a two-run triple in the sixth and Jones cranked a solo shot in the seventh (his 31st of the season).

Alfredo Aceves (2-10) was charged with all three runs in the 12th so he received yet another loss in what has been a nightmare second half for the mercurial pitcher. I wouldn't put it past him to intentionally tank just to spite Bobby V. He's that batshit crazy.

Baltimore will look for a three-game sweep tomorrow afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN) as Chris Tillman (8-2) faces Felix Doubront (11-9). On an NFL Sunday aka Red Zone to the face time, it would take a large sum of money for me to watch that game let alone take time out of my precious day to attend it.

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Jon Lester's Perfect Record Against The Orioles Had To End At Some Point

Until I was reminded of it earlier today, I had almost forgotten about Jon Lester's absurd career record against the Orioles: 14-0 in 20 starts.

It only made sense that in this abomination of a season that Baltimore (86-64, 44-32 away) would finally put an end to that with a 4-2 win against Boston (68-84, 33-44 home) at Fenway Park.

With the Yankees win against the A's, the Orioles kept pace at only one game behind New York for first-place in the AL East.

Miguel Gonzalez (7-4) did the honors as he went 6.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Reliever Darren O'Day pitched 1.2 clean innings and closer Jim Johnson set a new team record with a scoreless ninth for his 46th save of the season.

Lester's (9-13) terrible campaign is almost over. He went seven innings but allowed four earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and three walks.

Matt Wieters (2 for 4, double, 3 RBIs, run), Adam Jones (2 for 3, double, 2 runs), Mark Reynolds (2 for 4, RBI) and Robert Andino (2 for 2, walk) all had multiple hits for the O's.

Pedro Ciriaco (2 for 4, double, run, RBI), Daniel Nava (2 for 4, double, run) and Scott Podsednik (2 for 4) had two hits apiece for the Red Sox.

Ciriaco's RBI double in third gave Boston a 1-0 lead. Wieters temporarily put Baltimore ahead with a two-run single in the fourth. Dustin Pedroia tied it at two with an RBI single in the fifth. Wieters' RBI double and Reynolds' RBI single in the sixth gave the Orioles the 4-2 advantage that would stick.

I'm pretty sure it is still 2012 but tomorrow afternoon's (1:10 p.m., NESN) pitching matchup is straight out of the National League in like 2006: Aaron Cook (4-10) vs. Randy Wolf (5-10). Be sure not to watch a second of that wretched contest. The weather is supposed to be nice and it's a college football Saturday, what more do you want?

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Red Sox Piss Another Season Down The Drain, Misery Continues In Baltimore

Aaron Cook had a no-hitter entering the sixth inning and the Red Sox led the Orioles 2-0. As quick as you could say, no October baseball at Fenway, Baltimore scored five runs en route to a 5-3 win tonight at Camden Yards.

Boston (57-61, 28-27 away) latest slide all but guarantees that September will be completely meaningless. There is no chance this team will push for a playoff spot, at this point they are going to struggle to finish over .500 and in front of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Baltimore (64-53, 32-28 home) only had six hits but they made them count by going 4 for 13 with runners in scoring position. The Red Sox were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position while they both left six men on base.

The uniquely terrible aspects to this loss for Boston included a throwing error by Cook that led to three runs plus the ejections of Adrian Gonzalez and Bobby Valentine. After Pedro Strop quick pitched Gonzo in the eighth then got him to ground out, the normally church mouse quiet first baseman sort of showed some emotion. Valentine came out to defend him/fire up his worthless team but you can see from the final score how that went.

Cook (3-6) went 5.1 innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on three hits with one strikeout and three walks.

Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez (5-2) went six innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Baltimore's bullpen locked it down, especially Strop who had a 1-2-3 eighth with two strikeouts for his 20th hold and closer Jim Johnson who notched his 35th save with a clean ninth including a strikeout.

Jacoby Ellsbury's (2 hits) RBI double and Carl Crawford's sacrifice fly scored Nick Punto (2 runs) staked the Red Sox to a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning.

