Game 21

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 8, Baltimore Orioles 11

"If you score eight runs, you're supposed to win the ball game."
- Red Sox announcer Jerry Trupiano

I was going to write before I even started this entry that the Sox pitching staff is starting to look pretty beat up, but it just got worse: Schilling is going on the DL for a mild bone bruise on his right ankle. Wade Miller coming back is starting to look better and better.

I came home last night to a scene fraught with tension: Mike Timlin, facing down the Orioles in scoring position, with the score eight to seven. Matt Clement and Rodrigo Lopez both had terrible outtings, Clement giving up seven runs (including two allowed to score by Alan Embree, who came on to give up a two run double) over four and two thirds innings and and Lopez eight runs over three and a third innings. Timlin got out of the inning, but the Sox failed to lengthen their lead and when Foulke came on in the eighth, he gave up two two run homers: one to Tejada and one to Javy Lopez. There were fielding errors. There was sloppy play. The Sox blew leads of five to one and eight to three. And at the end of it all, there was another loss to Baltimore and the MLB's best offense, who seem pretty well venged for last week's shutouts. At least Clement didn't hurt himself.

Today's game was supposed to start at 2:00, but the rain that this morning was over New York seems to have gone north with alacrity and the game was postponed. As much as I would have liked to listen to it, this cancellation may be a good thing, for two reasons: first, with both Schilling and Wells on the DL, we're down a starter. Halama will be filling one of the starting roles, but it's TBD as to who will fill the other roster spot. Having an accidental day off (along with a day off on Thursday) gives two days where someone doesn't have to pitch and saves the arms until that point, somewhere on the horizon where the Sox have seven potential starters instead of four. Second, I think the bullpen needs a few days to recover from extended pitching in relief of bad starts and the fielding needs to get its collective head together and get past the sloppiness. The Sox are in Texas over the weekend and the Rangers' bats are only slightly less scary than those of Baltimore. GO SOX!!!