It Ain't Over 'Till It's Over...Red Sox Bullpen Implosion Leads To A Baltimore 11-10 Win
A quick turn of the page is sorely needed as the Boston Red Sox, who had a nine to one lead after four full innings and a ten to one lead after six and a half, lost their Tuesday night game by a score of 11-10. A rain delay prevented an effective John Smoltz from pitching more than four innings. He was great and proved that he belongs in this rotation. That's the good news. The bad news? OK, here you go. The Orioles scored five runs in the seventh and five runs in the eighth and their bullpen made that slim 11-10 lead stand up for as long as it took to win the ballgame. Holy you-know-what! Boston manager Tito Francona and closer Jonathon Papelbon had these choice words after the demoralizing defeat...
“We just had no answer,” manager Terry Francona said of his bullpen. "We went through just about everybody. That was as bad as we’ve seen. We couldn’t get anybody out.”
“We pretty much imploded,” said Jonathan Papelbon. "I can’t think of any better word to use; it’s just what happened. We went through just about everybody. . . . That was as bad as we’ve seen. We couldn’t get anybody out.”
Justin Masterson was effective for two innings and then he just lost his cool, or his location. It only got worse as Okie, Saito and Papelbon completed the fiasco. It was the biggest comeback by the Orioles since 1956 and the worst stumble by Boston since a game against Toronto in 1989. That's why I opened this post with the words "turn the page."
There WILL be baseball this afternoon at Camden Yards as the Red Sox and the Orioles close out this three game series and finally end their road trip. Home cooking will never taste as good. It'll be Josh Beckett versus Brad Bergesen at 1:35pm EDT. A win will certainly erase the sour taste in the mouths of every Boston player and coach and we have the right guy on the mound to do it. GO SOX.
Click on the title of this post for more of the sordid Tuesday night Red Sox details and as always, BE WELL. Leave a comment if you can. I'll respond to each and every one. I'll be seeing you...really soon.
posted by Peter N @ 5:54 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
OK, Sox fans, I've been waiting with crossed fingers, Rosary beads, and mantras, but last night finally did it. I'd promised myself to stop belittling the Sox manager and simply keep rooting for the Crimson Hose Boys of Yawkey Way. But last night finally did it. Or have I said that?
Francona has to go. The man has absolutely no clue how to handle pitchers. Or batting orders, for that matter. Last night, it was his abysmal hesitations to drag a struggling pitcher(s) out of the game. He has the best...and the biggest...bullpen in the majors, and he leaves in Masterson to be slammed all over the lot. He is carrying 13 pitchers, for crimminittlies. He lets Saito get one third...ONE THIRD...inning and then watches him give up FIVE runs. The Orioles should have been shut down after they rang up their first five runs. I'd love to know exactly what John Smoltz has been thinking about his current management team after witnessing last night's complete meltdown in decision-making by The Spitter.
This is a portent of what is to come. Mark my words. What a shame.
I'm pretty sure you can't blame an 11-run implosion on the manager.
I am somewhat pissed off at Josh Beckett today, however. If he makes the ASG and Tim Wakefield gets left off, that's a travesty.
Lisa K: If not the manager, then who?
He makes the decisions. Putting in a reliever is a lot of guesswork, but when the reliever is being hammered, it's rather simple...put in another. And having another one ready isn't too complicated, either. Each of the foregoing are rather simple, yet they seem to elude The Spitter time after time.
It is not the manager's fault. He has no control over an entire bullpen imploding. They had a bad day--a very bad day. But they bounced back pretty nicely today.
JB, I emphatically disagree with you. Nice to hear from you, though. Tito is the best we've ever had. IT WAS ONLY ONE GAME!
Masterson was masterful for two innings...it was not meant to be.
I can't believe your reaction. What happened last night was part of baseball...the part where the rain messes everything up. You know better than to react like that.
Thanks everyone. I had already turned the page...Lisa, Beckett has been lights out lately. He's only human, you know? Bottom line...WE WON!!! Dan, you, like me, makes sense. Lia, you too. Evcept anyone can have a bad day...look at Josh's stats for all the evidence you need.
Night now. Thanks all.
Lisa, you too. Except anyone can have a bad day...look at Josh's stats for all the evidence you need.
The second to last sentence without the typos. See ya.
REVENGE HAS BEEN SERVED! That's our team. Forever.
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