The Orioles sixth included an RBI single by Nate McLouth, Adam Jones grounded into a fielder's choice and Cook threw the ball away which allowed J.J. Hardy to score, Matt Wieters had an RBI double and Mark Reyonlds ended it with a two-run double.

All Boston could muster after Baltimore's big sixth inning was an RBI ground out by Crawford in the seventh.

Clay Buchholz (10-3) is all that stands in the way of a three-game sweep by the Orioles tomorrow night (7:05 p.m., NESN) as he takes on Chris Tillman (5-2). The only question is how will the Red Sox find a new and different way to lose?

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Remember The Good Old Days: When The Red Sox Could Beat The Orioles?

It's a very sad state of affairs when the Baltimore Orioles look like a dominant team against you.

After tonight's 2-1 win at Fenway Park, the Orioles (32-24, 18-11 away) improved to 5-0 in Boston this season and 6-2 so far in 2012 vs. the Red Sox (28-28, 13-16). Baltimore has won the first two games of the series and will go for the sweep tomorrow night. Dating back to last season, the O's have beaten the Red Sox 12 of its last 15 games, they're also 7-0 in their last seven games at Fenway (a franchise record). Haha good lord, this is getting absurd.

With the result, Baltimore gained sole possession of first-place again in the American League East while Boston remains in the basement after falling back to the .500 mark with three consecutive losses.

Of course to top it all off, the Red Sox wasted what will probably end up as Josh Beckett's (4-6) best outing of the season. He went eight innings (5th straight start of 7+ innings), allowing two earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Wei-Yin Chen (5-2) lasted one less inning than Beckett but that doesn't matter since the Orioles have one of the top setup man/closer combinations in baseball: Pedro Strop and Jim Johnson. Seriously. Chen allowed one earned run on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks.

Strop worked around two walks in the eighth to record his 11th hold while Johnson had a 1-2-3 ninth including two strikeouts for his 18th save of the season (after blowing the save last night but recovering for the win in the 10th inning).

It was a strange but fast game (2:31) that featured a combined 12 hits but only one of the extra-base variety (an RBI double by Darnell McDonald).

Boston scored its lone run in the third inning when Mike Aviles drove in McDonald with a sacrifice fly. The Red Sox left eight on base and they were just 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

Baltimore's two runs both came in the sixth on Robert Andino's RBI single and a ground out by Endy Chavez that plated Portland, Maine native Ryan Flaherty with what turned out to be the winning run.

Clay Buchholz (5-2) is probably the last Red Sox starting pitcher you'd pick to help avoid a sweep but that will be his difficult task tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) while we sit around and wait for Celtics-Heat Game 6 to start. Brian Matusz (5-5) will get the ball for the Orioles.

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Red Sox Waste Salty's Clutch Homer, Fall 8-6 To Orioles In 10 Innings

To state the obvious: for the Boston Red Sox to go anywhere this season (which I am certainly not counting on), they desperately need Jon Lester to be much more than he's shown so far in 2012.

The Red Sox (28-27, 13-15 home) wasted a clutch, two-out two-run homer by Jarrod Saltalamacchia (3 hits) in the ninth as they fell 8-6 in 10 innings to the Baltimore Orioles (31-24, 17-11 away) tonight at chilly Fenway Park in the series opener.

Lester went six innings but he allowed four runs (two earned) on eight hits with five strikeouts and a walk. By his recently low standards, that was a great outing. It's tough to pin the loss on him, especially since it went into extra innings but it's about time that we started to expect better from the guy that has to be the staff ace.

Orioles starter Jason Hammel only lasted five innings because his pitch count ballooned to 107. He allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.

It came down to a battle of the bullpens, specifically the closers. Both Jim Johnson (1-0; 1st blown save in 25 chances dating back to last season) and Alfredo Aceves (0-3) worked two innings and allowed a pair of runs but Baltimore had a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth so they had more room for error.

