They are playing ugly. Bad pitching. No hitting. Starting pitcher meltdowns. Men stranded all over the park. Pitiful managing decisions. But they’re still our Sox, and we can’t help but think this will turn around soon. Maybe not today, maybe not in Cleveland. Maybe it’ll be when Coco comes back, if he comes back. No matter what, we’re still on their side, and today they try to avert a sweep against those Blue Jays, everyone’s new darling. Discuss all things Sox and Jays on this gray, rainy, somber Sunday here.
Avert the Eyes: Sox-Jays Gamer III
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More bad situational hitting, shielded only by the fact the Loretta’s double play ball was going just a tiny bit too slow. How about a first inning lead, fellas?
PAPI TO THE RESCUE!!! Where’s the chirping now, YF!?!?!
I think Manny’s found his stroke. The Sox have to keep reminding themselves who is pitching today. 2 won’t do it.
That’s 3.
I find it hard to watch a Sox team that relies on Willie Harris in any way.
Agreed on Harris. I don’t see how he is a better option than Stern, who was more than earning his keep in the field.
Youk crushed that ball, but right at Glaus. Towers is not fooling them. The Sox need to get a few more runs and not let Towers settle in.
Come on Papi – two in two innings?
The ol’ “if you get lots of guys on base you leave lots of guys on base” in effect today, again. The lack of clutch hitting is starting to get painful, even though in the long run the scenario probably will end in more runs.
Has everyone given up on the Sox besides me and airk? Or is it just one of those lazy hole yourself up in a dark room and don’t bother watching Matt Clement probably crumble kind of days?
So the Sox called up Manny Delcarmen. How long until we see Craig Hansen? Can the Sox keep putting up with Seanez, a hole where Riske was supposed to be? Any thoughts?
Top prospect John Lester, apparently, has been getting himself torched after a bad spring training. But it’s April.
Can’t worry about a guy’s first two starts in AAA, yet.
At some point is JT Snow extraneous? If Youk keeps playing really good D at first what is Snow useful for, exactly? Did the Sox have really low expectations for Youkilis? So far, he looks really seasoned out there.
There’s an unforgivable sin: hitting Willie Harris with a pitch.
Where the f*ck is everyone!??!
It’s like old times here: me and YF singing our individual songs to an audience of one.
Another RISP. Come on, Youk.
Yes!!! Clutch ribbie from Youk, who takes second on the throw home. Again, you CANNOT hit Willie Harris with a pitch.
Oy, did Mike Lowell think that they moved first base into the stands?
Glaus just missed crushing a hanger from Clement. Bad pitch, lucky escape for the Sox.
Clement digging a hole here. Wheels wobbly.
Someone walk to the mound, remind Clement that he has “ability”. Please?!!?
Great. Here comes the walk to the mound, 2 minutes late. Francona is asleep at the wheel. And Clement is Derek Lowe.
Nope. I was wrong. No walk to the mound. Is there a reason we have a pitching coach? Or a manager?
Clement looks done. Hinske nearly yards one.
Now a HBP. Clement, meet the waiver wire.
the fantasy waiver wire?
No, the “SF’s most unwatchable player waiver wire.” Bill Simmons has a new whipping boy, I think.
NESN just posted their menu for the postgame show, and the first item was “Clement Breakdown”. Seems appropriate.
Wow, shady idea by Varitek, bunting for a hit with two guys on and Towers really struggling. Might even qualify as “stupid”. Now they walk Lowell to face Willie Harris. This bad baseball is getting real difficult to watch.
7 LOB thru 5. I need to go out for a run, the Sox are making my blood boil.
This is jus setting up another nail biter in the 8th and 9th innings, unless Clement goes out in the next two innings in style, with a bang and 5 runs.
Count on that last part, rk. I don’t have any confidence in Clement at this point. I think I have the same amount as he has in himself, which is the worst part.
Here comes the deluge.
Clement sucks. No other word for it. Francona better have someone up. And someone ought to go out to talk to Clement to stall. This is really bad hands-off managing.
This is just remarkable to me, that Francona has still not gotten someone up in the pen. Now, I am not sure who the heck they would use (they probably need to committee the rest of the game) but Clement doens’t look very long for this game, and the Sox are a pitch away from being down by 2 with a lot of baseball still left. I don’t get it.
Better than 40% chance Overbay parks this next pitch.
Wow, didn’t see that K coming. I thought it’d be knocked into the warning track. Whew.
But now he seems to be throwing at someone in the stands.
I think Tek was helpful in the first part of last year in keeping Clement from wigging out, and after the concussion, he couldn’t really do anything. Seems like that’s the case again this year.
Oy, walks them loaded. NOW Francona gets on the phone. Day late and a dollar short, as they say. Francona’s been at his worst these last few days.