Befitting a game that few watched once the Celtics-Heat started, there were many peculiar elements. First of all, there were 14 runs scored combined but Salty's bomb was the only extra-base hit that produced a run. Everything else was the product of singles and sacrifice flies.

The Orioles cashed in big time with runners on base (8 for 17) while the Red Sox (1 for 8) did not. Out of 26 total hits for both teams, only four were for extra-bases (two doubles, a triple, the home run).

Baltimore had 15 hits led by Endy Chavez (3 hits, 2 runs, RBI). Robert Andino (2 hits, 2 runs), J.J. Hardy (2 hits, RBI), Matt Wieters (2 hits, run, RBI, walk) and Mark Reynolds (2 hits, 2 walks, run, RBI) all had multiple hits in the win.

For Boston, Salty and Mike Aviles (3 hits, run, RBI) helped them to 11 hits. Scott Podsednik (2 hits, RBI, walk) and Daniel Nava (2 runs, 2 hits) also continued to get on base, something which nobody expected consistently from them (especially when they were pressed into the lineup every day).

Baltimore scored first with two runs in the third on RBI singles by Adam Jones and Wieters. Boston tied it in the fifth on an Orioles error and Dustin Pedroia's (first game since last Monday) sacrifice fly.

Steve Pearce (who I've never heard of before now) put the O's back on top with a sacrifice fly in the sixth but the Red Sox responded again with an RBI single by Aviles and Podsednik's sacrifice fly in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead.

Baltimore went ahead with three in the seventh: Hardy, Reynolds and Pearce all had RBI singles. The last two runs were charged to Scott Atchison, who entered on a streak of no earned runs in his last 19 2/3 innings.

Ronny Paulino and Chavez had RBI singles in the 10th against Aceves. Johnson retired Boston 1-2-3 in the 10th.

If we accept all the signs that point to this being a rebuilding year for the Red Sox, the biggest news of the day was that Daniel Bard was sent down to Pawtucket to get his mind and right arm in a better place. Darnell McDonald was called up to take his spot on the roster and it looks like Daisuke Matsuzaka will inherit Bard's spot in the rotation for the time being (beginning with a start Saturday against Washington).

It's all the Red Sox' front office's fault that Bard is a mess that can't throw strikes or get anybody out. Bobby Valentine knew right away in Spring Training that Bard should stay in the bullpen but since he was a new manager, he didn't feel comfortable questioning the move. How'd that work out? Let's all hope that Bard can relax with the PawSox and get back to the player that was a top setup man for three seasons.

Josh Beckett (4-5) opposes Wei-Yin Chen (4-2) tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN) in the middle game of a three game set.

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The Red Sox Might Never Go Over .500 This Entire Season

Remember the good old days when the Baltimore Orioles were a complete joke? The Boston Red Sox could always count on two things: 1) Camden Yards was Fenway South and 2) they beat up on the O's every year like it was going out of style.

I keep waiting for Baltimore (28-16, 13-10 home) to come back to Earth in 2012 but they continue to play very well as they beat Boston (21-22, 12-11 away) 4-1 tonight at Camden Yards. The crowd might not be showing up yet (don't ask me why) but the Orioles are looking like a legit contender in the AL East this season.

With the win, Baltimore improved to 4-1 against Boston this season while also kicking the Red Sox back under .500 (this is the latest it's taken them to get over that mark since 1996). They have already had two chances to reach that mediocre level but Boston cannot even do that right so far in this forgettable campaign. To make matters worse, the Yankees won tonight so the Red Sox are back in sole possession of fifth-place in the AL East.

After a nightmare 2011, young Orioles lefty Brian Matusz (4-4) appears to have found his game once again. He went 6.2 innings, allowing one earned run on two hits with a career high nine strikeouts and one walk. He turned it over to the lights out Baltimore bullpen which completed the task in style.

Darren O'Day struck out the two batters he faced in the seventh, Pedro Strop struck out one in a scoreless eighth for the hold and Jim Johnson got a 1-2-3 ninth for his MLB-leading 16th save of the season (on 8 pitches!).

Felix Doubront (4-2) pitched very well but it wasn't enough since he received barely any run support. In six innings, he allowed two earned runs on four hits with a career high nine strikeouts and two walks. His only mistake was a two-run homer to Scott Tolleson (1st of the season) in the second inning.

Boston managed only two hits, one was a solo homer by Kevin Youkilis (remember him?) in the fourth inning, his third of the season. Wilson Betemit put it away with a two-run shot off former Oriole Matt Albers in the eighth.

The Red Sox will try to win the series tomorrow afternoon (12:35 p.m., NESN) as Daniel Bard (3-5) faces Jake Arrieta (2-4). It's the culmination of a 20 games in 20 days stretch and an eight-game road trip. Before Boston hops on the plane, it would help them greatly if they show up for tomorrow's game. I'm sure they're dead tired and sick of being on the road but another win in Baltimore would be fantastic.

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Orioles Beat Red Sox 6-4 In 13 Miserable Innings

I don't know what else to say other than the Boston Red Sox are once again playing terrible baseball. They lost for the eighth time in their last nine games at Fenway Park as they dropped the series opener 6-4 to the Baltimore Orioles tonight in 13 innings.

Chris Davis (2 hits) had an RBI single and Mark Reynolds pushed another run across in the 13th with a sacrifice fly. Orioles closer Jim Johnson got a 1-2-3 13th for his eighth save of the season.

Boston (11-14, 4-8 home) has lost three straight and it's impossible to have much faith in this group. Conversely, Buck Showalter and Baltimore (17-9, 9-5 away) might finally be onto something. Maybe the Orioles won't finish in fifth place in the AL East this season.

Jon Lester was decent. He lasted six innings, allowing three runs (all earned) on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks. The Red Sox got their first look at Orioles starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen. He went five innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

The Red Sox couldn't hold leads of 3-1 and 4-3 as their bullpen, which has actually been excellent recently, faltered. Vicente Padilla allowed the run that tied it at four and then Franklin Morales (0-1) coughed up two more in the 13th for the loss.

Baltimore won because its bullpen threw a ridiculous eight scoreless innings. Matt Lindstrom (1 inning), Pedro Strop (2 innings), Luis Ayala (2 innings), Troy Patton (2 innings; 1-0) and Johnson were mighty impressive.

Cody Ross scored on a passed ball to give Boston a 1-0 lead in the second but Reynolds (1st of the season) crushed a meatball right down the middle from Lester in the third over The Monster. David Ortiz's ground out scored Adrian Gonzalez (3 hits) in the third and Ross drove in Dustin Pedroia with a sacrifice fly.

Matt Wieters (2 hits, 2 runs) is not known for his speed but Ross misplayed a ball in the right field corner and Baltimore's catcher ended up with an RBI triple in the fourth. Wilson Betemit knocked him in with an RBI single, tying the game at three in the fourth.

Pedroia put Boston ahead one last time in the fifth with an RBI single that scored Will Middlebrooks (double). The O's tied it in the seventh as a run scored even though J.J. Hardy grounded into a double play.

Aaron Cook makes his Red Sox debut tomorrow afternoon (1:10 p.m., NESN) as the veteran sinkerballer looks to get his new team out of their latest fog. Jason Hammel (3-1) goes for the Orioles, who have the AL's worst defense but somehow they've made up for it with the top ERA in the AL.

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So I Guess The Season Is Truly Over For The 2011 Boston Red Sox, Good Riddance!

No matter how long any of us live, I guarantee that we'll never see a final day of an MLB regular season like the one we just witnessed tonight.

With both Wild Card spots up for grabs and four games going on simultaneously, it was baseball porn for a sport that desperately needs more moments like that. At the end of it all, the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals-two teams that came back from historical deficits-captured the Wild Cards while the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox likewise suffered catastrophic collapses.