Wow. Great grab by Nixon.
It really does seem like Tito’s not watching the games lately – kind of like how we haven’t felt like watching the games lately. I wonder if the camera could catch him sitting with his hands over his eyes. Does the bottom of the lineup have something on Tito, and are blackmailing him into letting them play all together?
And is is possible there’s something wrong with Clement’s eyesight? He can’t locate at all. Either that or it’s abject fear.
Thank you, Trot.
Sorry, SF – I’m watching this on Gamecast, jus got home here. I’ll be a step behind for the rest of the game, most likely.
Think they throw him out again next inning? I’m guessing yes.
Boy, if only we had a 6th starter/long relief guy we could trust, who loved playing in Boston . . .
Cano goes with an outside pitch to the track in left center, about 400 feet. Almost powered it over. Two away.
Ouch, wrong thread. Was just lurking here. ;)
Ortiz reached on a bunt?? Can’t believe what I’m reading.
did Ortiz really get a bunt single?
Toronto dodged a bullet there. IBB to Manny paid off.
Snap throw from Hernandez to third, almost picked jeter off. Nice arm
Sheesh what is my malfunction.
yes Ortiz bunted for a single. He oughta do it once per game until team stop overshifting
He did it a couple times last year. Just bunt it toward 3rd, nobody there.
airk, good idea. That’s a great weapon to have in his bag.
Ah, nice. I go out for a good run and come back and things are the way they were. Thank you, Keith. Let’s get these guys home.
Giambi did it a couple of times last year as well, if I recall – the bunt, that is. It’s a really smart play – baserunners are baserunners. Make guys pitch from the stretch, put them under more pressure. I like it.
Loretta!
SF, agreed regarding baserunners. I like the pressure a good bunter puts on the defense, and frankly, I find bunt plays entertaining to watch.
Ortiz hit that one pretty far. Yikes.
And Ryan gets hosed – Manny just looked at strike 3 and blue called it a ball.
Crap,Manny. Another runner at 3rd with fewer than 2 outs not cashed. The offense continues to suck, pretty much.
Timlin OBA: .345. Scary.
Clement came out at 97 pitches. He had a respectable pitching line today.
As expected. Tying run at the plate.
Not really, AG. 5.1 innings, 3 runs, and it could have been much worse. He pitched poorly and stretched the bullpen, just what the Sox don’t need after the first two games of the series.
Nice pitch, Timlin. 2 down.
Wheee! It’s up to Papelbon in the 9th, now.
SF, I suppose so, but the runs were all on Zaun’s homer, made worse by Lowell’s E.
Another man on. Another man to leave on, I suppose!
That’s true, AG. But the homer still counted, and Clement really looked underwhelming today. Going out for a run was the right thing to do.
Yes! Insurance run – Lowell double.
Good point. Toronto’s lineup is difficult to work through on a good day; don’t need to be giving up 7 hits in a short work day.
Lowell working hard to erase that E I was just talking about. Good day at the plate.
2 more guys on with nobody out. Gonzalez fails at the sac effort.
Can the Sox leave more than 3 guys on base in an innning? Just wondering.
I think they are trying to find a way. Let’s see if you get to yell Loretta one more time today.
Aaagh. Wait, what constitutes a save situation? If this is one, then perhaps Loretta wanted to give Paps another one.
If not, well, then, let’s yell at Loretta again.
Gonzalez, Youkalis and Loretta did a good job of taking the bat out of Ortiz’ hands.
Leadoff man on for the Jays. This game shouldn’t even be in doubt, the fact that the Sox couldn’t scrape another two runs could kill them. And as I type this Papelbon just put another guy on.
Is the vaunted/sterling/coveted (whichever overused ajdective you like) 0.00 ERA in danger?
Aagh, another runner – gamecast is slow I guess. At least it’s Wells, he’s not hitting at all.
This another “teaching myself to pitch out of a jam” thing from Paps?
Someone update us!
Stones from Papelbon. 8 for 8.
Hello Cleveland!
He K’d Wells and the a double play, FYI.
NICE!!! I’ll now get to watch it unfold on Gamecast without tearing my hair out.
I think that the people who update Gamecast take longer on the interesting games – the boring ones seem to be updated pretty quickly.
Still at the top of the standings. But is anyone worried about the Yanks slowly getting back out of the cellar? The way we played thi series, I am.
Fourteen left on for the Red Sox, but a win just the same.
“Maybe it’ll be when Coco comes back, if he comes back.”
You’re joking, right?
For shame, SF.
Glass half empty much?
Nah, I was feeling forlorn. I miss Coco. But he was supposed to miss 10 days, now it’s “indefinite”, with no reports on his status. Worrying a bit, no?
Tito said middle of May. That’s better than indefinite, but he needs to come back and, oh, not slide headfirst anymore.