Baltimore (69-93) had a walk-off win at Camden Yards, 4-3 on Robert Andino's single which mercifully ended Boston's season. Moments later at the Trop, Evan Longoria hit a walk-off homer in the 12th for an 8-7 Rays win over the Yankees, ensuring that there would be no one-game playoff on Thursday vs. the Red Sox.

Good lord, where to begin with this train wreck of a month that was capped off by tonight? The Yankees led the Rays 7-0 at one point while the Red Sox were ahead 3-2 on the Orioles before a rain delay of one hour and 25 minutes during the seventh inning.

Bottom line, the two teams that most deserved to make the playoffs made it. New York will host Detroit and Texas hosts Tampa Bay beginning on Friday. In the NL, Philly hosts St. Louis and Arizona travels to Milwaukee on Saturday.

This was a game that the Red Sox (90-72) shouldn't have lost but given the way September unfolded-tying the worst Sept. mark in franchise history-the end result was entirely predictable for anybody that was paying attention.

Jon Lester wasn't great but he gave them a decent enough start on three days rest. He went six innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

In possibly his final game with the Red Sox, closer Jonathan Papelbon (4-1) blew the save in crazy fashion. He was down to the last strike with the bases empty before Chris Davis doubled, Nolan Reimold tied it with a ground-rule double and then Andino hit a sinking liner which most people not named Carl Crawford might have had a chance on. Don't ask me how a guy who won a Gold Glove last season could become this much of a liability in one year.

Alfredo Aceves had pitched a scoreless 1-2-3 seventh (his fourth consecutive day of work) while ultra-shaky setup guy Daniel Bard had a clean eighth to get it to best closer in franchise history.

To blame Papelbon is short-sighted and dumb. This was a teamwide failure on so many levels; it should have never gotten to this point. As GM Theo Epstein pointed out after the game, if they had only won two more games (9 instead of 7 out of 27) in September, they'd be in the playoffs.

Firing Terry Francona is probably the most likely option since who would ever take on Crawford, John Lackey, etc. at this point? However, while Francona's approach of not calling out players didn't help, ultimately it's the players that get the job done or not. Rumors of Theo going to the Cubs make sense and I wouldn't blame him for wanting a new challenge at this point in his career. Winning World Series championships in 2004 and 2007 changed everything for the Red Sox, the team and the fanbase just doesn't have the same passion and I don't that they ever will again.

The only positional players that showed up tonight for Boston were Dustin Pedroia (3 hits) and Marco Scutaro (2 hits). Pedroia had an RBI single in the 3rd (1-0) and solo homer in the fifth (3-2 Red Sox; 21st of the season). Scutaro scored on a balk in the fourth (2-2) and the pair also combined on a sick double play to get out of trouble in the sixth.

As every Red Sox fan thought during the slide, if only we had a couple more guys with the heart and desire of Pedroia. His energy and enthusiasm for the game can only go so far though. He's a winner and hopefully he plays for Boston his entire career.

Scutaro is a free agent and he figures to move on from here but he is also guilt-free as him and Jacoby Ellsbury (who should be AL MVP) basically tried to will this team offensively in September when every other bat flat-lined and any form of pitching was a disaster.

J.J. Hardy got the O's on the board with a two-run shot in the third which put Baltimore ahead 2-1.

Starter Alfredo Simon was pulled after 4.1 innings (3 earned runs, 6 hits, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts) but Troy Patton (2.1 innings), Willie Eyre (1 out), Pedro Strop (1 inning) and Jim Johnson (6-5; 1 inning) combined to close the door on Boston's ill-fated season.

This loss should serve as a painful reminder to both the team and fans that getting to the playoffs and winning a World Series isn't a birthright by any means (in case we forgot). The Red Sox haven't won a playoff game since 2008 and this marks the second straight season that they've missed the playoffs (something they hadn't done in consecutive years since 2001). Hell, they only had one more win this season than last year's joke of a campaign. And please don't start with the injury excuse, in baseball everyone has a ton of injuries after the grueling 162-game regular season.

Let's remember that winning the offseason like the Miami Heat in the NBA or Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL doesn't mean anything. The results are all that matters and right now, this team has dissolved into one that lacks character and substance. We can only hope that this bitter end gets things turned back into a winning direction moving forward.

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Orioles Take Three Out Of Four At Fenway

It seems like ages ago but do you remember when the Boston Red Sox looked like the class of the American League this summer? They had moved past their abysmal 2-10 and appeared destined for big things in October.

They still could be in the postseason but this team gives new meaning to the term "limping into the playoffs." Tonight, the Baltimore Orioles (65-90)-one of the worst teams in baseball this season and for the past decade-won 6-4 in Boston's (88-68) regular season home finale at Fenway Park.

The O's won three of four against the Red Sox in a series that meant everything to the home team and nothing to the visitors who have been out of contention since I don't know, June? The same things are being said over and over about this edition of the Red Sox and at this point you have to think they are all valid: they're frontrunners, they have no heart or no pride, they think the playoffs are a given.

Despite all this negativity, Boston is in good shape for the AL Wild Card. They're 2.5 games up on the Tampa Bay Rays (who lost both games today in a day-night doubleheader with the Yankees) and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. A win here or there in September (5-16) and it would be locked up but hey, did you hear Sweet Caroline tonight? That was awesome.

Not even Josh Beckett (13-6) could shake this team out of its malaise. The Texas wannabe toughguy went 7.1 innings, allowing six earned runs on seven hits with a walk and eight strikeouts.

Tommy Hunter kept Baltimore in the game until he had to leave in the seventh with a groin strain. He went 6.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

In a season that has been a huge disappointment from game one, Carl Crawford actually had a great performance. Too bad, nobody will remember it since it came in another unforgivable loss. Crawford was a homer shy of a cycle with two RBIs; Adrian Gonzalez (2 hits) was the only other Red Sox with multiple hits.

It's hard to choose the most pathetic aspect of this series finale (other than the final result): Baltimore rallied from a 4-1 deficit tonight and also, closer Jim Johnson had his third straight 1-2-3 save (9th save of the season) over two days and each took 10 pitches or less.

The greatest softball player in all the land, with apologies to my girl Jennie Finch, Mark Reynolds was the offensive star for the Orioles. He got the scoring started with a solo homer in the second and then a two-run blast in the seventh which tied it at four.

After tripling to lead off the third, Crawford scored on Jason Varitek's ground out. Crawford added a two-run double in the fourth and David Ortiz made it 4-1 with an RBI single in the fifth.

Normally, that would be enough against the O's but no lead is safe right now for Boston. J.J. Hardy (2 hits) cut it to 4-2 in the sixth with an RBI single and then Vlad Guerrero knocked in two with an RBI single off Alfredo Aceves in the eighth.

It wasn't Aceves' fault since he came in with runners on second and third with one out. He's wiggled out of countless situations like that this season but you can't expect that every time out. I would have intentionally walked Vlad to get the force at every base but hey, what do I know?

There are six more games of this misery and probably a few after that (don't expect a long stay in October) but I can't ever remember a Red Sox team in my lifetime that has disintegrated down the stretch like this. It's embarrassing.

After an off-day tomorrow, they've got three in New York (against the AL East champs) then wrap up the regular season with three in Baltimore. Can they get into the playoffs without winning another game? We shall see I guess.

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I Guess It Was Papelbon's Turn To Blow It

You know where this is all leading don't you? The Red Sox will back into a playoff spot say next week in Baltimore as the Tampa Bay Rays run out of gas and finally hand over the AL Wild Card to an undeserving Boston squad.

Tonight it was closer Jonathan Papelbon's turn to blow a game-giving up his first run in 21 games (July 16)-as the Orioles (64-90) won 7-5 over the Red Sox (88-67) at Fenway Park.

Terry Francona is scared to death of making Papelbon work more than an inning so this was only his fourth save opportunity of over one inning. Naturally, summoned with one out in the eighth Papelbon gave up a bases-loaded double to Robert Andino (3 hits, run), who is a shoe in for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

This result was dulled by the fact that a few minutes earlier in the Bronx, the Yankees blanked the Rays 5-0. As it stands, Boston leads Tampa Bay by two games (one in the loss column) with the regular season ending next Wednesday.

Erik Bedard returned from his fake injury (lat), not to be confused with my favorite solider Carl Crawford who bravely put his name in the lineup tonight after missing yesterday's doubleheader with a stiff neck, and as usual, Bedard worked slowly and ineffectively.

Bedard went 2.2 innings (really), allowing four runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks. For the second game in a row, Scott Atchison was great. This time he threw 2.1 scoreless innings and even Matt Albers pitched in a 1-2-3 sixth. Sadly, the usually reliable duo of Daniel Bard (2-9) and Papelbon didn't get it done. Bard was charged with two runs that crossed home against Pap.

Did I mention that a Dutch pitcher started for Baltimore? Yup, none other than Rick VandenHurk made the stoners in Amsterdam smile. He went three innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Adrian Gonzalez's (3 hits, 3 RBIs) RBI double in the first got the Red Sox out to a good start, it felt like they hadn't scored a game's first run since August.

Luckily the Orioles piled on four runs in the third as Nick Markakis (3 hits) had an RBI double, Vlad Guerrero reached on Josh Reddick's error (scoring Markakis) and Mark Reynolds (2 hits) drove in two with an RBI single.

However, no lead is safe with Baltimore's Double A caliber rotation and bullpen. Gonzalez crushed his MLB-leading 12th opposite field homer of the season (27th overall), a two-run blast in the third. The Red Sox went ahead with a pair of runs in the fourth on Mike Aviles' (2 hits) RBI single and a fielding error by Reynolds (his 30th of the season; what a five-tool player).

For the second time in three games, the O's new closer Jim Johnson got a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save of the season.

Josh Beckett and Tommy Hunter square off tomorrow night in Boston's regular season home finale. It makes me sick to write it but the Red Sox need to win to earn the series split with the AL East's sisters of the poor. Tampa Bay and New York have a day-night doubleheader tomorrow. Fun times, baseball!

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Time Stands Still As The Orioles Beat The Red Sox

In MLB, you play teams in your division approximately a million times each season so it was only a matter of time before the Baltimore Orioles found a way to knock off the Boston Red Sox.

The O's (39-55) snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Red Sox (58-37) with a 6-2 win last night at Camden Yards.

Rookie Kyle Weiland (0-1) made his second start for Boston (both have been against the Orioles) and while he had better results this time, the former Notre Dame closer still didn't come out on top. In his MLB debut, he was lit up and ejected after hitting Vlad Guerriero but the Red Sox rallied to win. This time around, he went six innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Normally reliable Alfredo Aceves was also touched up for three earned runs in two innings, including back-to-back homers by Derrek Lee (two-run) and Mark Reynolds (3 hits) in the eighth that extended Baltimore's lead from a measly 3-2 to an insurmountable 6-2.

Orioles starter Jeremy Guthrie (4-13), who entered with the most losses in MLB, had one of his better outings of a terrible season. He went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

Jim Johnson went the last two innings, picking up the save (his first of the season) by not allowing any hits or runs.

Reynolds gave the O's a 1-0 lead in the second with an RBI double which scored Adam Jones (2 hits). Nolan Reimold's ground out brought home Matt Wieters (2 runs, 2 hits) to make it 2-0 Baltimore in the second.

Wieters upped the margin to 3-0 with an RBI single in the third which scored Nick Markakis.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia provided the Red Sox' only runs with a two-run bomb (his second in as many games) in the fifth. The eighth of the season, it scored Josh Reddick (3 hits), who continues to tear the cover off the ball.

Boston's six-game road trip wraps up this afternoon as Andrew Miller takes on Jake Arrieta. The Red Sox are currently 3-2 on the trip and 1.5 games up on the Yankees in the AL East so one more win would be nice. 4-2 looks a lot better than 3-3 plus you can't lose two out of three to the Orioles, ever.

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